Children’s toy rental is a trend that is not very popular right now, but may become more and more popular in the future. How many parents have ever thought of renting toys? Well, at least one parent did, which is why we have sites like BabyPlays, BrickRental, Rent-A-Toy, ToyBox, etc.
BabyPlays is a website where parents can choose from over 200 different toys for children as young as 5 years old. The company stocks up to 30 models of each toy.
Subscribers to this service generate a list online and have a box of toys delivered to their home. When they are done with the current set of toys, they send the toys back and wait for the next shipment. This process is similar to the system used by the popular Netflix DVD rental service. BabyPlays currently offers four plans with prices ranging from $34.99 to $64.99 per month. These plans require a three-month commitment and include four to 10 toys per month.
Parents understandably want their children to experience a variety of educational toys, as well as toys just for fun. BabyPlays also understands that there is no need to invest money in a variety of toys that your child will outgrow or get bored with in a short period of time. This makes toy rental a good alternative for many parents.
This idea of renting toys is good for parents who feel like they are wasting money buying toys they don’t need to keep. They may also feel like they don’t want to clutter up their house with things they don’t need. However, this program is certainly not meant to replace classic toys that children will want to keep forever. Instead, it provides the opportunity for a continuous stream of stimulating toys that children will want to play with.
BrickRental offers Lego toys for rent. They have two schemes, one that allows for the rental of six toys and the other for 12 toys in a year. They ship and pick up toys via USPS free of charge.
At a time, they send only one toy. You can keep the toy for as long as you want. (Of course, knowing what children are like, you can be sure that games will not stay in your home for long.) However, they won’t ship the next toy until you return the first toy.
Rent-a-toy is another popular site. The best part about this site is that they allow you to bring up to 8 toys at a time! And just like the other sites, you can keep the toys for as long as you want. Another nice feature is that you can even buy the toy if your child never wants to part with the toy, sort of a “try before you buy” thing.
One problem that has arisen is cleanliness. How clean are the toys? As parents, you will definitely be concerned about germs and diseases that could be transmitted through these toys. However, most of these stores claim that their toys are cleaned with a sanitary product that is used in some hospitals and day care centers. After cleaning, the toys are shrink-wrapped so they stay clean during storage and shipping.
So the question is: Are the major toy retailers worried about this new venture catching on and rising? So far, major retailers like KB Toys and Toy’s R US don’t seem fazed by this new trend. Even if it gains a slightly larger consumer base, the toy industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, so the major toy retailers probably won’t be affected by this new trend.
