Congratulations on your baby! (and welcome to the land of "can this go in the basement? Ok, and what should I bring up?"

In earnest. From now on everything will either be too small or too big. How is it actually possible that clothes only fit well for 1-2 weeks before they start to tug somewhere again?

We're talking about you and your baby bump and your baby, especially in the first year.

That's why it makes so much sense that renting is becoming so popular at this point in your life.

And that's exactly what this is all about: Since we founded 9B, we've been discovering more and more rental concepts that simplify your life as young parents. All startups focus on the time when your baby is already in the world, so if you are just pregnant and not yet dealing with the time after birth - save the post and read it later ;)

Et voilà, here are the rental concepts that we have tested and love:

Rent everything hardware at www.strollme.de

Yes, we all resolve not to have much "stuff" once the baby is here, and then poof: your living room looks like an indoor playground and you won't find your couch between hammock, baby rocker, high chair, crawling mat, Climbing frame, toys, baby carriers, sling etc.

The good thing about all these things: They work! They make everyday life easier!

The bad thing about all of these things: Every baby likes different things, and you have no idea what your baby likes. Most of this will take you a few months. Some things only when you're traveling. Almost all of it is expensive, and half of it you will buy and use all the time, the other half never.

And this is where StrollMe comes in:

From prams, cradles, baby carriers, children's bicycles - here you can test, borrow, use, return. You can find out what works for your family and what doesn't. BECAUSE EVERY FAMILY WORKS DIFFERENTLY!!! The two founders are young fathers who know what they are talking about and what they rent out ;)

At this point a general tip from us: if someone recommends a product to you, ask WHY it works for this family, even if you theoretically have a relatively similar everyday life, small things make the difference whether a gadget will work for you or not.

Rent toys from Tribu-Box www.tribu-box.com

Princess Kate has made it her life's work - to draw attention to the "first four years" and their importance in a child's development. And it's absolutely amazing to see how quickly a baby learns, new skills are added every day and the toy that was fascinated by last week is ignored this week in the corner.

There are now some rental concepts for this too - our favorite? Tribu-Box.com

A German startup by two Berlin mothers who - oh yes - have made a virtue of their ignorance and do a lot of research for the rest of us. So - rent the right toys at the right time and when your baby doesn't need them anymore - on to the next baby.

Rent baby clothes at www.baumwollbaby.de

Your baby will grow out of (and into!) clothes at breakneck speed. At www.baumwollbaby.de you can rent organic children's clothing and accessories such as sleeping bags. The founder, Xenia, takes care of everything personally - you are in the best hands!

We will update this blog post regularly as we find more great concepts for you and us.

In the meantime - Enjoy!