Ah, Lovevery. The expensive play kit subscription that everyone’s obsessed with.
As I said in my previous post about “The Looker” play kit, I am a fan of Lovevery. Sure, it’s pricey, but I really think the toys are worth the money. They are well-made, well-curated, and do in fact entertain my baby boy. They are practically the only toys we buy for our boy – pretty much everything else has been gifted.
However, the second kit, “The Charmer” for 3-4 months, is probably the weakest of the bunch. At least, it is so far – and we’re currently on the “The Babbler” for 13-15 months.
That’s not to say you should necessarily skip it – I know you love opening that box that comes in the mail. But, if you are late to the Lovevery train, don’t worry too much if you’ve missed the first two.
That being said, let’s tier rank the toys in “The Charmer” play kit, using our trusted tier list ranking system.
Like last time, I’m using two main criteria:
Baby obsession: did it capture little dude’s attention and get me some peace?
Staying power: little dude is a year old now… did this toy provide fun past its recommended age?
Hand-to-Hand Discs
My pediatrician told me that hand-to-hand passing was an important milestone to help develop. Baby boy did hit this milestone, but not because of this toy. He was never interested in this one, except – as you can see from the teeth marks – as yet another object to put in his mouth.
Baby obsession? Not at all. Staying power? Nope.
Tier Ranking: F. A flop.
Wooden Rattle
Well, it’s a rattle. But a nice rattle, that was great in the “holy shit I can lift things” phase around 4 months. It’s great these days too, as my 14-month-old enjoys making music with his mom by singing (read: yelling) and shaking instruments.
Baby obsession? Not quite obsession, but decent. Staying power? Yes! This one has open-ended uses for a long time.
Tier Ranking: B. B for basic… but good.
Crinkle Bag
For a short while this was a winner when my baby became obsessed with crinkling noises.
Then it was quickly forgotten. It comes in too early for the phase of being obsessed with containment, and by the time that phase hits it’s limp, sad and chewed up.
Baby obsession? Yes, briefly. Staying power? No.
Tier Ranking: C. Not the worst, not the best.
Rolling Bell
Exact same feedback for this one as the wooden rattle.
Basic, but nice when you get the box but still entertaining as an instrument today.
Baby obsession? Sorta. Staying power? Yes!
Tier Ranking: B.
Framed Mirror
I hope you can see the drool marks in the photo of the mirror. My baby boy, enamored with his own good looks, still makes out with himself in this mirror at least once a week.
Baby obsession? More like baby self-obsession! Staying power? A baby safe-mirror is a “toy” that lasts.
Tier Ranking: A. Great, but doesn’t have the wow factor of some Lovevery toys.
Soft Book
I really wanted to love this one. It’s so cute, and it can display both the Lovevery image cards or family photos? But baby boy wasn’t that interested, except as a very nice thing to put in his mouth. Now that he’s more into books, there are other ones he wants to read.
Baby obsession? Not really. Staying power? No, but maybe I should think about repurposing it?
Tier Ranking: B. An inflated ranking, but it’s SO CUTE.
Black & White Card Set and Mirror Card
It is nice that these work with the Standing Card Holder from The Looker playkit and the Soft Book from this one.
But at this point, baby boy was more interested in holding, whacking and chewing than looking.
Baby obsession? Too late. Staying power? I’d forgotten them.
Tier Ranking: E. Meh.
Teethers
I’m going to leave out the photo for this one, because I’ve lost most of these. There was a turquoise teether, a teething cloth and a triangle teether. The triangle teether was the one baby boy liked the most, but overall… these are teethers. I’d rather have gotten something else with a toy kit.
Baby obsession? I mean… they were useful. Staying power? Not really… these get lost just like baby socks.
Tier Ranking: D.
The Rankings
Final Verdict: The Play Kit
Like I said, I think this is the weakest of the Lovevery play kits, at least the ones I’ve seen so far. Overall, if you already have a subscription, don’t cancel it based on this one, as there will be high-quality toys your baby will get use out of. However, if you don’t subscribe until after this play kit, you won’t miss out. The next one, The Senser, has some fantastic toys, including the iconic Magic Tissue Box.
