We are very proud of our lending library. We have worked hard to have over 300 carriers available for you to rent. By FUNdraising, winning online contests, shamelessly begging for donations, and being willing to rent out this blog, we are continuously building our library with the newest carriers while simultaneously meeting the growing demands of our Central Texas babywearers! Basically, our library rocks and is a labor of LURVE.
Now inevitably something this awesome will allow for several questions. We hear some of them often and wanted to address some of them with this blogpost…
Babywearers of Greater Austin… Frequently Asked Questions about our Lending Library:
Where is the lending library?
At any given time, the majority of our lending library is snuggling babies throughout Central Texas. The carriers that are not rented out are kept in various bins at an undisclosed location and is closely guarded by brain-eating zombies or The Force, whichever you find more fearsome. We bring these bins to the meetings and work our best to circulate carriers throughout our four locations to meet each locations’ needs.
Our lending library at work!
How many lending libraries are there?
There are two distinct libraries. We have one for our Round Rock and Cedar Park meetings and another for our Central Austin and New Braunfels meetings. We take into account lots of mathy statistics (well, not me personally, but someone else does) to determine the best placement of carriers. You may return a carrier at any meeting location.
How much is it to rent from the lending library?
One Meeeeeeelion Dollars!! Please respond to this blog for the paypal address. Actually, it’s $10 a meeting, or you can become a member for $30 and have access to the lending library for a year. Want to learn more about our memberships? I blogged about it here. We accept more payment forms than most retailers. We take Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Cash, Check, AND PayPal!
Who can rent from the lending library?
Really anyone who attends one of our meetings, pays the rental fee, and can supply a valid ID can rent a carrier. That being said, one of the requirements is that you attend our meeting. That means that you have to be present to rent a carrier. So, it doesn’t matter if your significant other, insignificant other, nanny, niece, BFF, or favorite D-list celebrity also has a membership. If they are not present at the meeting, you can not rent a carrier “for them.” Also, please note that there is only one rental allowed per person per meeting.
When can rentals begin?
We begin with rentals after the workshops of our meetings. Because we use some of these carriers in the process of teaching, we can not rent our carriers during sign in, sorry. The carriers must all go back to their respective workshops before they are available to rent.
Can we only rent carriers from the library through the meetings?
Because the rentals have to be done at our meetings we can not rent carriers at our stash chats, socials, playdates, or random Tuesdays when you meet up with your favorite leader for tea. Come to the meetings; they’re fun!
But I always get together with my BFF who is one of the leaders on Thursday night for wine and gossip. Can’t I just grab it from her then?
No. Also… Invite, yo! I love wine and gossip.
San Marcos Stash Chat. Lots of fun, but no rentals.
Can I rent more than one carrier at a time?
No. Regardless of number of wearees, we limit our rentals to one carrier per babywearer. However, your significant other or care-giver could also have a membership (or pay $10) and rent one if they meet the above requirements.
But my husband/nanny/partner/vengeful mother-in-law/ brother from another mother/alien BFF/dog has a membership and can’t make this meeting, but NEEDS me to rent X carrier for them?
Sorry. For legal reasons, they are responsible for the carrier when it is rented and we CAN NOT allow anyone that is not present to rent a carrier, but we currently have meetings in four locations on weekends and weekdays, so the hope is that this person can make another meeting that month. Also, please note that there is only one rental allowed per person per meeting.
Are we allowed to reserve carriers?
Unfortunately not. I know that there was previously an email glitch with lenditems. Please disregard any email that you get regarding reserving a carrier. Because of the demand for them, we really can not reserve any specific carrier. You can check availability online, though, but note that we can’t guarantee a carrier will be returned when it is due.
What if the carrier type I want is not available?
This does happen. We try to have the library evenly stocked and try to respond to trends in babywearing, but sometimes our supply doesn’t match demand. I would suggest that you take this opportunity to try another carrier for a few weeks. You can always return it at the next meeting and try to get the carrier that you originally wanted to try. And like I always tell my preschooler, “try it, you may like it!” You can check the availability of an item, but please note that this is a list of carriers that should be available.
Leigh, our lead VBE says, “try it!”
When do I have to return that library carrier?
You must return the carrier within the first 30 minutes of the next month’s meeting at that location. So, if you rented at BabyEarth in Round Rock, your rental would be due by 10:30 am to the Round Rock meeting since the meeting starts at 10:00. The Central Austin (Parker Lane) and Cedar Park meetings also start at 10:00 am, but please note that our New Braunfels meeting starts at 11:00 am.
My kid had lice/hand foot and mouth disease/a huge blow-out/ The Plague while we were using the carrier. Anything I need to do?
Uhm… yes. We want all our carriers to be returned in rentable condition. If you think that your carrier could be a health hazard to the next baby it carries, for the love, please wash it!! We have detergent and washing instructions available, but if you need hand-holding, please contact our librarians at RentalHelp@bwiaustin.org.
My kid spilled a dime-sized amount of applesauce on the carrier, do I need to wash it?
Uhm, not necessarily. We try to cut down on washing carriers for the sake of washing them in order to extend their life. If there is a little food spot, please try to spot clean it first. If you feel that the carrier is really dirty, go ahead and wash it before returning it. Again, instructions are here and our librarians can be reached at RentalHelp@bwiaustin.org for more specific questions.
Unfortunately the carrier was lost/ eaten by my toddler/ melted in the Texas heat/ was damaged by my washing machine/ is sitting at the bottom of Lady Bird Lake. Now what?
Please contact us at RentalHelp@bwiaustin.org if a carrier is damaged. We will always try to fix a damaged carrier to the best of our abilities. Unfortunately, if it can not be repaired safely, you will be responsible for paying the replacement cost. The replacement cost will never be a surprise to you. It is indicated on your rental agreement when you first check out a library carrier.
I LOVE the carrier I rented from the library! Can I buy it from you guys?
While we are thrilled that you liked the carrier, we can’t sell it to you. We work hard to provide a library of carriers that are readily available! We can however, offer some guidance on where and how to get one of your very own.
A picture of The Little Bit and I in a carrier we first tried as a rental then ordered the next day. #truestory
Can I return a carrier earlier and how?
Absolutely!! You can contact us through facebook or email: RentalHelp@bwiaustin.org and we will be able to match you up to a leader that lives in your neighborhood for an early return. You can also do a return earlier than they are due to an earlier meeting. For example, if you rented at the Round Rock meeting, you can return that carrier to the Central Austin meeting… and even rent another carrier! BONUS!!!
What if I can’t return a carrier on time?
Please make all efforts to return the carrier early if you do not think that you will be able to attend the meeting. Because of the great demand on our lending libraries (hooooray… and oh, poop!) we have to be very strict with our time limits on rentals and late fees. If you can not return a carrier within the first 30 minutes of a meeting, there will be late fees assessed.
Another option is to mail the carrier via USPS with tracking and insurance, but please contact RentalHelp@bwiaustin.org if you would want to utilize this option.
Whew! I hope that answered your questions.
If your question wasn’t answered here — it likely wasn’t lending library related. Just kidding. We’d love to get additional questions. Just leave us a comment and we’ll get you an answer, maybe even a correct one!
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Id really like to attend the babywearing group in new braunfels. What time and was days ? This is my 4th child but my first time baby wearing and love it so I really would love to go..