Stéphanie is a mother of three children and lives in Nice. Seeing an advert, this early childhood educator said to herself that she could easily supplement her income. She tells us about her experience.
We would all like to earn a little more money, and supplement our monthly income which, sometimes, seems insufficient to us. However, it is possible to boost your salary a little with a small side activity. This is what Stéphanie, 37 years old and mother of three children, tried to do: Mathis, aged 13, Emma, aged 8.5, and the youngest Iris, 4.5 years old. This educator of young children, part-time trainer, who also runs parent-child workshops, has diversified her activity in a very simple way. “I saw an advert on Facebook: Baby on trip was looking for renting mothers to make ends meet. At the time, I was at the end of my parental leave and I said to myself that it could be pretty good“, she tells us.
A month before little Iris goes back to school, in September 2022, Stéphanie takes the plunge and begins the adventure, becoming a childcare equipment rental company. “I immediately had a first express request, it was from a lady who had come by train with a two-month-old baby and who had not thought about her organization on site. She needed an emergency stroller”, she explains. Although the majority of parents who use its services anticipate a few weeks or even months in advance, it sometimes happens that it has last minute requests. A stroller lost at the airport, parents who forgot to put the stroller in the trunk before setting off on vacation… The reasons are numerous, but Stéphanie does everything to meet the needs of young parents, or adults. -parents who welcome the family. “Very often, these requests concern parents of older children who do not think about taking the stroller since the little ones walk, but who realize that with long walks, it can be useful“.
Over the months and depending on the time of year, Stéphanie quickly became the best seller on the baby care equipment rental site Baby on Trip. With 8,000 euros in earnings over the year 2023, she was even able to buy more equipment and equip herself to meet a wider demand. The most requested items? The stroller, but depending on the period and particularly summer, the travel cot is also among the top rentals, as are the car seat and the high chair. “On average, I earn around a hundred euros in a very calm month, sometimes between 300 and 400 euros, but in August 2023, it was quite exceptional: I earned 1,600 euros“, says the saleswoman.
Concretely, how much does it cost to rent childcare equipment? “We operate on a daily rental basis, with a decreasing price depending on the duration (-20% from the 5th day and -35% from the 8th day…). The stroller or a baby bed, for example, are rented around ten euros a day”, Stéphanie explains. Added to this are the delivery costs depending on the location, between 15 and 25 or 30 euros depending on the area and if it is an express request on the same day. Some individuals choose to collect the equipment themselves, and sometimes hotels can use its services. “We also work with concierge services,” explains the saleswoman.
If you are interested in renting your own childcare equipment, here is some sound advice from the best seller! You have to be available enough to be able to meet demand during holiday periods. “When it comes to last minute requests, families are often in dire straits, I find it difficult to have to refuse to meet their needs.” It is also necessary to ensure that childcare equipment is always in good condition and clean, which involves regular and rigorous maintenance between each rental. Based on her experience, Stéphanie also recommends equipment that is foldable or easily transportable. “Also, if you want to rent in quantity, you need to be able to store the items in a cellar, a garden shed or a pavilion,” recommends Stéphanie, who started with the stroller and car seats that she used for her children . Today, it has a total of 4 travel cots, 4 car seats, a baby bath, 2 deckchairs, 2 high chairs, and 5 compact strollers.