Loverly vs. KiwiCo?
Hi all - Trying to pick a subscription service for my son that just turned 5 months old. He's very curious and we're already deep into reading, regular singing, and other STEM style toys. Looking for something engaging and have read good things about Loverly, was leaning that way but have seen quite a few ads on KiwiCo. Curious which folks found best? Or any other subscription toy services you like for your kids. Thanks!
Aug 24, 2021
Parent Replies
Hiya,
We have had KiwiCo on subscription since my son was ... maybe 18 months? 2 years? He's now 6 and he has LOVED it. The activities are ingenious and for the most part, the materials and quality are really nice. I will say that I ultimately end up with a lot of broken toys that I have to throw out (because how sturdy is a plaything assembled by a small child really going to be?) and I have a hard time with that personally, but they have been well used until that time.
My sense is that KiwiCo is a little more "activity" based - there are experiments, things to assemble, etc. - whereas Lovevery is a little more a curated set of toys specially designed for developmentally appropriate exploration. KiwiCo is a little cheaper, but as mentioned, the toys you get from Lovevery look like they would hold up and be passed down better.
If I had to make a recommendation for your 5-month-old, I might go with Lovevery, with the option of checking out KiwiCo as he gets a little older and interested in doing "projects." I also considered Green Pinata Toys which is more a rental company for toys, which is kind of nice in a way, but we didn't try it (https://greenpinatatoys.com/join).
Enjoy!
I really enjoy lovevery. Their boxes toys come with guides to support play and teach skills and they toys are very appealing to my little. I started with picking toys that I liked and purchasing them through the FB buys/sell/trade group and will start woth a full box directly from them this month as my little turns 11months. Lovevery uses real kids in their books and toys and my little loves this much more than I thought he would. I’d personally go with them over kiwi co if price isn’t an issue. The other subscription to consider is MontiKids. We might switch over to them in a few months but wanted some of the toys from lovevery first. PS. Lovevery just released a line at Target.
We did both and the quality of Lovevery was much better than Kiwi. Kiwi was fun to put together and the books are great, but the toys/products are flimsy and get destroyed or used up almost immediately. The toys with Lovevery are sturdy and can get passed down to friends or future kids.
We have Lovevery and it's great. My daughter is three and we still get the toys. They are educational while interesting, and I even find the booklets they send for parents to be highly educational for the parent! My daughter plays with several of the toys to this day and has actually learned from them. They are wood, high quality, and don't have flashing lights/cheap plastic. They were a lifesaver during the pandemic when we were home by ourselves. Right when she would get bored, once a week I'd pull out a new toy. They are especially great with motor skills and puzzles.
I know nothing about KiwiCo, but we are very happy with Lovevery.
We also got a Lovevery subscription when my kid’s daycare closed for several months during the pandemic. I think my kid was maybe 7 months at the time. The toys were popular, but what my child has really liked from those boxes are the books. Real pictures of real kids doing things within their experience. Some toys that my kid didn’t like early on turned out to just be too advanced at the time. My kid has played with most of the toys now.
I think a prior poster is correct: Loveevery sends nice, well-curated toys, whereas Kiwi is more activity/science experiment based, like creating animals with colored cellophane, or using number-shaped cookie cutters to punch numbers out of baby-clay.