Stephanie Frith, a New Jersey mom, knows firsthand the difficulties of vacationing with young children. Her Brielle-based company, Coastal Baby Rentals, allows parents to rent baby equipment, so they can travel to the Jersey Shore without the baggage.
Originally from California, Frith took her daughter, Ava, to her native state in April 2008 to visit with family but found it difficult to haul all the necessary paraphernalia. After doing research, she decided to rent it instead.
But when the equipment arrived, Frith was disappointed with its quality. “The stroller had stains all over it,” she recalls. “And the toys looked like they were mine when I was a baby.”
One year later, Frith launched her own baby-and-toddler equipment rental company offering the same premium-equipment brands she uses at home for Ava. “I thought moms would appreciate having nicer things available to them,” Frith says.
Last summer, her company delivered to Jersey Shore towns as far north as Rumson, and as far south as Long Beach Island. This year, she is expanding her business to include Ocean City and the Cape May area. “After a successful summer serving Point Pleasant and surrounding areas in 2009, I started working on expanding to my number-1 most-requested delivery area, Ocean City,” she says. “I received more than 200 requests for cribs alone last year, and wanted to make my premium products and services available to all the families vacationing in South Jersey.”
While cribs are her most-rented item, Frith offers a whole slew of beach-related equipment. She says her BOB Revolution Joggers are really rugged, making them “ideal for the boardwalk and sand.” Also available are baby beach cabanas, beach buggies, and beach umbrellas. For more information or to reserve equipment, visit www.coastalbabyrentals.com.