You buy all sorts of toys to fill the nursery while prepping for baby, then they start to grow and you find yourself wondering which toys are right for them and for which developmental milestones. Those long aisles full of very brightly colored toys at the store can be a little overwhelming, which is why I’m liking the new Please and Carrots baby toy subscription service, which helps take out the guesswork for new parents.
– Don’t miss an exclusive discount for CMP readers below –
Curated by team of expert advisors including pediatricians, psychologists, educators and parents, each box is designed to engage your child, at the right time. The toys are fun and constructive and I’ll admit, pretty impressive to receive as a gift. The 3-6 month box that I checked out is spot on, with room to grow. Plus I personally found it exciting to see what milestones and activities we would be working towards with the baby in the next few months.
Expect good toys from trusted brands like Skip*Hop, Infantino, and Melissa and Doug. Or put it this way: if someone showed up with just one of these items as a baby gift you would feel like they really made a thoughtful effort.
Related: Hip baby gift boxes new parents will love.
The box also includes helpful little guide including tips on how to engage your baby using the toys. You can find additional online content on their website, and a subscriber-only portal for more developmental guidance from all their experts.
The one big caveat: This all comes at a price. A big one. You can purchase one box at a time for $99 each or get longer subscriptions at a discount I did the math, and when you break it down to what you would pay for these items independently, this is quite a markup. It’s going to come down to whether the convenience, the well-curated selection that keeps you out of the toy stores, and the expert tips seem worthwhile to you. (Though the discount they’ve offered our readers does help cushion the credit card blow.)
Even so, I’d still like to see the prices come down to make it more accessible to more parents. Because this is a smart gift that a lot of parents will seriously appreciate, and one less thing for new moms and dads to stress about in those early baby days when we are busy questioning everything else in our upturned worlds.
Get an exclusive 20% discount for CMP readers with code CMP20 thru June 30, 2015 on the Please and Carrots baby toy subscription service which is designed for birth up to 3 years. Learn more about subscriptions end take advantage of their expertly provided advice at pleaseandcarrots.com.
