Pots and pans. Gardening gloves. A set of old keys from the junk drawer. These are just a few of the things that my five young kids have played with and become obsessed with over the years, despite the avalanche of actual toys to choose from in our house.
Kids will play with just about anything, and sometimes they gravitate toward random objects in lieu of even the nicest toys. So when toy subscription services joined the list of things you can have automized, personalized, and sent straight to your doorstep, I wondered why I would spend money on a new box of toys each month when I’d made it through nearly a decade of parenting without them.
Many families do swear by toy subscription boxes, though, so when Wirecutter asked me to compare a handful of the top services, I was admittedly curious.
Over the past five months, my household has received 12 carefully packed cardboard boxes of toys, books, and activities made by three different companies: KiwiCo, Lalo, and Lovevery. I compared the contents of each box, and I observed how my own children reacted to each element—both in those exciting brand-new-toy moments and in the weeks and months that followed.
In addition to my own testing and research, I also assessed online reviews and gathered feedback from other parents who have used these toy boxes with their kids, including four parents on Wirecutter’s staff.
My conclusion: These boxes are wonderfully helpful for some families and a total headache for others. If the concept appeals to you, we think the best options are from Lovevery and KiwiCo.
Here’s what to know as you consider whether subscription boxes are right for you.
