Lovevery Play Kits: Our Honest Review (and Cheaper Alternatives That Work)
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If you only read one line: Lovevery’s toys are excellent and the subscription is overpriced for what most families need. Buy the concept, not necessarily the box.
That take needs explaining, because we genuinely like the products.
Lovevery sells Montessori-inspired developmental toys through a subscription: a new “play kit” arrives every couple of months, staged to your baby’s age, with a parent guide explaining the developmental theory behind each toy. It’s one of the most talked-about baby brands of the last few years, which is exactly why it’s worth a genuinely honest look, cheaper alternatives included, even though those earn us nothing.
What Lovevery actually sells
Age-staged “play kits” shipped every 2–3 months: wooden Montessori-style toys matched to developmental windows, plus a parent guide. The toys are well-made. The guide is honestly good. What you’re really paying for is curation: not having to research what’s age-appropriate.
What we like
- Genuinely excellent build quality, these survive teething and resale
- Curation removes real research work for busy parents
- The parent guides are useful, not filler
- Strong resale value, kits hold their worth secondhand
What we don't
- Expensive per kit, and in every kit some items get ignored, so you pay for the misses
- Subscription auto-ships whether or not your baby needs more toys
- Creates subtle pressure that development needs "the right products," which it does not
The cheaper path: buy the greatest hits Ă la carte
The play gym is the standout piece across the first-year kits, and it’s also the easiest one to replace with a generic version. It, plus a couple of other most-loved items, cover most of what a Lovevery subscription gives you, for far less than one kit:
| Kit favorite | À la carte version | Price range |
|---|---|---|
| Play gym | Simple wooden play gym | Mid-range |
| Object permanence box | Generic Montessori version | Budget pick |
| Wooden stacking rings | Any solid-wood set | Budget pick |
The part no toy company says out loud
Babies don’t need many toys. Rotation (a few toys out, the rest hidden, swapped weekly) does more for engagement than any subscription. Household objects (a metal bowl, a wooden spoon, a box) are developmentally rich and free. Lovevery works because it embodies “few, good, age-right toys,” a principle you can apply without the subscription.
So: subscribe, Ă la carte, or secondhand?
- Subscribe if the curation genuinely saves you time you don’t have, and the cost is comfortable. It’s a good product sold at a premium.
- À la carte for most families: buy the three staples above, rotate them, add occasionally.
- Secondhand kits are the sleeper pick: durable toys, big discount, and you can resell them again when done.
For the wider “what’s actually worth buying” question, our realistic registry checklist and baby items you don’t need are the companion reads.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lovevery worth the money?
If you value curation (age-matched toys arriving automatically with a guide), genuinely maybe. If you're willing to spend an hour researching, you can assemble 80% of each kit's value for well under half the price. It's a convenience premium, not magic.
What is the best Lovevery alternative?
A simple wooden play gym, bought on its own, covers the single most-used piece from the first-year kits, and an object permanence box and wooden stacking rings round out the rest. Rotating a few good toys beats owning many.
Can you buy Lovevery kits one at a time?
Lovevery sells some items and kits standalone, and secondhand kits are common, since parents keep them in good condition because the toys are genuinely durable. Used kits are the best value path into the ecosystem.