I’ve Tried Lovevery’s Play Kit Subscriptions Since My Son Was a Year Old—He Just Received His Last Box

When I was setting up my baby registry before my baby shower, the registry site suggested Lovevery’s play kits to me. With toys and other products specifically aimed at my baby’s developmental stage and made of sustainable materials, the kits were enticing—albeit a little on the pricey side for something I wasn’t all that sure I needed. Did I really need to spend $80 every two months on toys for my newborn? And wasn’t part of the fun of being a new mom choosing my own baby gear? 

I clicked over to the baby toys suggested by the same registry site and quickly felt that familiar feeling I’d been getting a lot since I’d found out I was expecting: panic. There were so many options: Rattles, mirrors, pacifiers with a zillion different options of lovies attached to them, mobiles, teethers… what was the right thing to add? Overwhelmed, I clicked back and added the gift subscription to my registry. 

My baby shower came and went, and while I was drowning in new baby gear, no one had gotten us the Lovevery subscription. It felt indulgent to order it myself, so I waited. Then my son was born and a variety of distractions meant that, quite honestly, I forgot about the subscription … until the pandemic led to us sheltering in place in our home. 

Stuck at home with a now newly walking toddler and trying to balance his care with my work, I felt desperate for toys that my son would actually engage with. But of all the noisy, flashy toys my in-laws and family members had sent, none seemed to be working for that long and the songs the toys played were distracting. I held out for a few months, but the summer of his first birthday, I decided to sign up for Lovevery’s play kits. 

What Are Lovevery Play Kits?

Lovevery is a toy subscription company for babies that was founded by two people: Jessica Rolf, who had just completed her dissertation on the neurodevelopment of babies, and Roderick Morris, a father to twins who also had some experience creating companies. They wanted to create a company that helped parents by giving them the toys and educational information they needed to help foster babies' development through play and experiences. 

The result was a subscription company that ships toys (and flash cards with info about how to use the toys with your baby) every two months for $80. Then, once your baby turns one, the boxes get a bit more expensive ($120), but ship every three months with a selection of activities.

Here are the kits Lovevery sends at different ages:

• The Looker Play Kit (0-12 weeks)
• The Charmer Play Kit (3-4 months)
• The Senser Play Kit (5-6 months)
• The Inspector Play Kit (7-8 months)
• The Explorer Play Kit (9-10 months)
• The Thinker Play Kit (11-12 months)
• The Babbler Play Kit (13-15 months)
• The Adventurer Play Kit (16-18 months)
• The Realist Play Kit (19-21 months)
• The Companion Play Kit (22-24 months)
• The Helper Play Kit (25-27 months)
• The Enthusiast Play Kit (28-30 months)
• The Investigator Play Kit (31-33 months)
• The Free Spirit Play Kit (34-36 months)
• The Observer Play Kit (37-39 months)
• The Storyteller Play Kit (40-42 months)
• The Problem Solver Play Kit (43-45 months)
• The Analyst Play Kit (46-48 months)

When I signed up, the subscription kit only sent you boxes until your toddler’s second birthday (i.e. the Companion Kit was the last one), but by the time he got to that milestone, they’d expanded and I could keep getting kits until he was just three months shy of his fourth birthday—we just received that last box, the Analyst Play Kit, this past April. 

Signing Up

Admittedly, it’s been a while since I signed up for Lovevery in 2020, but I remember the process wasn’t all that hard.

I started by providing my son’s name, as well as the month and year of his birth so the Lovevery team could start his subscription at his developmental age.  

It then showed me what box it recommended I start my subscription with, though I did have the option of adding an earlier developmental box if I wanted to receive those toys as well. When I signed up, it only let me add one additional box—when I checked again recently, it looks like it lets you add two more (the two boxes before the one they recommend you start with). Then, you’ll be reminded of the price (billed every two or three months depending on when you start) and can review the order before committing.

My First Kit

Because I signed up after my son’s first birthday, I received The Babbler Play Kit, which is the first kit that, because it is aimed at toddlers, comes every three months, not every two. 

The box came well packed—and my son enjoyed the experience of unboxing it. Each kit comes with a large photo covering the items so there’s a reveal, of sorts, for your kiddo. Then each item inside is packed securely (some wrapped in cardboard) so that items don’t shuffle around much in transit. 

The kit came with a book and several toys, including:

• A Slide & Seek Ball Run, which is a slide for two balls to roll down into a wooden box that is designed to help teach your child lessons about object permanence
• A wool bunny burrow with three wool bunnies that could fit inside, aimed at helping your toddler learn coordination skills
• A flexible wooden stacker with colorful rings so they can practice fitting things together
• A simple circle puzzle (which ended up being my son’s very first puzzle)
• A box with three different covers so your child can practice inserting carrots, coins, and cotton swabs (as their motors skills improve)
• A book about bedtime

The bunnies and their burrow were made of wool, while the rest of the toys were largely made of wood, which I appreciated. It made the toys feel well made and durable—and a more sustainable alternative to the pile of non-environmentally friendly plastic toys my son already had piled high in the corner. 

The box also came with a Play Guide, which looked a bit like a flashcard booklet. Inside, I found information about each toy, what lessons it could teach my son, and some tips for how to use them. There were also some at-home activity ideas included, which, admittedly, I never tried once the entire time my son received boxes. 

The other toys were not quite as popular with my son. Even though I found the bunny burrow adorable, it tended to attract pet hair and other dust since it was made of wool and my son spent most of his time trying to “clean” it off. The puzzle didn’t end up being something he played with all that much with either until much later (closer to the end of the age range this box said it targeted).

My Experience With Lovevery Kits Over the Last 2 Years

Over the next couple of years, Lovevery kits became something I looked forward to. My son always loved unboxing them and once his language skills improved, he quickly started recognizing the boxes when they were delivered as his “presents.”

Admittedly, some boxes were more popular than others. Our second kit, the Adventurer Play Kit, and the Helper Play Kit stand out as boxes where practically every toy that came in the kit was popular with my son. For example, the Adventurer kit came with a race car track that he still plays with, while the kitchen sink still sits in our kitchen today so he can “do dishes” after dinner. 

Other toys have stayed in his toy box over the years, including the Buckle Barrel (he slept with it for a few months and would bring it out to show any family or friends that visited), and the Plan Ahead Weather Board from the Observer Play Kit (which still hangs in his room today and we update each morning.)

I’ve also kept the countdown timer from the Investigator Play Kit as a tool to help him work on his patience—a skill we’re admittedly still working on.

More recently, he adored the Number Sense Nature Counters from the Problem Solver Play Kit, which he called a “number game.” He insisted we bring it with us on our trips to see family so he could work on his counting skills. 

The Important Details

I also appreciated that Lovevery gave us the option of ordering items they discontinued from kits in the subscriber store. For example, one toy they discontinued was a wooden car with a wooden peg doll. We ordered it for him because my son decided shortly before his second birthday that he wanted all the toy cars he could find. 

The fact that Lovevery did change out toys also gave me confidence as a parent in the company: The company always emailed to let us know if there was a change happening with what would be included in a kit and would explain why it was making the change. The decisions didn’t seem arbitrary, either. Instead, they seemed to reflect either parents’ concerns or new advice or guidance the company had received from its experts. 

Since I signed up, Lovevery has also started offering parent courses, including one on tummy time techniques and starting your baby on solid foods. Neither was available when I signed up (that I know of) but I definitely might have considered both had they been, since both food and tummy time were things that caused me anxiety as a new parent.

The Misses

That said, I did notice that as my son got older, there were more misses in each box. For example, my son never liked the Every Which Weigh Scale from the Enthusiast Play Kit (and promptly lost the buckets), and my husband and I both disliked the Wooden Posting Stand (from the Companion Play kit) because my son was constantly losing those wooden pegs all over the house under furniture. 

Some of the other later toys, like the turtle hatch game and the liquid color lab, we never really used because both involved using water (and my help). Since it was winter when we received these boxes, I didn’t love the idea of making a mess inside with these items—especially since my son always seems to find a way to spill any water he can. I’ve held onto both of these activities, though, so maybe we’ll try them outside once the weather warms up. 

My son also loved the fort that came with the Storyteller Play Kit, but it was big so we couldn’t leave it up for long without losing our entire living room. That said, I’m sure it’s going to be a toy we hang on to for a while (as long as we don’t lose all the little pieces, that is). 

Our Last Lovevery Kit

It was bittersweet receiving our last Lovevery Playkit, the Analyst Play Kit, this past April. I had hoped that perhaps Lovevery might expand its offerings again, as it had before as we approached the end of our subscription. It doesn’t look like that will be the case, though. 

This final play kit came with:

• A Montessori sensory box
• Pattern match boats and card set
• Stackable fraction cups
• Visual recipe cards
• A color theory puzzle
• A first sewing kit
• A book introducing some math concepts

The pattern match boats from this kit are very popular and I’ve found my son playing with them in the morning when I come in to get him ready for daycare. 

He also likes the color wheel puzzle, but he still needs a little help getting it right. He’s got time, though—I know from past kits that sometimes, it takes him the three months the kit is supposed to cover before he is confident on his own with some of the puzzles we’ve received.

The Montessori sensory box appears to be my son’s least favorite item, at least for now. I’m not sure why. It has a lot of individual pieces, too, which I’ve been finding scattered around his room, so this may not be one of the items we hold onto for very long. 

Pros & Cons

In the end, Lovevery was definitely something my son and I enjoyed and I do not regret signing up. Here are my pros and cons.

Pros

• Toys are almost always made of sustainable, eco-friendly materials
• Toys are durable and well constructed, holding up well even when your toddler drops or bangs them on the floor
• Play Guides provide parents with helpful expert tips for how they can play with their child and help them make the most of their toys
• Each kit seems well geared for children’s developmental milestones
• Parents have the option to purchase discontinued items if Lovevery changes the kits
• Many toys are Montessori-inspired
• Panel of experts, academics, researchers, and child development experts are consulted when each kit is made
• You can see what toys will come in each kit ahead of time
• Free shipping included with all subscriptions in the U.S. and Canada
• Company also has a store where you can buy additional items

Cons

• Can be kind of expensive
• Not all toys will be a hit with every kit
• No exchanges or refunds are available for toys your child doesn’t like
• Some items have a lot of pieces, which can be easily lost
• May not be appropriate for homes with kids of different ages, since some of the kits for older kids have small pieces that could be choking hazards
• Kits aimed at older kids may contain items that require more parental involvement or help
  

Final Thoughts

I’m sad to see my subscription with Lovevery come to an end because my son is turning 4. These kits were welcome quarterly presents that my son and I enjoyed unpacking and discovering together. It was a fun family bonding time and I was able to watch my son grow and learn new things as he interacted with each item he received.

It was fun to watch him learn, for example, how to unbuckle and re-buckle the clips on the Buckle Barrel—not to mention how excited he got once he finally figured the whole process out. 

I also enjoyed seeing how my son got more creative with some of his favorite Lovevery toys as he got older because he wasn’t quite ready to let them go. This made Lovevery a fixture in our home and I’m sure it will be a while before the very last Lovevery item gets retired. 

While I haven’t had a second child, the quality of each item is also a real plus: These toys are designed to last and I could see them getting a second life if I ever did have another child. This is also why I felt good donating some of them to our daycare—these toys are well made and I know they’ll find use at that daycare for several years to come. 

Lovevery is indeed a little expensive especially since it does bill you once every three months, not month to month, and it may be more than some parents want to pay for toys. But if you can afford the expense, I do think it is worth it. I wish I had signed up earlier for Lovevery. It was difficult finding items my son liked before his first birthday and even when we did find something he’d get attached to, I never saw the educational value of those items the same way I did with Lovevery. If I were to do it again, I would 100% sign up for this subscription from birth—and I’ve already recommended it to several of my friends who are expecting their first child. But for now, my son’s last play kit is just one more sign he’s growing up—and I’m not sure I’m ready.