You’ve found the perfect villa: great pool, brilliant location, exactly what you were looking for – except it’s got tiled floors throughout and absolutely zero baby kit. Sound familiar?
This was us in the Florida Keys. The accommodation ticked every box, but with a crawling baby and not a high chair in sight, I thought I’d have to give up my almost-perfect find and go back to the drawing board. That’s when I remembered baby equipment hire, something we dabbled with in Mallorca. Now I believe it’s one of those travel hacks more people should know about. So here’s everything you need to know.
What is baby equipment hire?
Baby equipment hire is exactly what it sounds like: you rent the bulky, awkward, hard-to-pack baby and toddler gear you need at your destination, rather than lugging it from home. It gets delivered directly to your accommodation (often before you arrive) and collected when you leave. No extra hold luggage for a baby bath, no wrestling a travel cot through an airport (unless you want your own, like we do), and no boot of the car stuffed with kit you may or may not use.
What can you hire?
Much more than you’d expect – here’s what most providers carry:
- High chairs: one of the most commonly hired items, and an essential if your accommodation doesn’t provide one. Hiring a high chair for your holiday is far easier than checking one in.
- Travel cots and full-size cribs: hiring a travel cot for your holiday means you’re not restricted to self-catering places that already have one, and you’re not at the mercy of whatever a hotel digs out of a cupboard.
- Pushchairs and strollers: hiring a pushchair abroad can be sensible if you’re flying with hand luggage only, or simply don’t want to risk your expensive pram being damaged in the hold.
- Car seats: hire car companies charge a premium for car seat hire, but I’ve seen that hiring through a specialist costs can be a third of what airport hire companies charge. This may not work if you need it from the airport, but some providers do offer meet and greet at the airport.
- Baby monitors: easily forgotten, easily hired. My brother-in-law discovered this on a family trip to Mallorca, and while sipping Sangria he ordered one to be delivered to the doorstep before he woke up.
- Play mats and floor mats: particularly useful in villas and apartments with hard tiled floors (this was a handy extra for us to add on during our recent trip to Florida Keys).
- Bouncy seats, bouncers and jumperoos
- Baby bath and other clunky items
- Outdoor play equipment: including playpens, sun shelters and shaded play tents.
- Toys and activity sets: some providers even offer boxes of age-appropriate toys, which is brilliant for longer trips.
Availability varies by provider and destination, but the best providers will go out of their way to source something even if it’s not in their standard inventory, as I found first-hand in Florida with BabyQuip.
Which service should you use?
For holidays abroad, particularly in the US, I’d strongly recommend BabyQuip. It’s the biggest baby equipment rental marketplace in the world, operating across the US, Canada, Australia, and a growing number of international cities. Rather than a faceless hire company, you’re connected directly with a local “Quality Provider” – usually a parent themselves – who delivers, sets up, and collects the gear personally. In Marathon, Florida, our BabyQuip rep Teresa more than met my expectations – more on that below!
For holidays in the UK, there are a number of good options including Baboodle (great for pram hire with nationwide delivery), Thursday’s Child, and Tiny Explorers. My brother-in-law hired a baby monitor through a Mallorca provider called Multi Hire when he forgot his on a family trip, which just goes to show how useful these services can be even for a single forgotten item.
My BabyQuip experience in the Florida Keys
I wasn’t sure what to expect the first time I used BabyQuip (not least because I wasn’t sure if our flight would be on time and how long it would take to get through the airport, and I visioned Teresa trying to drop items off at a house I was far away from). But it turned out to be very logistically simple.
We needed three things: a high chair, a thick floor mat for the tiled floors (tile + newly climbing baby = a recipe for anxiety), and an outdoor playpen with a sun shelter so R could play outside safely in the shade. While it turned out he wasn’t quite content playing in the playpen alone, insisting one of was in there with him a fair bit of the time, it provided a priceless shady and ringfenced area on the waterfront of our holiday home.
Teresa contacted me directly once I’d booked, and when it came to the sun shelter she was upfront that the exact one I’d requested was already out on another rental. Rather than just saying no, she came back with two alternatives, and ordered in the one I chose specially. That level of service was far beyond what I was expecting!
Because it was a safe residential area, she arranged to deliver everything during the day while we were travelling, so it was waiting when we arrived. Collection was arranged for the morning we were checking out.
Hiring baby equipment abroad: Europe, America and beyond
For holidays in America, BabyQuip is the obvious first port of call – it was built in the US and that’s where it has the deepest coverage, with providers in hundreds of cities. BabyQuip is expanding so it’s worth checking coverage in other long-haul destinations like Australia, Mexico, and parts of the Caribbean.
Europe is pretty well served, so whether you’re heading to Mallorca or Paris there are established local hire companies as well as international platforms like BabyQuip operating across popular resort areas. Another company, Babonbo, connects you with local parent-providers across Spain, Italy, France and beyond. In the UK, BabyQuip is growing but you also have Baboodle and Thursday’s Child.
Is baby equipment hire worth the cost?
Hiring equipment does cost money, and it’s not always cheap – particularly for longer trips. But weigh that up against:
- The cost of an extra hold luggage bag (or two)
- The wear and tear on your own equipment from flying
- The stress of packing and unpacking bulky kit
- The freedom of choosing accommodation that doesn’t need to tick the “baby equipment” box
For us, it’s absolutely worth it when we find that perfect place that’s just missing a high chair or shaded garden space. Even more so when you’re on a road trip and have to be mindful of boot space.
When is it most useful?
Baby equipment hire comes into its own when:
- You’re flying and trying to pack light or avoid hold luggage fees
- Your accommodation is self-catering and doesn’t provide baby gear
- You’ve found a perfect place that has one or two gaps (a missing high chair, no travel cot)
- You’ve forgotten something essential
- You need something you’d only use once or twice and don’t want to buy
A few things to know before you book
- Book early. Popular items like travel cots and strollers get snapped up, especially in peak season. The outdoor playpen I wanted was nearly unavailable.
- Talk to your provider. The best BabyQuip providers are incredibly responsive and genuinely helpful. If something isn’t listed, ask as they may be able to source it.
- Check delivery logistics. Most providers will coordinate delivery around your arrival, but it’s worth confirming timing, especially if you’re landing late or checking in at an unusual time. Ask what happens if you’re delayed.
There will be times when you simply won’t need to rent something, but I find hot holidays in a holiday home tend to mean more gear is needed and I’m not checking in a shaded playpen or a baby bath if I can help it! Find out what else we can’t travel without in our printable packing checklist.
We hope you found this useful!
Allie, Jack & R x
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Frequently asked questions
 Baby equipment hire lets you rent bulky or essential baby and toddler gear, from high chairs and travel cots to pushchairs and car seats, directly to your holiday accommodation. It’s delivered before you arrive and collected when you leave, so you travel light and still have everything you need.
Most providers offer travel cots, high chairs, pushchairs, car seats, baby monitors, play mats, and bouncers. Some (like BabyQuip) also offer more unusual items like outdoor play equipment, toys, and beach gear. Availability varies by provider and location, so it’s worth checking early and asking if something specific isn’t listed.
Yes, there are several good UK-based baby equipment hire services with nationwide delivery. Baboodle specialises in premium pram and pushchair hire with UK-wide delivery. Thursday’s Child and Tiny Explorers both offer a broad range of travel kit including travel cots, strollers and high chairs, delivered to your door with free returns. If you’re heading on a UK staycation and want kit waiting at your cottage or Airbnb, any of these are worth a look.
Absolutely, and it’s very well established. Spain in particular has a thriving baby equipment hire scene. Multi Hire and BabyQuip operate in Mallorca, Travel 4 Baby covers popular resort areas on the mainland, and Babonbo connects you with local providers across Spain, Italy, France, Germany and more. Search your specific destination early in your planning – most major European holiday spots will have at least one solid option.
 Yes. BabyQuip was built in the US and has by far the best coverage, with providers in hundreds of American cities. Whether you’re heading to Florida, New York, California or beyond, you’ll almost certainly find a local provider near your destination.
It depends on the item and trip length, plus how frequently you travel. For a one week holiday once a year, hiring is almost always more cost-effective than buying, particularly for big-ticket items like travel strollers or full-size cribs. Factor in the cost of hold luggage too, and the maths often tips firmly in favour of hiring.
 As early as possible, especially in peak summer season. Popular items like travel cots and compact strollers get reserved quickly. Once your accommodation is confirmed, it’s worth booking your equipment hire at the same time.
Not necessarily. Many providers can coordinate with your accommodation to have everything set up before you arrive, so it’s waiting for you when you check in. Confirm the specifics directly with your provider when you book.
