IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — Two Iredell County moms are working to make it easier to travel with little ones in the Charlotte area.
Two months ago, sisters Haley Knicely and Hannah Oxenford signed on as “Independent Quality Providers” with BabyQuip. It’s a baby equipment rental service across the U.S. and Canada that is trying to improve the way families travel.
“It’s like, in essence, Airbnb for baby equipment,” Knicely said. “Now they’re in over 900 cities, but no matter where you’re at, there’s someone out there that would rent you baby equipment.”
The sisters have baby gear for rent through BabyQuip’s website, including rental options for toys, strollers, highchairs, and more. They live in Iredell County and typically serve areas within an hour’s drive.
“You’re trying to create a sense of home away from home, and so that’s a big deal because kids, they thrive in their environment,” Oxenford said.
The sisters started off their rental inventory with a crib, which they say is the most popular item. As a parent herself, Knicely said you realize all the things that are needed to make your child comfortable, such as a crib, a darkening, sheet, and a sound machine.
Not having to pack those things in a car or try to make do when flying to a destination makes things easier on a parent when traveling with a little one.
The Independent Quality Providers do all the setup work to drop off the items before vacation starts and pick them up when the trip is over. Knicely and Oxenford said they usually communicate with the parents ahead of time about logistics to ensure things go smoothly and arrive on time in the right location.
“We’re utilizing the internet to book a lot of things, reserve a lot of things in our life,” Oxenford said. “Everybody does that with your rental car, your place you’re staying, so it’s one other thing that you’re able to plan ahead to make sure it’s taken care of and there whenever you need it.”
The gear rental pricing is typically calculated on a per-day basis. Knicely and Oxenford have a crib listed on their page for $20 a day with a three-day minimum. Monthly pricing is also available.
To ease parents’ fears about using rented gear, Knicely said all rental equipment goes through quality checks and thorough cleanings between uses.
“I wouldn’t want to rent something or let someone use something that I know I wouldn’t want to,” Knicely said, “and so you have very high standards.”
Contact Kendall Morris at kmorris2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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