After 5 years of playing with the Lovevery play kits, I have an answer to the burning question: is Lovevery worth it?
We’ve managed to acquire all of the Lovevery play kits (yes, all of them, Lord help me).
The cost of the Lovevery play kits can be a bit painful, but for our family, most of the kits have been worth it.
This may be one of the longer Lovevery reviews out there, but I’m sharing the inside scoop on which kits are 100% worth it and which ones I’d personally skip.
P.S.: There’s a TL;DR section right beneath this one if you’re not a reader!
Disclaimer: I bought most of the Lovevery play kits and toys with my own money. Also, this review is not sponsored.
TL;DR: Key Highlights From This Article
Self-admittedly, this is a really long article. I realize only the most analytical of parents will take the time to read the whole thing.
If you’re more of a TL;DR person, here’s the scoop.
TL;DR:
- Lovevery is a child development company. Everything they make is packed with developmental benefits. It’s incredible to watch as your kids hit new milestones with these toys.
- The play kits cost $80 each in the first year (one box every two months) and $120 after that (one box every three months).
- Trying to save $$? Prepay for multiple boxes. Lovevery doesn’t do discount codes and their only sale is during Black Friday for $30 off – not really worth waiting for.
- It’s almost always more expensive to buy Amazon dupes of the Lovevery toys, and you sacrifice quality. The value of the Lovevery toys is 100% worth it. You can confirm via my Amazon Alternatives series.
- Most of the play kits are worth buying, but I’d personally skip a few of them. Our favorite of them all is The Helper for months 25, 26, 27. More on this later in the article.
- The quality of the Lovevery toys is shocking – you can’t find toys like this anymore. No plastic junk or annoying flashy toys here – all top-notch stuff made with the environment in mind.
- Biggest cons: some toys have a ton of pieces that get lost; you can’t pick and choose toys in the kits – it’s all or none; the experience isn’t the same for future siblings (some toys get used up, like the tempera paint sticks or dyes for the Liquid Color Lab).
- Biggest pros: peace of mind that your kids are getting what they need for the best development; the toys are FUN!; fantastic customer service + the ability to purchase replacements; can skip any kits you don’t want; toys retain their value so you can resell for good money when done.
What are Lovevery Play Kits?
Lovevery, founded in 2015, is not really a toy company – it’s a child development company. Their play kits are subscription-based toy boxes designed to give kids what they need at each stage of life (from age 0 to 5).
Lovevery has a team of 11 advisors, including professors, psychologists, and authors, all offering various skills and backgrounds to ensure the toys and play kits are developmentally appropriate.
When you read the brief summary of this team of advisors, it’s pretty impressive.
Montessori-Inspired
The Lovevery play kits are based on the Montessori method, meaning that many of the toys in the kits follow some key Montessori guidelines:
- Emphasis on less clutter
- Commitment to letting kids face challenges and struggle to develop independence and concentration
- Open-ended toys that help children enjoy the real world
- Belief in freedom of movement
- Sensory-rich experiences
You can read more about that in Lovevery’s article: What’s the real deal with the Montessori approach?
While the Lovevery play kits embrace the Montessori approach, there are a few things the company does differently.
For example, Lovevery believes in baby talk, whereas Montessori believes adults should speak to children as they speak to adults.
Either way, it seems to me like Lovevery has taken the best of the Montessori philosophy and applied it to its toys.
They’re typically simple toys that offer a variety of ways to learn, all while allowing the child to explore and face the challenge presented by the toy.
How much do the Lovevery Play Kits cost?
The play kits are advertised as “starting at $36 per month,” but I find this a little convoluted.
While this is a subscription, you don’t pay monthly – you pay each time a new play kit is shipped, which is every 2-3 months.
In the first year, or from newborn to 12 months old, you get a new play kit every other month. Each kit is $80.
This made a lot of sense to me, especially considering how fast kids develop in that first year.
In years 2-5 (13-60 months), you get a new play kit every third month. Each of these kits is $120.
If you pay for the program upfront, you can save between 5-10%.
For example, if you prepaid for four of the $120 play kits, you’d save $48.
If you prepay for several kits during their annual Black Friday sale, you can typically save an additional $30. But that’s the absolute best you’re going to get, and it’s not really worth waiting for.
Lovevery hardly ever does sales, and they don’t provide any of their influencers with discount codes.
Can I get a Lovevery promo code?
Lovevery does not do coupons, discount codes, or promo codes, and this has remained true since I first interacted with the company many years ago.
There is a Refer a Friend program where you can get $20 off, but there’s fine print attached, and it’s not actually as useful as it seems.
I’ve reached out to Lovevery on several occasions asking if I can get some kind of discount for my readers, and they remain adamant they just don’t offer discounts.
Can you buy individual Lovevery play kits?
While you can save by “subscribing” to several play kits, you can still buy an individual Lovevery play kit with no contracts.
The play kits that ship every other month (months 0-12) are $80 per kit, and yes – you can purchase just one and cancel the recurring shipments at any time.
If your child is 13-36 months old, the play kits ship every third month and cost $120 per kit. Again, you can cancel the recurring shipments any time and buy a single play kit.
If you want to try just one play kit, I will share which ones are my favorite later in this article.
The whole “cost per toy” thing
When I was making a buying decision, I never broke down the cost of each toy separately to determine if the play kits were worth it. I only recently saw someone else make this comparison.
I suppose you could say there are ten toys in the first play kit, so each toy is essentially $8, but the value of each item isn’t always even.
Some items are made of wood, while others are made of cotton. Some items are more intricate and have more moving parts, while others are tiny books. It makes more sense to place value on the kit as a whole versus breaking it down.
Lovevery vs. Amazon
Years ago, when I was personally deciding if Lovevery was worth it, I searched the internet to see if I could recreate the kits for cheaper.
I subsequently let that whole concept go pretty quickly. These items are truly one of a kind – Lovevery produces them.
It’s also entirely overwhelming and stressful to try to recreate these play kits, not to mention the items you buy won’t coordinate as the Lovevery ones do.
However, since then, I’ve gone through all the trouble for you of finding good Amazon dupes. Check out the entire blog series here: Lovevery Amazon Alternatives for Every Play Kit
I will give you a spoiler and let you know that it’s almost always more expensive to buy alternatives on Amazon.
However, if you only want a few toys here and there, you can definitely save money, though the quality just doesn’t compare.
Can you buy individual toys from Lovevery?
Lovevery sells individual toys, but not the ones you’ll find in their famous play kits.
You can buy the following individual toys from Lovevery:
- The Music Set ($120): a set of 6 kid-friendly instruments that unlocks academic benefits while building a love for music
Related: Lovevery Music Set Review: Is It Worth the Money?
- The Play Gym ($140): an activity gym and play mat designed for the first year of life
Related: I Used the Lovevery Play Gym for a Year – Here’s What I Think
- The Block Set ($90): wooden blocks designed to build spatial, language, and problem-solving skills
Related: 10 Reasons the Lovevery Block Set Is Worth $90 to This Tired Mom
- The Organic Cotton Play Tunnel ($50): a tunnel perfect for playing hide and seek and encouraging crawling
- The Pull Pup ($22): a pup your toddler can pull on a string, designed to develop coordination, grip, and gross motor skills
- Sensory Strands ($25): an attachment for The Play Gym, the strands help baby discover gripping, reaching, peek-a-boo, textures, and new sensations
- Black and White Cards ($7): high-contrast images perfect for newborns
Related: DIY Black and White Contrast Cards for Babies (Free Printable)
- Organic Nap Mat ($80): a nap set to encourage independence and keep your child cozy on the go
You can also buy the new Lovevery Montessori Play Shelf ($400), a 2-in-1 shelf that makes toy rotation and storage simple.
Last but not least, I have to give a shout-out to the Montessori Placemat & Utensils. We love these!!
My daughter really enjoys putting her silverware in the designated spots, and it’s teaching her manners.
The only way to get the toys in the play kits is to – you guessed it – purchase a kit.
Subscriber Shop
An exception is if you’re already a customer, you may have access to a limited subscriber shop where available items are occasionally on sale for a limited time.
Lovevery has made some updates to many of the play kits, so subscribers can order playthings they have not received with their kits.
That was the case for us, so we saw some unique items in our personal subscriber shop.
Remember that this subscriber shop doesn’t have everything – only a few items.
Also, the items you see in your subscriber shop will coincide with the age of your child on your account.
Can you buy used Lovevery play kits to save some cash?
You can definitely buy used Lovevery play kits! The best place I’ve found to do this is through Facebook buy/sell groups. Other moms have also suggested Mercari.
Many people will sell a single item from a play kit, but occasionally, you do find someone selling an entire play kit with all the toys together.
That said, the prices were a little shocking to me. These are used, after all, but you pay almost the same as buying the kits new from Lovevery.
The bright side is these toys retain their value.
I just sold a box with some books and a couple of toys to a gal in town for $100.
Definitely weigh the options and see what’s available near you, but if the price is a major hurdle for you, buying used could be a good solution.
My experience with Lovevery Play Kits
I bought my first Lovevery play kit 5 years ago when my daughter was 20 months old. From that point on, we never canceled our Lovevery play kit subscription.
Today, we have every play kit Lovevery has ever produced, though we were fortunate to be gifted the new kits for ages 4-5.
Some play kits I liked better than others, some toys were hits, and others didn’t get much use.
But one thing’s for certain: the toys in the play kits are top quality.
Lovevery Play Kit quality
I remember when we got our first kit, I was honestly in awe of how high-quality the toys were.
The wood was sturdy, solid, and smooth. The fabrics used were organic and soft.
When I bought the first kit, I was a little skeptical because the prices seemed so high. But once I got my hands on the toys, I thought it was worth every penny.
You just don’t see this kind of quality anymore – most toys these days are thin plastic.
Even the play guides were very well put together. As a writer, I’m always impressed when manuals or guides are thought out and written well.
Lovevery really knocked it out of the park.
The wooden toys are also really well crafted, and they’re sturdy.
One of our favorite wooden toys was the ball drop box from The Inspector Play Kit (for months 7-8). You can see my son playing with it in this video:
I was also really impressed with the company’s dedication to doing things right.
The fabrics? Organic.
The wood? Sustainably sourced.
The tempera paint sticks? Non-toxic.
Shipping? Carbon neutral.
It all gives me a lot of peace of mind that I’m supporting a company that carefully considers every product they produce.
The older I get, the more important it is to me – especially now that we have kids and are considering what their future will be like.
Our favorite Lovevery Play Kits
Not all play kits are created equal, so if you’re interested in trying Lovevery, here are some suggestions based on our favorite play kits.
Related: My 5 Favorite Lovevery Toys (+ My Kids’ 5 Favorites)
Our favorite Lovevery play kits are:
- The Helper (months 25, 26, 27)
- The Senser (months 5-6)
- The Companion (months 22, 23, 24)
- The Babbler (for months 13, 14, 15)
- The Enthusiast (for months 28, 29, 30)
- The Looker (weeks 0-12)
- The Adventurer (months 16, 17, 18)
- The Storyteller (months 40, 41, 42)
Here’s a closer look at each kit and why these are worth buying if you’re picking and choosing.
Our All-Time Favorite Play Kit: The Helper (months 25, 26, 27)
Hands down, my favorite play kit of them all is The Helper (for months 25, 26, 27).
This kit, created for 2-year-olds, is so much fun, and the fun doesn’t start or stop at age 2!
We got this kit when my daughter turned 25 months old, but I had an infant at that time and have since had another little guy.
The boys were and are obsessed with the flowers way before 25 months.
And my daughter is now five years old and will play with this sink any chance she gets.
She was immediately obsessed with the sink – it’s still one of our favorite toys.
The washable tempera paint sticks were a massive success – my daughter would beg for me to unzip the pouch so she could get back to arts and crafts.
We still order tempera paint sticks from Amazon, since they were such a hit.
The double-sided puzzle was a real challenge for her at this age, and even around three years old, it was still somewhat difficult.
I love the toys that get a lot of use – the ones that pose a big challenge when you first get them but start getting easier over time (though not a piece of cake).
The felt flowers were another hit, especially because one of my daughter’s favorite pastimes is picking dandelions and making her own bouquets.
Perhaps her least favorite toy from this kit was the drop-and-match dot catcher, but that’s only because she got frustrated with the slider at the bottom.
She eventually figured it out, and now all of our kids love dropping the dots and releasing the slider.
The play kits are so incredible in that they age well – your child finds new ways to play with them as they get older.
The Senser (months 5-6)
Another favorite play kit is The Senser, developed for months 5-6. These toys were a hit for far longer than two months – especially that magic tissue box!
I remember my daughter used to find an actual tissue box when she was little, and she’d yank out every single tissue.
For whatever reason, the tissue box is fascinating to kids. It’s no wonder this particular toy was such a hit with all three of my kids.
The spinning rainbow in this kit was also a family favorite. You get it right when your baby is starting to get the hang of using their arms.
My son would basically throw out his arms and be amazed when this toy would start spinning. It’s definitely a lesson in cause and effect as well as awareness of your own body.
And here’s his younger brother enjoying the very same thing.
When we had playdates, the other babies were also obsessed with it!
The Companion (months 22, 23, and 24)
Another one of our favorite play kits was The Companion for months 22, 23, and 24. While one of the toys is different now than when we purchased it, these toys have continued to be big hits in our household.
The mosaic button board has multiple levels of difficulty, from using fine motor skills to click the buttons in place to actually following the pattern cards while doing it.
My daughter still loves getting this toy out.
The felt stars with tweezers was an awesome activity because my daughter couldn’t master the tweezers for a long time.
She still struggled with it at age 3, and I absolutely loved it when we got toys that lasted (as in, my daughter wasn’t bored with it right away).
We always found fun ways to play with the stars, like layering them with the cups we’d gotten from previous play kits.
The animal match game was one of my daughter’s favorite activities from the play kits.
She loves little figurines, and I remember when she started setting the animals on the matching cards for the first time – it blew my mind.
I didn’t realize she could put two and two together just yet, and I feel that’s the beauty of these play kits.
I watched our middle boy play with the animals, around 18 months, when he was starting to learn the sounds they make. He was a little young for this activity, but I love that many of these toys are so versatile.
You’re able to explore what your child is capable of and build on it.
The Babbler (for months 13, 14, 15)
The Babbler play kit for months 13, 14, and 15 is another kit I look back on and think about how much we loved all of these toys.
The toys in this one are top-notch. The slide and seek ball run continues to offer hours of play, and we love the flexible wooden stacker.
The only downside is making sure we keep all the stacking rings together.
And that wooden coin bank set is amazing – the carrot attachment is a favorite for both of my sons.
The Enthusiast (for months 28, 29, 30)
The Enthusiast for months 28, 29, 30 was another one of our favorite Play Kits.
The tea set is a standout toy – my daughter loves getting it out, pouring water from cup to cup, and setting up the napkins and towel.
I know the new version in the updated play kits is a little different, but the concept is still the same.
And across all of the play kits, we always loved the books. They’re very high quality, and the fact that they show real photos of children always caught my daughter’s attention.
The weigh scale with pails is such a versatile toy, and it pairs well with items from other play kits.
We’ve used the dots from the Drop & Match Dot Catcher (from the previous play kit) to practice weighing things.
The Sort & Stack Peg Puzzle is also a fantastic toy, and it’s perfect for a Montessori shelf display.
The Emotion Match Mirror & Cards Set is a new addition that I don’t personally have since I have an older version of the kit.
But I love the concept here, too, as emotional literacy is oh-so-important for toddlers.
The Looker Play Kit (weeks 0-12)
Thank God for the Looker Play Kit!
When my son was a newborn, it helped me bond with him during his wake windows. It also gave him something to do during diaper changes and encouraged tummy time.
I feel like those early months are so difficult because I was constantly wondering… what should I do with my baby when he’s awake? The Looker play kit is the answer.
It was an absolute joy watching my son’s face light up at the contrast images that flow throughout all the items in this kit. It’s a keeper!!
The Adventurer (months 16, 17, 18)
The Adventurer play kit is another stand-out kit, as each and every toy included is a keeper.
We loved this kit so much that I wrote an entire blog post about it.
There’s no fluff or filler in this one. The car ramp is of amazing quality, and the fact that there are two sides is very thoughtful.
It really encourages siblings to challenge each other and work through sportsmanship issues.
The fuzzy bug shrub is one of my son’s favorite toys at the moment (he’s 18 months old), and the threadable bead kit may not look like much, but it will captivate your toddler.
One of my all-time favorite toys is the wooden stacking pegboard – it’s so versatile that your kids can play with it at virtually any age.
And who doesn’t love a garden puzzle.
This kit is such a winner.
The Storyteller (months 40, 41, 42)
Last, but not least, we are in love with the Storyteller play kit for months 40, 41, and 42.
The items in this kit are so unique and all-around perfect for this age. I’m so impressed by the versatility of the Easy Connect Fort Set.
I first gave the fort set to my 40-month-old daughter to see what she’d do with it independently. She started connecting the dowels and made a “long neck,” as she called it.
Then, she practiced clipping on the yellow clips, which is a skill we were trying to master.
Finally, I showed her the different combinations, from a fort to a puppet show set, and we built it together.
This thing has contributed to hours and hours of play in our home. Even my 22-month-old son got involved and practiced connecting the wooden dowels with sleeves and brackets!
The Squeeze & Spray Mop is another standout toy for me because both of my kids are always looking for ways to imitate me.
When I vacuum, they want to do it, too. When I empty the dishwasher, they like to put away the silverware. When I load the laundry, they like to transfer the clothes. It’s amazing, and this mop helps continue that trend.
Plus, kids are generally obsessed with these Swiffer-like mops. They love spraying, and it’s actually practical!
You can see the kid-sized mop in action on my Instagram page.
Finally, the letter sounds animal puzzle is incredible. I love that it’s double-sided and way more challenging than I originally thought.
It took my daughter and me about 40 minutes to get through the entire puzzle, and amazingly, she stuck with me the whole time.
We practiced every single letter as we found its place on the animal puzzle.
I learned which letters are difficult for her (b, d, and p, which all look alike) and which ones she’s mastered (i, m, and o).
Our least favorite Lovevery Play Kits
It’s hard to pin down my least favorite play kits because they all foster family time and spark new interests in my kids.
It was a total event when we opened the front door to a Lovevery box.
We always looked forward to it.
That said, there definitely were toys that didn’t stick – maybe even ones I thought were really cool but that my kids just didn’t want to play with.
We’ve also had these kits for many years now, so I have some insight into which toys faded quickly and even some that weren’t durable, and we had to toss.
These are my least favorite play kits:
- The Explorer (months 9-10)
- The Charmer (months 3-4)
- Toys from The Thinker (months 11-12) and The Realist (months 19, 20, 21)
- The Problem Solver (months 43, 44, 45)
- The Planner (months 58, 59, 60)
The Explorer (months 9-10)
One of our least favorite play kits was The Explorer (for months 9-10).
These toys weren’t played with as much as others, and when you look at this kit as a whole, nothing really stands out. The clear tube with stacking rings is fun but also quite an odd toy.
My kids would mess around with it for a few minutes and then promptly move on.
The little grip canister set also never took off – my kids didn’t understand the point, and the pieces never seemed to stay together.
Additionally, these have cracked over time, and we’ve had to part with them slowly.
I personally loved the concept of the blocks and the egg cup, but the kids never took a lasting interest in them.
The keys are fine, but we have many spare keys around here, so it’s not essential. Same thing with the scarves.
And the blocks are redundant for us as we own the Block Set.
Overall, it’s not a kit I’d purchase again if I were to do all of this over.
The Charmer (months 3-4)
While I loved The Charmer (for months 3-4), it overlapped with the prior kit, and I didn’t feel like I needed some of these toys.
Don’t get me wrong – we loved this kit.
It’s just that some of the items are pretty similar, and we also have amazing contrast toys from the first play kit.
Also, most things here are really simple and small, and I felt like this kit was slightly overpriced for what you get.
That said, this is also the age where I had no clue what to do with my baby when he was awake. These toys allowed us to bond together, and I am forever grateful for that!
Toys from The Thinker (months 11-12) and The Realist (months 19, 20, 21)
There’s also the occasional toy in a play kit that my children don’t click with, such as opposite balls in The Thinker play kit (for months 11-12) or the really real flashlight in The Realist (for months 19, 20, and 21).
The sliding top box in The Realist is so similar to the ball drop box two kits prior. I wish there were some way to combine these two with an attachment because it felt like too much overlap.
The geo shapes puzzle has never intrigued my kids, and somehow, these pieces constantly go missing. It’s been a huge pain in my rear!
Although, I will say one of our favorite toys was in that Realist box. Check out my daughter learning how to pour, first with rice and then with water, with the grooved pitcher and glass:
Either way, I’d probably skip both of these play kits as I look back on our experience with them.
The Problem Solver (months 43, 44, 45)
The Problem Solver play kit can kick rocks for the Montessori math bars and number tiles.
This is the worst toy ever invented in the history of man.
It may have educational value, but THESE PIECES are impossible to contain. We’ve lost several, making this toy useless, and my littlest one would find them and stick them in his mouth.
I just hate this toy so much that I would never buy this kit.
The best toy in this kit is the liquid color lab, but I’d buy the Amazon dupes I found before I’d ever buy this kit.
#rantover
The Planner (months 58, 59, 60)
The last play kit I really didn’t like is The Planner, the last play kit in the full Lovevery lineup.
Like all of the toys made by Lovevery, everything is intentional.
That said, the Rover Route game was too complicated for me to figure out, and we still haven’t played it.
My daughter also started squirreling away the pieces, and while I’ve tracked most of them down, I’m still missing one of the direction dice. So I’m not even sure if we can play it.
The Energy-In-Motion Wooden Ball Ramps immediately caught my eye from this kit, and I thought this would be a Lovevery toy favorite. It certainly is aesthetically pleasing.
However, we never could create something steady. Even when we copied the suggested layouts from the included instructional card, the thing was wobbly and would fall over at the slightest touch.
The other problem is the marbles are super small, and we have younger kids in our house. I keep this one up and away for fear of a choking incident.
I do really love the Flex-Four Pattern Match toy. We use that one often, and I can see my daughter’s wheels turning as she analyzes it.
But I would just purchase this alternative from Amazon instead of investing in the whole kit.
Pros and cons of the Lovevery Play Kits
The honest truth is you absolutely do not need the Lovevery play kits.
You can totally live without them.
The real question is – can you afford it, and would you like it? Would it ease your stress and make life a little easier?
If you can afford it and you like the Lovevery play kits, I say go for it.
We did, and we love having the vast majority of them, especially since we’ve used them with all three of my kids.
Pros
In our experience, here are the pros of the Lovevery play kits:
- I have peace of mind that our kids are playing with toys that are fostering their development.
- I have assurance these play kits are developed by professionals who study child development and learning daily.
- The kids love the excitement of the new toys and are intrigued by them.
- I know our caregivers have educational toys to use with our kids during the workday.
- The toys encourage family time – it gives me and my husband activities to do with our children.
- Great customer service – if a toy breaks, Lovevery replaces it immediately; the faucet on our toy sink stopped working properly, and Lovevery promptly sent a replacement, no questions asked!
- The play kits retain their value, so you can resell them as used when your kids outgrow them and get some of your investment back.
- The books and other visual toys featured diverse babies, which can be hard to find.
- If you lose a toy piece or your dog chews one up (guilty as charged), Lovevery has a commitment to letting you purchase spare parts to ensure your toys stand the test of time and don’t get thrown out. I was so thrilled to find out I could buy a spare red drip drop cup for the cup set after my dog ruined it. (It only cost $5 including shipping!)
Cons
And here are my own personal cons of the Lovevery play kits:
- They’re expensive – I don’t think they’re expensive for what you get, but would you spend this much on toys otherwise?
- Some toys have a lot of pieces, making it difficult to keep everything together and use them like you want to – I often find myself looking under the couch or other furniture trying to find missing Lovevery pieces so we can actually utilize the toys we spent so much money for.
- Not all toys are hits – you pay for the entire play kit and can’t pick and choose what toys you want. You also can’t order a single toy if one catches your eye – you must purchase the entire kit.
- The experience of getting the Lovevery kits won’t be the same if you have multiple children (some toys are used up, like the tempera paint sticks or stickers, and your subsequent children will miss out on them).
For us, the pros outweigh the cons, but that’s certainly not the case for everyone. If you don’t have room in your budget for the play kits, then you don’t have room – no matter how helpful they may seem.
But if you do have a little wiggle room in your budget, I’d highly recommend splurging for these kits:
- The Helper (months 25, 26, 27)
- The Senser (months 5-6)
- The Companion (months 22, 23, 24)
- The Babbler (for months 13, 14, 15)
And if you can only get one play kit, I’d invest in The Helper. It’s the best of the bunch, and after nearly 5 years, we still play with the toys from it!
Lovevery Play Kit FAQs
Lovevery’s kits for ages 0-1 are $80 each, delivered bi-monthly. The kits for ages 2-5 are $120 each, and they’re delivered every quarter. You can get up to 10% if you pre-pay for several kits at once.
You can cancel your Lovevery subscription in your Lovevery online account. Log in and click on Account Settings. Under Manage Subscription, you can skip the next box or cancel altogether. You can also email Lovevery’s support, but that may take a little longer than just canceling yourself.
Lovevery is pronounced Love-every, as in love every moment!
I was surprised to learn that Lovevery toys are indeed made in China. But don’t let this discourage you – the quality is incredible, unlike many other low-quality toys we’re used to from China. I wish they were made in the U.S., but I suppose this is how they keep their prices a bit more affordable.
Lovevery produced a Montessori shelf built to store Lovevery toys while also helping you with toy rotation. Toys you’re not currently using are stored in the back, and toys in the rotation are displayed on the shelves. You can also store your toys in a closet, but I recommend putting a lock on it, or you’ll be hunting down toy pieces until you feel like you’re losing your mind.
Lovevery doesn’t have the speediest shipping, from my experience, but most of the time, that doesn’t matter. You’re set up on a subscription, so you’ll always get your next kit as your child ages and is at the right age for their next box.
The Lovevery mobile comes with a very long string, and it’s meant to go above your diaper-changing station. Most people probably add a hook to their ceiling and hang it, but we just wrapped the string around the top of our dresser.
Lovevery includes cleaning instructions with every play kit. You can refer to those care cards to ensure you clean the toys properly.
If you’re interested in trying out Lovevery, you’ll visit their site and input your child’s birthday. Their sign-up system will match your child with their age-appropriate play kit. You’ll then enter your shipping and billing information and choose if you want to subscribe with just one kit or if you’d like to prepay for multiple kits and enjoy a discount. You’ll also have the option to add on other items, like previous play kits or book bundles.
After playing with all of the Lovevery play kits over the last five years, there are eight that I would consider must-haves: The Looker (weeks 0-12), The Senser (months 5-6), The Babbler (for months 13, 14, 15), The Adventurer (months 16, 17, 18), The Companion (months 22, 23, 24), The Helper (months 25, 26, 27), The Enthusiast (for months 28, 29, 30), and The Storyteller (months 40, 41, 42).
On the surface, it seems like Lovevery is expensive at $80-$120 per play kit. However, it turns out these toy boxes are quite the bargain. Check out the Lovevery Amazon Alternatives blog series to uncover the truth – you can’t recreate the play kits for less money. Plus, if you purchase dupes from Amazon, you’ll pay a higher price overall for lower-quality toys.
Lovevery states on its website that most orders ship from California or Pennsylvania, depending on the recipient’s address. Some smaller items, like replacement parts, may ship from Idaho.
The best place to purchase Lovevery toys is from the Lovevery website, where you can set up your age-based subscription. Some Lovevery toys are also sold separately at Target.
Lovevery was founded in 2015 by Jessica Rolph and Roderick Morris. Jessica and Rod have known, trusted, and respected each other for many years. Rod is married to Andrea, Jessica’s lifelong best friend.
Thanks to a recent play kit expansion, Lovevery officially goes up to age 5.
Lovevery is still a privately held company. According to data from a few different sources, Lovevery has raised a total of between $126M and $131M in funding. As of early 2023, Lovevery has started preparations for an IPO, as its venture backers will eventually want to realize a return on their investment. It’s unclear who the venture backers are and who has a stake in the company at this time.
Are the Lovevery Play Kits Worth the Money?
Ultimately, I want what’s best for my kids, and especially as a working mom, I felt like I could offer more learning activities for them with Lovevery’s play kits.
Plus, as a new mom, I needed all the guidance I could get!
We’ve had so much fun with these toys, and I’m so glad we invested the money. I’d do it again.
It honestly made me a little teary-eyed as I found photos of my kids playing with these toys – they’ve become such a part of their upbringing!
Of course, I wish they were cheaper, but when you consider what you get for the price (at least for most of the kits), I think it’s worth it.
The toys are such high quality, and knowing it’s all developed for my child’s age offers so much peace of mind.
Let me know in the comments: have you (or would you) purchase the Lovevery play kits? Why or why not?
Originally published May 18, 2021.
I appreciate this review so much! So much time and thought went into it, thank you for taking the time to write this out. I also have 2 kids under 3. My youngest just got “The Babbler” and I’m going to order “The Helper” for my older daughter in about a month Buying two definitely doesn’t help that price/sticker shock! But we’ve loved what we’ve got so much and The Helper Box truly looks so great that we definitely want to continue to invest in these toys!
Thank you so much for the sweet comment! 2 under 3 is no joke!! And you will love the Helper. Those paint sticks were a huge hit with our daughter, and that sink entertains the kiddos for hours. Your younger one will also love running their fingers under the sink’s faucet! Yeah, they are definitely expensive. No getting around that. But so worth it IMO!! Did you see they just came out with play kits for 3-4 years old?? Not going to lie, I splurged and went for it… buying the kits in bulk saves a bit, I think 10% or so, which helps… XO, Rebekah
Thanks for writing this review! I saw this kit and was already on board but after reading this review Im feeling really confident that it’s worth the extra cost. Its about $40 bucks a month. I spend more than that if I go out for dinner, so I definitely feel like making room in my budget won’t be that hard. I like all the pictures and videos that you provided so we could really get a good idea of what we are going to be getting.
Hey, Michelle! I was in the same boat as you. It seems really expensive, but when you actually get to use the toys (and try recreating the kits on Amazon to no avail), you realize just how high-value they are. I appreciate your comment and I’m so glad you enjoyed the article. XO, Rebekah
Thank you for the thorough and honest review! I was on the fence about it but being a work from home mama as well, I think this would give me peace of mind. I feel so guilty sometimes that I’m working and not doing activities with her.
That balance is so hard. I recently listened to a podcast from Lovevery about mom guilt and it helped me so much!! Every day is a new day. You’re doing great, mama. XO
Thank you so much for this article. I was in deep debate just because of the price…but loved the concept….and now I am definitely placing the order!!! My daughter is about to be two but I’m going to backtrack one or two sets cause they look so good! Can’t wait to start using these!
Thanks!
So glad it was helpful!! They are our favorite toys, that’s for sure. Hope you love them like we do!
Love this review! I was on the fence about buying the kit but I think you have definitely narrowed it down to which ones are worth it and which are not. I felt the same way when I looked at the “charmer” and waited until my babe was a little older to get the next kit and he loves it!!
Oh thank you!! I’m glad it helped you narrow things down. I’ve been thinking of doing a separate article with our favorite kits or ranking them all… I don’t know. If you have any ideas, let me know. But thank you for reading!!
I enjoyed reading an honest opinion from a mom about the play kits. I have been considering them for awhile.
My daughter is 4 months old and very curious and smart. I think she would love the play kits but price is an issue, so the way you broke them down has been very helpful.
I’m wondering what you did about relatives and them wanting to buy toys for your children. And if they did, were the other toys played with and loved as much as the Lovevery toys?
I don’t consider myself a minimalist but I don’t want a massive amount of toys all over the house that are never played with or have no real value for my daughter as she grows.
I think how you handle relatives is very personal, but I have personally never told my relatives to only get Montessori toys. I let them buy whatever they want and offer suggestions when they ask for ideas. Most of the flashy toys are loved for a day or two and then are quickly thrown over the shoulder, so to speak. The toys that my kids gravitate towards are ones that offer multiple ways to play. For example, blocks, a lot of the Lovevery toys, and also non-Lovevery toys like a big train set we have or MagnaTiles. We 100% have way too many toys, but I am constantly cleaning house and donating what doesn’t get used anymore. And the high-quality toys we have are all on a toy rotation so they are new and fun again. I hope this helps!
I am curious, are there any “specialized” kits made for physically challenged special needs children?
Lovevery did recently launch their disability support service. It may be worth looking in to! Check out more info here.
My younger daughter is 4 1/2 and we’ve been getting the kits since she was a newborn. I was kind of sad when our deliveries came to an end after she turned 4. So many of these items are such high quality that I plan to save them to pass down to future grandkids. While not every item was a hit, and some toys duplicated items we already owned, overall we thought it was well worth the investment. We still read a lot of the books and use a fair number of the toys from the later boxes to this day.
That is awesome, and I totally agree. I did hear some rumors that Lovevery is working on play kits for age 4-5 – some moms in a Facebook group I’m in said their kids were part of the testing process maybe a year ago. But I haven’t heard anything since and the brand hasn’t shared anything with me about expanding the line to age 4+. Fingers crossed for my younger kids! The kits are awesome!
Since it is quite expensive, are there enough toys in these kits to occupy the child or do you find yourself continually buying other toys also to have enough variety?
Hey! I buy a lot of toys because I write reviews all the time, but I think you can get away with just the Lovevery kits and a few open-ended toys, like blocks or Magna-Tiles. The kits are pretty comprehensive and you don’t need a lot!