Are Lovevery Play Kits Worth the Investment?

Lovevery is an Idaho-based brand that develops play kits and products that are rooted in neuroscience research and methods from Montessori and Waldorf. But most notably the Montessori element is the main component that really piques the interest in a lot of parents.

What's Montessori?

The Montessori philosophy goes into a lot of facet of parenting, but in terms of toys, it aims to have children learn through self-directed discovery and collaborative play, all while giving the child a very hands-on learning experience. The Montessori approach provides toys that are carefully selected and prepared to teach certain age-appropriate skills and concepts. There are little to no electronic plastic toys with blinking lights and songs. Montessori playrooms are simple, only have a few toys out at a time. The toys teach a skill or concept instead of just keep them busy.

Pros:

Age-Appropriate: The toys selected for each box were from a team of researchers that specialize in childhood development. This means less money is spent on toys that don’t land and also helps give you an idea of what skills you child should be able to master in a certain age range. 

High quality and Durable: Lovevery is a great investment. These toys are often wood, or high quality non-toxic plastic. They’re built to take a beating and last a long time. All of our kits are being passed on to the next baby. 

Great Customer Service and Quality Control: While it’s rare, there have been a couple of products that had the paint scrape off from normal wear and tear. I reached out to Lovevery and every time they’ve happily replaced them for free. They’ve also let me repurchase pieces of kits we’ve lost so that our kit could stay complete for the next baby. 

Skill Based: These playkits are here to make your child learn and think, which often means that they won't be able to accomplish a few of the tasks presented to them when the box arrives- this is good! The toys are a challenge for them to overcome over the few months until their next box comes. 

Multipurpose: Many toys will be used to teach multiple skills as baby grows, allowing for more longevity in the child’s interest. For example, the stacking cups with various holes in the bottom are given in the 7-8 month box for sensory play with water, sand, etc. But my kiddo learned to stack them several months later and they’re still a favorite bath toy at 17 months. 

The Play Guide: The most important element and the piece you won't get if you buy the toys individually from other retailers. The Play Guide is a booklet for the parents that comes in each box that provides guidance on what motor, speech, and social skills your child should be able to accomplish at any given age. It’s great for making sure developmental milestones are roughly on track and also giving parents peace of mind concerning where their baby's at. Additionally, the Play Guide gives ideas for ways you can play with your child- with and without the toys- to foster more development and positive exploration for them at each age.

Cons

Price: The only true drawback to Lovevery is the price, which breaks down to $80-$120 per playkit with 12 months and under getting 6 playkits a year and 12 months and up getting 4 boxes a year. This is definitely steeper than the toys you might find at your local Target or Walmart, but for Montessori toys, we found that these boxes usually save you money or net out when compared to similar Montessori toys you could buy individually. So really, we think the price is fair. Plus, you get the parent play guide – which you won’t get when you buy the toys from other sources. 

Payment: The current payment options are to buy a single kit at a time (at either $80 or $120 depending on age), or you can prepay for several kits. While there's a slight discount for prepaying, it’s not much. It would be nice if Lovevery offered an option to pay $40/month- which is what the kits break down to monthly- to spread out the investment. It's worth noting that users do have the ability to skip or cancel any time.

Is Lovevery a Good Fit?

If you are making a conscious effort to organize your playroom in a minimalistic way and you do adhere to the Montessori style environment, then we'd say that this is definitely worth it. We think the real value that you're paying for isn’t the toys, but rather the thinking and the guidance for good development and a plan to hit certain milestones.

Pick up a Lovevery Play Kit here.