Lovevery Review: Our Favorite Toys for Growing Minds

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If you take a look at our gift guide, you’ll notice that there aren’t a huge number of toys on the list. That’s because I am a firm believer in the idea that the more toys a child has, the less they engage in creative play. My son will confirm that I rarely buy my grandkids toys—with one exception: Lovevery.

I got my youngest granddaughter a Lovevery kit subscription when she was three months old. I started with a one-year subscription, and then extended it for another year. Since she was too young to be aware of gifts, this has counted as Christmas and birthday presents for two full years. Her parents appreciated that the subscription boxes arrived off-holiday, so that the gift overwhelm was lessened—and there was something new and exciting for all three kids to investigate every few months.

Here's what my daughter-in-law had to say:
When we first started receiving the Lovevery box, I had three children, aged 3 months, 2 years, and 4 years. The older kids were justifiably jealous that the little baby got new toys every few months and they did not. I solved the problem by making opening the boxes a family affair (the baby couldn't complain about it at that point). We would put the box on the playroom floor and have all of the kids open it like it was Christmas morning.

Even though the toys were for young babies, all of the kids had fun "teaching" the baby to use them and figuring out other ways to play with them. Even though the toys are designed to be developmentally appropriate for specific ages, their bright colors, warm wooden structures, and creative set-ups make them appealing to all children. I have found many of the toys hidden away in my oldest child's room over the years!

Are Lovevery Kits Worth It?

Each Lovevery kit includes an assortment of toys and books that are designed help build new neural connections for a specific age by experts in child development. The high quality toys are made with sustainable, organic and natural materials. Most are open-ended playthings that lead naturally to hours of creative play, like the bunnies my grandchildren still love:

Though there have been so many wonderful toys and puzzles in our Lovevery boxes, one of our favorite toys came in one of the earlier boxes: three tiny, round bunnies and a simple, wool bunny house. The bunnies are just adorable.

The bunnies don't do anything. They don't light up, they don't make noise; they're just there to receive love. The wool bunny house doubles as a nice purse. We've had so many days throughout the years of just playing simple toddler games with these bunnies. Hiding them. Hopping them around. Carrying them in their bunny house from place to place. It's the kind of toy that exemplifies Lovevery's approach: simple, multi-purpose, and beautiful.
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I don't think I'll ever get rid of them - I could see decorating a lonely shelf with them sometime in the future, as a pleasant aesthetic object, and also for the memories.​

The Lovevery books were my granddaughter’s favorite part of every box.

Lovevery Books
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I’ll let our family librarian, my daughter-in-law, tell you about the books: 

Though the toys are great, my daughter's favorite part of each box has been the books. As a children's librarian, I have to applaud her taste. There are few books on the market right now like Lovevery's collection of board books. 

Instead of being abstract, cute, long-winded or moralizing, the Lovevery books are concrete, simple, and directly applicable to the life of a toddler. They have clear, realistic photos of toddlers going to the doctor, baking muffins, exploring the woods, having birthday parties, and going to the park. My daughter gasps every time she sees the boy fall at the park, or the girl get a shot. She knows just how that feels.

My all-time favorite Lovevery experience happened by accident, when we received a box with a book called Bedtime for Zoe. In it, Zoe had the exact same pajamas as my daughter: A long-sleeved, zip-up number with a white background and a variety of bugs and flowers decorating it. Zoe even had the same doll—not such a coincidence, as it in with an earlier Lovevery box.

She wanted to get ready for bed just like Zoe every single night. She took a bath, got her matching PJs on, held her matching blanket, and snuggled her matching doll. She would look at Zoe and exclaim, "that's me!" Of course, this caused a lot of problems with laundry, and I found myself throwing the Zoe PJs into every single load that went into the washer. But it was worth it. Toddlers can be hard to put to bed at this stage, and Zoe got her (and us) through it.

Our ultimate Lovevery review: yes, we have found the Lovevery kits to be worth every penny. If you have a grandchild under the age of five, I bet you will be just as impressed with the quality, design, and lasting appeal of the Lovevery toys. You can find out more on their website.

Have you checked out the rest of the suggestions on our gift guide? We’ve got ideas for every age!