Play it forward with toys

Why buy toys when you can rent them? We’ve all grown up playing with our favourite toys which eventually contribute to the existing clutter, even as we hopped onto our new toy! If you were to add a child’s attention span on a particular toy to the equation, there are many toys that lie discarded. Now, some mindful people in the city have decided to address this with their own initiatives which help a child get a basketful of goodies that they can keep, play with for a month or more, and return for a new set of toys! A marriage made in toy heaven, for sure. Rentoy, Discover Kids and Hippo Campus are some of the initiatives. Rentoy offers some fabulous toys and has over 700 customers pan India, while the others specialise in books. You can now rent a toy, preventing that unnecessary clutter and receive branded and educational toys on a monthly basis via a subscription with many online initiatives.

Lakshmi Nair, an independent consultant and mother of a two-year-old, opted to rent toys for her child, and is very happy with the initiative.

She says, “There are many factors that I considered before opting for something like this. Firstly, toys are not cheap and kids tend to grow out of these toys in a span of two months or even three days, leaving a clutter behind. When I opted for this scheme, I managed to save a lot of money, keep my house clutter-free, and provide my child with the education and entertainment she needs. Every time the box arrives, it is a surprise for her. She is also learning to take care of things, and not take them for granted. The first few times she was surprised as to why the courier uncle is taking her toys away, but later on she figured that it was how it worked. Now, she actively participates in packing these toys to give them back.”

Elizebeth Shaji, who recently became a mother, is in love with the concept. She says, “As parents we want to provide the best learning experiences for our children. We ignore reasons such as affordability and need when it comes to our kids. But what is the point of acquiring something that you can use only for a month or two? If the same product can be used by someone else, it has a longer utility and you are also saving yourself of unnecessary expenses.”

These toys can be rented on a subscription basis after which you will receive a box of toys every month.

Getting into the technical details, Manoj Kumar, the co-founder of Rentoys, says, “A child’s learning comes from only one thing — play. We keep buying expensive toys from the market which the child eventually grows out of. There is no end to it; causing a continuous need. At Rentoys, we have open-ended educational toys mostly made of wood. Parents receive these boxes at their doorstep. It comes back after a month, leaving no clutter at home. Every toy goes through a mechanical check, and sanitation processes before it reaches the next customer. If the child gets attached to a toy we have the provision to retain it for longer as well.”

Aakansha Libin, a young mother says, “No matter how long the child will use a product, we as parents want to give them the best. The question of how affordable or necessary it is becomes secondary. This concept is brilliant as a child will get the best in quality for a price and variety that is affordable. The product can be reused by many children, saving a lot of space and raw materials.”

In terms of saying no to consumerism, this is a great way forward, yet how does such a concept impact children, keeping in mind that toys are more than just toys, they’re friends to these children and some get very attached to their favourite teddy or doll.

Neeta Pereira, a psychologist and a young mother, opines, “I buy so many toys and my son gets bored of them within a short span of time. The only disadvantage is that children tend to get attached to these toys, but they will quickly outgrow it. It is a great idea because the child learns not to get attached to things or maybe even people too fast, which I believe is absolutely necessary. They tend to value what they get and don’t believe that they are entitled to it.”