Looking for the perfect present for a new parent in your family or close friend circle? Look no further than Lovevery.
I first heard about the cult US brand — which launched in 2017 and has since grown into a global brand loved by families in 32 markets — shortly after I gave birth in 2021.
A mother from my mothers’ group had one of their developmentally-appropriate play mats designed to help stimulate and engage a newborn baby from 0 weeks to 12 weeks.
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Instantly, I was intrigued by the stylish and handy mat, and I needed to know more.
I’ve spent the past few months road-testing Lovevery’s latest release: their subscription-based play kits — which have been designed with experts to include developmentally-appropriate toys for kids age 0-4 — with my two-year-old daughter, Florence.
What are the Lovevery Play Kits?
Lovevery is a US-based brand that sells stage-based play essentials for your child’s developing brain.
The Play Kits are separated into four different sections: 0-12 months, 1 Year, 2 Years and 3 Years, with each age bracket then broken down into further three-month stages.
Parents can subscribe to the service from $130 and then they receive a new box every three months.
Each box contains toys and tools designed to help your child reach their age-appropriate milestones, while at the same time having lots of fun.
Lovevery promise that their toys allow parents to “spend less time researching and more time connecting with your child”.
Their team write on the Lovevery website: “Our experts link brain science and Montessori to the way you play.
“Support your child’s learning during important developmental windows with play essentials that are tailored to their exact stage.”
You can either buy a box as a one-off or subscribe to the service from $130 per box — and it’s free to cancel at any time.
How did I find the Lovevery Play Kits? A review
I’ve now road-tested two of the Lovevery Play Kits with my two-year-old daughter, Florence.
I’ve trialled the “The Helper” Play Kit (designed for months 25, 26 and 27) and the “The Enthusiast” follow-up kit (designed for months 28, 29 and 30).
And it’s safe to say, my daughter loves them.
Not only have they helped to reduce the dreaded screen time at home, but she is often kept busy for hours with items like the sustainable sink — which lets kids do their favourite thing in running water for hours without having to waste it down the drain.
Highlights in these two boxes for us personally include the Sustainable Sink, which is part of “The Helper” kit, as well as the Squeaky Clean Squeegee Set, which comes in “The Enthusiast” set — which she loves to spray all around the house and wipe clean.
But toys that don’t have an association with water have also been a hit from the kits.
In particular, she loves the Every Which Way Scale and Pails.
This aims to provide early STEM lessons in balance and measuremens, as kids have to use the sliders to calibrate the pails.
Each of the kits has been thoughtfully designed to aid children at their exact developmental stage.
The play kits aim to “foster independence, keep children engaged with early STEM lessons and help them practice identifying and naming their emotions as they grow from baby to big kid”.
“Our early learning program is most effective when families can grow with us over time, building on the skills introduced in our earliest years of The Play Kits with trusted child development content for parents and thoughtful playthings for each child,” co-founder and CEO of Lovevery, Jessica Rolph, told Best Picks.
“The ages of two and three are about big emotions, so we provide tools, books, and playthings to help parents support their toddler’s social-emotional learning and growing independence.”
She added: “While these are critical early years in the development of the brain, it gets harder for parents to know how they can help.
“The science shows that cognitive development for toddlers isn’t all about the ABCs or 123s. There is so much more, and The Play Kits program covers it all in a way that’s accessible for families.”
Parents have the option to subscribe to the kits, which ship every three months and mirror their child’s exact development.
Following The Helper Play Kit for months 25-27, you can also buy The Enthusiast (months 28-30), The Investigator (months 31-33) and The Free Spirit (months 34-36) for two-year-olds.
Parents of toddlers can snap up The Observer (months 37-39), The Storyteller (months 40-42), The Problem Solver (months 43-45) and finally The Analyst Play Kits (months 46-48).
The kits for kids aged 3-4 have been designed to help toddlers explore “more sophisticated concepts as they begin to take ownership of their routines, build emotional intelligence and make sense of their world through open-ended play”.
“We’ve seen a strong response and increasing brand love since first launching Lovevery into the Australian market in February last year,” Lovevery co-founder and President Roderick Morris told Best Picks.
“In less than a year, we have grown our customer base to include more than 58 per cent of all postcodes in Australia.
“Since then, parents have been asking us to expand upon the ages currently served and to offer more child development resources.
“Supporting Australian families is an important driver for Lovevery’s global business and we are excited to be doubling our product offering today in this key market.”
Are the Lovevery Play Kits worth it?
Having tried two of the play kits now, I can one hundred per cent hands down say if you have a child between age 0 and 4, it is worth subscribing to this fantastic service.
We take daycare a lot for granted in my household and as busy parents working full-time rely on it to help to stimulate Florence and assist with her development.
But these kits have helped no-end at the weekends and in the evenings with keeping her busy little mind busy and occupied.
While expensive (and they do get more expensive as your child gets older), it seems almost every day Florence discovers a new part of the kits that she loves.
I will definitely be continuing to invest in the kits to aid her development.
For more information and to shop the extensive Lovevery range for yourself, head here now.