UPDATE: As of August 2021, it looks like one of our favorite Lovevery toys – the beaded teether – has been replaced by a silicone triple teether & organic teething cloth. I will miss that beaded teether, but I’ve added some alternative toy ideas for the new toy addition.
I admit I love a good bargain, which is why I’m so excited to be researching and writing this Lovevery Amazon Alternatives blog series.
Our second blog post in this series is The Charmer Play Kit for 3-4 months. The kit costs $80 and includes ten toys and a play guide.
The Charmer is the first Lovevery Play Kit I ever got for my son, and at first, I thought the kit was a bit overpriced. The toys were very simple, and I wasn’t sure if they were worth what I paid.
Over the next several months, I saw how much my son loved these toys (he still chews on the beaded teether to this day). I also got peace of mind that he was working on developing skills ideal for his age range.
That said, I still wonder – could I have recreated this play kit for less on Amazon? Let’s find out.
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Wooden Rattle
I love all the wooden toys from Lovevery. They’re simple, high-quality, and no batteries are required.
The closest alternative I could find for the Lovevery wooden rattle is this two-piece natural wooden rattle set ($10.99). It’s made of beech wood and is non-toxic. It does include rings that the Lovevery one does not, but I still think it’s a fair comparison.
The Lovevery rattle has small beads in both ends, so it sounds like a maraca when baby shakes it. The wooden rings in the middle of the Amazon version effectively do the same thing by creating sound as baby shakes it. It’s not identical, but it’s pretty close.
Rolling Bell and Hand-to-Hand Discs
I grouped together the Lovevery rolling bell and hand-to-hand discs because you can get both of these on Amazon as a 2-piece Montessori set ($15.99)!
These are fun toys for tummy time, though the hand-to-hand disc is a relatively short-lived toy. My son still likes playing with the rolling bell at 17 months old, but the hand-to-hand disc didn’t interest him past six months or so.
The rolling bell is designed to coordinate feeling, seeing, and hearing senses, and the hand-to-hand disc is a classic Montessori toy practicing cross-body coordination.
Soft Book
The soft book from Lovevery was a tummy-time favorite in our family. I also enjoyed giving it to my son on car rides – he may be one of the only babies who didn’t immediately fall asleep on road trips.
This high contract black and white soft book from Amazon ($10.99) is an alternative, though it doesn’t have the same color scheme as Lovevery. Your baby will get the same development benefits as the Lovevery option!
Mirror Card
The mirror card in the Lovevery play kit is shaped to go into one of the soft book slots. I wouldn’t necessarily seek this out on its own, but I did find the same thing on Amazon from hand2mind ($8.99).
I’d skip this one if I were trying to recreate this play kit, but I’ll explain more about that toward the end of this article.
Black & White Card Set
The black & white card set is pretty popular in these first play kits. The kit for 0-12 months also features some black & white card sets, so you probably don’t need to get more if you purchased those.
That said, these art cards from Wee Gallery are adorable ($15.99! They’re black and white and feature different animals, which is very similar to the Lovevery card set in this play kit.
I also love that the Amazon alternative comes in a container. It makes it a lot easier to keep your baby’s toys organized.
Crinkle Bag
The crinkle bag from Lovevery is a unique toy – I remember my son crunching that thing and having a blast. I thought this would be a difficult item to find, but a company called Baby Paper sells this crinkle sensory toy!
The best part is it’s under $7!
Silicone Beaded Teether
UPDATE: This item is no longer in the Lovevery play kit, as of August 2021.
The silicone beaded teether is fantastic around the age of 3-4 months old. Both of my kids liked the feeling of the silicone beads, and it helped them both through teething, which can last forever.
The Amazon alternative ($6.99) is almost identical to the Lovevery version, minus the classic Lovevery color scheme.
Note: The linked option is no longer available. This is a very close alternative that is likely much safer for your baby (no thin string to potentially break and then swallow the little colorful beads!).
Silicone Triple Teether & Organic Teething Cloth
This item is brand new to this Lovevery play kit as of (at least) August 2021. They swapped out the beaded teether mentioned above for this one.
This triple teether is designed to help with sensory, speech, and oral motor development thanks to the unique textures. Plus, you can’t go wrong with a teething cloth, and because it’s Lovevery, you can bet it’s organic.
For the Amazon alternative, I chose this cactus teething toothbrush ($7.95) – like the Lovevery option, it has three different textures. Plus, my pediatrician told us to use a teether like this to introduce the feeling of brushing teeth early on. Double whammy!!
I also included the muslin organic cloths from green sprouts ($9.99), though you get 1 cloth with Lovevery and 5 from Amazon.
Rubber Triangle Teether
The rubber triangle teether wasn’t loved or hated – it was often overshadowed by the colorful beaded teether above. My son played with it, but I could tell he preferred that silicone bracelet.
If I were to recreate the Lovevery play kit, I’d probably skip this item, but I did find a natural rubber teether from Natursutten that’s BPA-free and is 100% natural rubber ($14).
Framed Mirror
Last but not least is the framed mirror. This item is unique to Lovevery, and we used it all the time. It’s double-sided, with one side being the mirror and the other being this pretty black and white pattern.
It’s high quality and almost acts like home decor, not a baby toy. The closest thing I could find on Amazon (Sassy Tummy floor mirror, $10.79) isn’t visually similar to the Lovevery mirror, but it does provide the same benefits.
Lovevery vs. Amazon Price Comparison for “The Charmer”
Here’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: is buying the Amazon alternatives (or our best crack at them) cheaper than buying the Lovevery “The Charmer” play kit?
- Wooden rattle: $10.99
- Rolling bell and hand-to-hand discs: $15.99
- Soft book: $10.99
- Mirror cards: $8.99
- Black & white card set: $15.99
- Crinkle bag: $6.48
- Cactus teether and organic cotton cloth: $17.94
- Rubber teether: $14
- Framed mirror: $10.79
The total cost for all the alternatives is $112.16. That said, I wouldn’t buy both the mirror cards and the framed mirror – they do the same thing. So I’d take off the mirror cards.
I also feel like the rubber teether and the new three-sided teether have the same purpose, so I’d ditch the rubber teether. My son still loves that beaded teether we got in our Charmer play kit forever ago, so I’d still recommend picking that one up, even though it isn’t in the new and improved version of the play kit!
Keep in mind there’s no replacing the Lovevery play guide, which is AMAZING. It includes tips on using the toys, other activities to do with your baby, and education on upcoming developmental milestones.
Conclusion
If you like the toys in the Lovevery play kit, go for it! (I did!) The aesthetics of the play kits are amazing – I’ve said it before, these toys are like home decor, not toys! Plus, the Lovevery brand is valuable. You can resell your toys when you’re done on Mercari for nearly what you paid.
BUT, if you just want a couple of the items, Amazon is the way to go.
I hope this helps you in your quest for Lovevery Amazon alternatives!
Other articles in this series:
You may want to check out Ark Therapeutic’s silicone teether, created by a speech therapist and made in the USA of safe materials. Price is good, design is not just good by therapeutic.
Thanks for the comment! I only do Amazon dupes for these articles but thank you for your suggestion.
Do you have alternative to the rainbow teether? The Iink is not working.
Hi Susan! Great catch – sorry about this. This is a great alternative that is likely much safer since the string cannot be broken (potential choking hazard). https://amzn.to/3KZGHoA