I spend USD432 a year on Lovevery play kits for my children – the total cost would add up to US$1728 over 4 years if I continue to subscribe. Are the play kits worth the premium price tag? I spoke to 4 other mommy subscribers and reflected on our experiences.
Here’s my verdict – Lovevery play kits offer more than just toys. They equip busy parents with the knowledge and tools to interact meaningfully and safely with their children. The convenience, quality, and research-based designs of the play kits justify the high price.
Read my full review of the Lovevery Play Kit below!
- First-time and working parents who have no time to research children’s development information and age-appropriate toys
- Parents who are keen to invest in Montessori-aligned toys that can last and be shared across multiple children
All About Lovevery Play Kits
Lovevery play kits are Montessori-inspired subscription boxes for children aged 0 to 4. Each play kit contains 6 to 10 toys and a play guide.
Image Credit: Lovevery Official Site – The Babbler Play Kit (for months 13 to 15)
| Age | Frequency Of Play Kits | Cost Per Play Kit (USD) | Cost Per Year (USD) |
| 0 to 12 months | Every 2 months | $72 if you prepay 6 kits | $432 |
| 1 to 4 | Every 3 months | $108 if you prepay 4 kits | $432 |
How Do Play Kits Influence Children’s Development?
According to the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP), play is essential to children’s development because it contributes to their cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development.
Play is equally important for parents as it provides an opportunity for them to learn more about their children, enabling them to communicate and interact more effectively with their children.
Also reported by the AAP, the best toys are those that match children’s developmental skills and abilities, and further encourage the development of new skills.
The research above makes a compelling case to subscribe to the Lovevery play kits – which offer age-appropriate toys and tools for busy parents to support their children’s development.
What Mommies Say About the Lovevery Play Kits
After subscribing to Lovevery play kits, mommies shared these insights:
- The play kits are useful for first-time parents or working parents who have limited time to research children’s development information and age-appropriate toys
- The play guides provide a convenient way to learn about their children’s development
- Their children are attracted to the toys in the sequence that Lovevery offers them
- The Montessori-inspired toys support the development of practical life skills
- The toys are of good quality so they can be kept for their next child(ren)
- Their children continue to play with toys from the older play kits
- The toys in the play kits for older children are bulky
- The toys need to be rotated to ensure continued interest
How Do I Feel About the Lovevery Play Kits
When I had my firstborn, I was very overwhelmed as a new mommy. There was just so much to learn. Like many new parents, I constantly worry about my child’s health and development. I focused on the basic needs like my baby’s feeding and I did not have much time to research his milestones or how to engage him during his awake windows.
This is where Lovevery comes into the picture.
I have been a subscriber since he was born in July 2021. Each time I receive a play kit, I am assured by the research summarised in the play guide – a quick 20-minute bedtime read. The tips and ways to play were relevant to my child at each stage, and I witnessed his growth through engaging with the toys. As another mommy subscriber mentioned, it’s quite amazing that our children are attracted to the toys in the sequence that Lovevery offers them. Even if they were initially not too keen on a toy as it was too complex, they would return after a few tries and enjoy the toy later on.
Pros of the Lovevery Play Kits
Lovevery play kits are aligned with the Montessori learning philosophy. The toys promote curiosity, sensory-rich experiences, and independence.
Lovevery play kits are of high quality and safe for children. The toys are made of materials such as sustainably harvested wood, non-toxic paint, and organic cotton. Comparing them with other toys, they seem to be of heirloom quality. This sentiment was shared with the other mommy subscribers.
Each Lovevery play kit comes with a play guide that contains ways to play, expert tips, development information, and at-home activity ideas. It’s essentially a summary of all the research you need about the development of your child and how to engage them at each stage.
Lovevery play kit subscriptions can be skipped or canceled at any time. This means that you can purchase just one individual play kit and cancel the recurring shipments. You can also skip play kits if you find that your child has too many toys for a particular stage.
Lovevery play kit subscribers can gain access to the Lovevery app which has parenting tips, child development information, and additional activity ideas for babies aged 0 to 12 months. You could also submit questions to their team of experts.
Book bundles can be added on at US$18 per Lovevery play kit. For most bundles, there are 2 age-appropriate books. These Montessori-inspired books feature real experiences and people of different identities and communities. I find my child picking out these books to read more often, as compared with the many other illustration books he has. He also likes to mimic their facial expressions since they feature real people.
Image Credit: Lovevery Official Site
Cons of the Lovevery Play Kits
As much as we have enjoyed the subscription, one major downside is that Lovevery does not ship to many countries, including Singapore. I have to use a forwarder to ship each play kit and the shipping fee adds to the hefty price. However, I plan to maximize the use of these toys now that I just had my second child. Toys that my 17-month-old no longer plays with are passed on to my 3-month-old.
Subscribing to Lovevery Play Kits
Lovevery Play Kits
Lovevery ships to the US, Canada, and Europe. If you are from other parts of the world, you will need to use a forwarder to ship each kit at an additional cost.
I have been using ezShip to ship the kits to Singapore. For the 0-12 months kits, economy air shipping, which takes 2-3 weeks, costs SGD25-30. For the 1-year kits with bulkier toys, the shipping costs SGD50-60.
Other Budget-friendly Alternatives
KiwiCo
For KiwiCo, each play kit (known as a panda crate) for children aged 0 to 24 months costs US$33.90. A mommy subscriber who owns both KiwiCo and Lovevery play kits mentioned that KiwiCo’s play kits had fewer toys and the quality of toys isn’t as good as Lovevery’s. This could be the reason for the lower cost.
Self-curated play kits
One mommy subscriber suggested that you could also curate play kits by gathering toys from different sources like Amazon. By picking toys personally, you would need more time to find the toys and research on toys that would be helpful for your child’s development. Also, you may not be assured of the quality and materials – a consideration for parents when purchasing toys for young children who tend to put everything in their mouths!
Thoughts on the Lovevery Play Kits
When I first learned about Lovevery play kits from @theeagertraveller, I was surprised by the price. I wasn’t sure if they would be worth it but I decided to give it a go since I could cancel the subscription any time.
Fast forward 17 months, and I am so glad I found them. My husband and I, who are both working parents, have peace of mind that everything we need to know about our children’s development is taken care of. We spend less time researching and more time being present for our children. Even though these kits are pricey, we continue to subscribe to them.
It’s not about buying expensive toys and hoping that they can aid our children’s development. It’s about investing in the right places so that we can learn more about our children and connect meaningfully with them given the limited time we have. I wouldn’t have it any other way as I have experienced joy, amazement, and satisfaction through witnessing their growth with the support of Lovevery.
That said, every home situation and child is different. So the appropriateness of and experiences with Lovevery may differ. Through my sharing, I hope you can make a more informed decision about your choice to subscribe to the Lovevery play kits.
To end off this post, I would like to give thanks to the sweetest mommies, who shared their experiences amidst their busy schedules to make this review possible:
- Aline
- theeagertraveller
- Theresa
- van1ce
Disclaimer: Nuevamae is not sponsored by any of the mentioned brands or platforms. This article expresses our honest opinion based on our experience and research. Read more about our mission. This article includes affiliate links so we may earn a commission (at no additional cost to you) if you make a purchase via the link.
