The Companion Play Kit for months 22, 23, and 24 has a special place in my heart right now, because at the time of this writing, my son is currently 23 months old. Time flies!
I’ve personally purchased almost all of the Lovevery play kits and have had the pleasure of experiencing The Companion with my daughter and now, with my son.
The Buckle Barrel is incredible for road trips, and the Montessori Animal Match is so beloved in our home that I purchased a dog and cat replacement when we lost those pieces.
In my full blog post review, I talk about how The Companion is one of our favorite play kits, and that still holds true!
However, I’m a bargain shopper to the core and enjoy trying to find high-quality, less expensive Amazon alternatives.
It doesn’t always work out to be cheaper (in fact, it’s usually cheaper to buy the Lovevery kit), but sometimes we find some hidden gems!
Without further ado, here are Amazon alternatives for all of the toys in The Companion Lovevery play kit.
Mosaic Button Board
The Mosaic Button Board is one of my favorite toys to use in a toy rotation.
If you haven’t done toy rotation before, Lovevery has a really great article about it. They also sell a Montessori shelf that’s meant to help with toy rotation.
The concept is to keep your play area simple by putting only a few toys out at a time.
After a few days or a week, you can swap out all of the toys for a fresh selection.
This ensures your kids don’t get overwhelmed, and toys that they’ve gotten tired of are exciting all over again!
The Lovevery Mosaic Button has several different configurations, ranging in difficulty. While you get it at month 22, my 40-month-old still has a lot of fun with this.
It’s such a versatile, educational toy. This video shows my daughter playing with it when she was right around age 2:
I also like how the plastic lid can be removed and propped up for easier play. It’s a really great design.
The best alternative I could find on Amazon is this mosaic pegboard.
The buttons are basically identical to the Lovevery version, but the actual board is made of plastic, not wood.
While it’s not as aesthetically pleasing as the Lovevery version, it does have 12 pictures for practicing color matching, whereas the Lovevery version has 6.
The Buckle Barrel
The Buckle Barrel from Lovevery is a road trip favorite!
You can give this to your toddler while they’re in the car seat, and it provides tech-free entertainment for longer than you’d think.
The buckling is definitely a challenge at this age, but you’d be surprised how over time, you watch their abilities grow.
My 40-month-old still practices buckling with this toy and often needs help.
There’s an excellent alternative to this on Amazon from the Buckle Toys store. It’s not as chic looking at the Lovevery one, but the concept is exactly the same.
Wooden Posting Stand
The wooden posting stand did not come in the Lovevery play kit when my daughter was 22 months old – it’s a relatively new addition.
I did get a chance to buy it in my personal subscriber shop, though.
Read more: What Is the Lovevery Subscriber Shop?
This toy is not one of our favorites, though every child and family is different.
We’ve lost a couple of the posts, and my kids just don’t gravitate towards this toy.
I keep putting it on our toy rotation, and one of these days, it may take off. It’s certainly happened before. But up to this point, it’s not a family favorite.
If you’re interested in a posting activity, which is great for development, I’d recommend looking at Spike The Fine Motor Hedgehog.
It has over 33,000 4 and 5-star reviews on Amazon, and while it’s made of plastic, the developmental benefits are mostly the same between it and the Lovevery toy.
‘Graham Turns Two’ Board Book
I couldn’t find any birthday party-themed board books featuring images of real-life kids.
However, there are several birthday-themed illustrated books featuring popular kid’s characters like Elmo, Peppa Pig, and Paw Patrol.
My pick for an Amazon alternative is Happy Birthday, Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton.
We love Sandra Boynton books in our house – the rhymes are so expertly crafted that they’re just so fun to read to your kids.
Transfer Tweezers and Felt Stars
Transfer tweezers are amazing for working on the pincer grasp, though you do need to be patient!
My daughter still cannot fully maneuver tweezers at 40 months old, but introducing it early helps.
We loved picking up the felt stars with the tweezers and layering them with the nesting cups that came in earlier play kits.
I also like the felt bowl that comes with this play kit (it wasn’t in the original version of this kit).
Having containers helps keep toy storage more manageable.
Recreating this activity set on Amazon is a little pricey because you have to purchase each component separately. However, you can do it!
Learning Resources has some great jumbo tweezers with amazing reviews, these felt stars from Glaciart One look identical to the Lovevery ones (and you get some pom poms included), and these felt storage baskets are perfect for keeping this activity tidy.
Since there are three felt baskets, you can use the other two for keeping other toys together, or you can use them in your bathroom or office for staying organized.
Montessori Animal Match with Drawstring Bag
This Montessori animal matching game with the figurines and tiles is a huge hit in our house!
I remember when I presented this to my daughter, and I watched her place the animal on its matching tile for the first time. I was SO amazed that she figured it out on her own.
That’s the beauty of these kits, in my opinion!
We ended up losing the dog and cat figurines, and I asked Lovevery if I could purchase them so my son could keep enjoying this game.
It was a little expensive, but I appreciate that Lovevery gives you the option to order replacement parts.
There is a Montessori animal matching game on Amazon, but it doesn’t look anywhere close to the quality of the Lovevery version.
The “tiles” are paper, and the figurines don’t look quite as refined.
It does have 4 stars, so you could always order and return it within 30 days if you’re not happy with the quality.
I have to give an honorable mention to the animal matching game from Montessori Services.
I know it’s not an Amazon alternative, but it’s really great quality and has several levels of difficulty to it. It’s also $88, though, so I personally think it’s best to splurge on this Lovevery play kit. But I did want to give a higher-quality alternative.
Chunky Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle
The chunky wooden jigsaw puzzle is double-sided and the perfect challenge for this age. I love including this in our toy rotation!
It’s also double-sided, so you can switch up the puzzle challenge for your child.
The Lovevery puzzle has 4 pieces, so I specifically looked for 4-piece puzzles on Amazon.
While the Eric Carle 4-in-A-Box puzzles aren’t chunky and wooden, they do pose the same challenge for this age.
I love this puzzle box because it has four puzzles with varying difficulties. It grows with your child by offering a 4-piece puzzle, a 6-piece puzzle, a 9-piece puzzle, and a 12-piece puzzle.
Toys that last longer than a few months are the best.
Plus, my kids both love the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Amazon vs. Lovevery Price Comparison
Here is a full breakdown of the costs associated with recreating the Lovevery Companion Play Kit for months 22, 23, and 24 on Amazon:
- Mosaic Button Board alternative: $18.99
- The Buckle Barrel alternative: $16.99
- Wooden Posting Stand alternative: $11.76
- ‘Graham Turns Two’ Board Book alternative: $5.99
- Transfer Tweezers, Felt Stars, and Felt Box alternatives: $40.12
- Montessori Animal Match alternative: $17.99
- Chunky Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle alternative: $14.99
The total cost of these Amazon alternatives for the Lovevery Companion Play Kit is $126.83, or $6.83 more than the Lovevery kit.
To be honest, some of these alternatives pale in comparison to the quality of the Lovevery toys.
You’re paying more for plastic toys that don’t look as nice, so in my opinion, you’re better off buying the Lovevery play kit.
The Lovevery kit also comes with the play guide, which offers up developmental insights, advice for using the toys, and extension activities that are developmentally appropriate.
I love the play guides, but I also like giving them to our babysitters and nanny.
It helps them understand what our children are capable of and what to work on for healthy development.
Conclusion
Once again, trying to recreate the Lovevery play kit on Amazon is a bit more expensive, and what you get isn’t as high quality and aesthetically pleasing.
I really appreciate that most of the Lovevery toys look like home decor when you display them on a shelf!
If you only want an item or two, my favorite two Amazon alternatives are the buckle barrel alternative from Buckle Toys and the Eric Carle 4-in-A-Box puzzle set.
I might grab that puzzle set just to have, even though we already have this Lovevery play kit.
If you want to save a little money and experience the quality and durability of the Lovevery play kit, I really appreciate it when you use my link!
It doesn’t add any cost to your order, but it does support the creation of new content like this on my blog as I earn a small commission.
Happy shopping!
One of the aspects of the lovevery books are that it’s real photographs of kids doing real life things. I wish more books had that, not just cartoon drawings. I think kids really relate to those images because they recognize themselves and their environments.
Yes! Traditional Montessori philosophy says that before age 3, kids aren’t ready for fantasy. At this early stage, they’re “concrete learners,” which means everything they see feels like reality. That’s why the concept of monsters hiding under the bed feels so real and scary for toddlers.
Most Montessori-aligned books feature real pictures instead of illustrations, and the storylines follow everyday experiences, like going potty for the first time or experiencing anger or sadness. I’m almost finished writing an article with 50 Montessori-aligned books for ages 0-4. I’ll come drop the link when it’s ready!
Here’s the link to 50+ Montessori-style books for babies and toddlers if you’re interested! https://twomamabears.com/50-best-montessori-books-for-babies-and-toddlers-ages-0-4/