I’m sure you’ve heard of Lovevery. As a mom, your social media algorithms are filled with Lovevery ads and if they’re not, get ready! The toys are aesthetically really pretty and they’re marketed as the best you can buy for child development… But is it worth the cost? Spoiler: for me, yes! Here is my full review of The Inspector Play Kit designed for 7-8 month old babies.

This is not a sponsored post and I purchased the Inspector Play Kit myself. I truly love the play kits and read so many reviews debating whether it was worth it. I hope this helps you in your own decision.

We didn’t set out to be Montessori parents but we have found gravitated toward open-ended, toys made of natural materials. The Lovevery Play Kits and toys are Montessori inspired and if you’re interested in the Montessori approach, this subscription is the perfect, easy introduction.

We received the Lovevery Block Set from my parents for H’s first Christmas and the second we opened the box, I knew I needed to sign up for the Play Kits. The QUALITY was unmatched and made it absolutely worth the higher price tag. On top of that, they use sustainable sources and you can be confident that they are safe for your baby.

Let’s get into it…

The Inspector Play Kit

H is currently 10 months old and still loves playing with every item in the Play Kit.

My First Puzzle

I honestly didn’t think H was going to like this one but man was I wrong! This was the first toy that H gravitated towards. At first, he would carry around the wood base of the puzzle. He loves seeing other babies so the picture was a big draw. Later, he enjoyed using the top as a teether. He will eventually understand putting the top on the puzzle, but for now, he loves removing the top to see the baby.

‘Things I See’ Texture Cards

H loves taking things out of containers at the moment. He is pure destruction on a box of toys - but that’s just the stage he's at! He loves taking the texture cards out of the box and even playing with the box itself.

I love that I can teach him vocabulary about things he sees in everyday life. H doesn’t have much attention span for books yet (although it’s growing!) but with these cards, we can talk about everyday items and he loves holding and chewing the cards.

Did I mention the quality? These are THICK and can withstand my baby chewing on the corners. They’re about double the thickness of a board book page.

Nesting Stacking Raindrop Cups

I bought a set of the Mushie cups before H was born. We keep in the bathroom for bath time so I thought these would be unnecessary, but H uses them differently and loves them.

The Mushie cups are good quality and a good stand in for these if it’s the only item you want from this play kit. Saying that, I love that the Lovevery cups are clear so you can see inside. It means you can play with them in more ways.

These cups are so fun. My favorite part is if you have The Block Set, the colours match the blocks. H loves it when I put a block inside a cup and he can bang it around, make noise, and get it out of the cup.

One day he will learn to stack things but currently he is maximum destruction and loves knocking over the stacked cups. At 10 months, he still plays with these daily.

Treasure Basket

The treasure basket will last for years. I wish I could buy them individually so I could have matching baskets for toy shelf rotations.

The basket is well made and soft but structured. H loves grabbing the handle and removing everything inside the basket. Let's be real here, he also loves chewing on the handle – which is why I'm glad it’s soft too!

We usually put the felt balls inside, but sometimes we put his favorite blocks and he loves discovering what’s inside the basket each day.

I looked on Facebook Marketplace for these toys before biting the bullet and purchasing the kit and I didn’t find a single one selling the basket. I think a lot of moms want to keep the basket for toy rotations just like I do.

Felt Balls

The Felt Balls are easier to pick up at first than the wooden ones. H loves chewing on them too #teething

I usually keep these in the treasure basket and H loves to picking up the basket and watching them roll out. They also fit in the Ball Drop hole and will stay unless you put a little pressure then they’ll drop down. It’s another fun way to play with the Ball Drop.

As with all of the toys in this Play Kit, H still plays with them daily at 10 months and I can see them lasting for a long time as there are so many ways you could play with them.

Drinking Cup

The drinking cup was a surprise for me. I didn’t expect H to like it very much - but he loves holding this cup!

It comes with instructions that the cup is not a toy and should be used with supervision. H actually does try to use this as a toy so with supervision I let him. He doesn’t have anything else metal, so I think he likes the texture. He also likes chewing on the brim - which I probably shouldn’t let him do but it’s with supervision.

As for how it’s meant to be used, H is still learning to drink out of a cup but he LOVES water and we are getting there with an open cup!

Ball Drop and Wood Ball Set

This is the toy I wanted most out of this kit. Lovevery is certainly not the only place you can get this toy – you can get a dupe on Amazon (and if it’s the only item you want from the toy kit, go for it), but the quality of this one is unmatched.

I was so excited for H to play with this and he has loved it - just not in the way I expected at first. It took him until about 10 months to actually put the ball in the hole and play with the toy “as intended”.

Isn’t that the joy of open-ended toys? There are so many ways to play with each toy and if you let your little one explore, they will find ways of playing that you wouldn’t imagine.

When we first got this, I would put the ball through the hole and H would pick up the front of the Ball Drop and bang the ball around inside the box portion. He loved the sound it made.

He also loves the wood balls themselves. He picks them up and tries to chew on them. As I mentioned, all the Lovevery toys use the same color palette so you can put the matching ball in the cup and start teaching containment too.

“My First Signs” Board Book

H loves seeing other babies so the fact that this book has real pictures made it quickly one of H’s favorites.

The timing is also perfect for the subject matter as they go through American Sign Language signs that have to do with eating. Right around the time we got this box, we were trying to figure out how to teach H that picking up his plate and dropping the food on the floor isn’t the best way to signal that he’s done eating… and with this book, we are teaching him the sign for “all done” instead.

Lovevery now has a book add on for the Play Kit subscription and I am excited to add that to our next box. The timing of the subjects are really well thought out!

Is the Play Kit worth it?

For me, it’s a resounding yes!

I’ve seen posts about Amazon dupes for each of the items based on the US Amazon and most of them come out to be more expensive if you get every item. As a Canadian, our Amazon is a little more expensive when it comes to toys and has less selection. The Inspector Play Kit works out to about $12 USD per toy.

Even with the exchange rate, I am definitely saving money, not to mention TIME spent researching, by getting the Lovevery Play Kits.

It probably sounds like I’m gushing, but there honestly hasn’t been a toy I’ve been disappointed with. There were a few I expected to be disappointed by but H surprised me by loving them!

I have been pleasantly surprised by every item. The play kits are well designed and these people really know babies! The toys will meet your baby right where they’re at developmentally.