Many children love new toys, but for parents, the need to provide newer and newer ones can create a problem. Each new purchase is a strain on budgets, while old, unwanted toys take up space in the house.
But Tiny Earth Toys has the solution: subscription-based toy rentals.
How do toy rentals work?
Tiny Earth Toys carries a wide range of educational toys for kids of all ages. For a monthly fee, families receive a set number of items, which they can switch out for free every two months.
The toys are "Montessori-inspired" according to the site and designed to be educational and open-ended. The company also says its items are plastic-free, and the toy library page shows mostly wooden toys.
Why should parents choose toy rentals?
Child development experts agree that toys are a key part of every child's growth.
For example, KidsHealth explains that children play at each stage of their childhood, and how this helps them learn both social and motor skills. The site also lists the main kinds of toys parents should provide to keep kids entertained and learning.
Both KidsHealth and Tiny Earth Toys base their recommendations on each child's age. To keep a kid interested and make sure they're learning age-appropriate skills, parents usually need to buy a whole new set every year or two, or even more often for kids younger than one year. All of this means that a new toy might be used for only a few months before the child outgrows it.
Most items don't wear out that fast, so parents are left with huge piles of nearly new toys.
With its rental model, Tiny Earth Toys solves several problems at once. First, the system is more affordable, providing up to 10 items for $65 a month.
Second, because parents return the toys when the child is done with them, old toys don't pile up. This means less storage space needed in the playroom, easier cleanup, and no need to throw away older items.
"We were overwhelmed by the idea of a playroom full of toys, that only get used for a short period of time, and then sit and collect dust — let alone, a playroom full of plastic," a mother named Laura writes in a testimonial on the company's website. "It is refreshing to find Tiny Earth Toys."
Third, this system means that multiple families can enjoy a toy until it wears out. Instead of five families each buying and then throwing away their own duck toy, a single duck can make the rounds to all five. Multiply this by hundreds of items, and Tiny Earth Toys is keeping a huge amount of trash out of landfills, especially since their natural wood toys will break down much faster than plastic.
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