This Play Kit Subscription Box Is Everything You Didn’t Know You Needed as a New Mom

When you become a new mom, someone just hands you a baby and that’s it. There’s no owner’s manual, no terms of service. There isn’t even a username and password for this baby of yours to unlock key features like “sleeps through the night.”

If you’re anything like me then you sometimes catch yourself looking at your baby like, “This is some fake news that I can handle you.”

And it’s with this level of uncertainty that most of us begin our panic sweats and anxiety googling because no one really told us there were developmental milestones to worry about.

It’s all pretty overwhelming, right?

Of course it is. No fake news there.

This is why I was so excited to find out that Lovevery — the company behind the The Play Gym to end all play gyms — has a new play kit subscription box. Delivered in two-month increments and all within one box, every toy is developmentally appropriate for your baby’s age and current stage.

Backed by oodles of nerdy research stressed parents do not have the time to read, the Lovevery Play Kits are thoughtfully crafted with classic Montessori toys like wooden blocks, stacking rings, felt balls, high contrast cards, and books. As your child progresses, so do the toys.

Staring at $36 per month, the toys in each play kit are developed and made by Lovevery using non-toxic materials, sustainable wood, and organic cotton that’s safe enough for your baby’s tendency to mouth-welcome everything.

My son Marcus — crawl monster extraordinaire and adorable tiny human — couldn’t wait to let loose in his play kit. At 11 months, he’s 2 feet of pure energy. In fact when I was pregnant, my ultrasound tech told me I had a “very active” baby. Marcus clearly heard and was like, “Challenge accepted.”

Finding toys that slow Marcus down are practically unheard of in my house. But he was mesmerized by everything in the “Explorer” Play Kit, particularly the Little Grip Canister Set. The set helps tiny hands and growing brains learn about volume and containment. I was pretty blown away that something so simple — no flashing lights, no sounds — could keep him entertained. And not only that, TEACH him things. I had this idea of play as something that’s annoying with bright colors, loud noises, basically toys should SCREAM, but the Lovevery toys are not like that at all — they’re low-key confident. And when I sat down with Marcus, playing together came naturally. I felt connected to my little man without anything getting in the way because it dazzled more than it helped develop a tiny brain.

What I thoroughly appreciate about the Play Kits are the thoughtful details Lovevery includes. For instance, the Play Guides. If you’re a new mom, play can be mind-numbingly boring. But if you think about the guides as a user’s manual for your baby, a whole new world opens because that’s exactly what they are. I mean, BLESS this box for holding it down for the noobs.

Every play kit comes with a book — beginning with a wooden book featuring high-contrast black-and-white images, moving into soft cloth books with different textures, and later to photo boards. I love that the photo books feature a diverse group of children instead of cartoonish characters, which are great but kids need to see themselves, too. My older son, Russell, at 3 years old, would have loved these. Marcus loves to move and explore while Russell likes to sit and play. So if you plan on growing your family, you can tuck the toys away into their boxes and bring them back out when your new little arrives.

Lovevery’s got me all in my feelings right now — look at how excited my kid is playing. Which is exactly the kind of validation I was looking for: toothy grins, exploring hands, needle-like focus, his brain learning things, and me being a witness to and participant in his joy. I mean, it does not get any more heart swooning than this. Well done, person who made the decision to subscribe to this play kit.

So me. Thank you, Me. You’re doing amazing at this raising humans stuff.

Lovevery Play Kits are designed by experts for your baby’s developing brain. You get playtime essentials with just the right amount of nerdy delivered to your home every two months.