Philadelphia mom launches baby gear rental service

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Bo Zhao thought she had purchased all the right things for her newborn. But it turns out her baby girl didn't like the bassinet or the swing. So, she came up with her own version of a rental service where you could try things out before you buy or even not have to buy it at all.

"Preparing for my first child with all the stuff, you know, I wasn't sure exactly what I needed and everything's really expensive," she said.

For Zhao, the gear became trial and error, but she thought there should be another option.

"I just you know sort of wish someone would just let me try the things at home to see what worked," she said.

In 2020, Zhao launched Baby Gear Group, an online resource where you can rent baby items.

"I could use it for as long as I needed, it may be a short time, it may be a long time, and then when I was done it would just magically disappear," Zhao said.

There's everything from the big high-ticket items like strollers, bassinets and play yards, to baby carriers, play mats and toys.

The site became invaluable to Magrielle Eisen, of Elkins Park, who was already a mom to a toddler and about to have twins.

"I got to try out lots of different items and see what I liked and see what I didn't like and traded them in and it's been fantastic," she said.

"I offer three different levels of membership based on how much gear you think you'll need," said Zhao.

There's the mini which is $49 a month and gets you five items. The basic is $99 for 10 items and then the "more" membership is $199 a month for 15 items.

All memberships have a refundable deposit and offer free delivery. The items are all inspected for quality and cleaned between each use.

"There's a mix of brand new and gently used. Everything is in great condition and if something is not up to par then we take it out of circulation."

Another perk, once your membership ends, Baby Gear Group has a 50%-plus guarantee, which puts money back in your pocket depending on your use.