I’ve got to admit – our house has been overrun with toys. I’m not sure when it happened. I’m not even sure how it happened. But between the time Jack was born three years ago to now – we have accumulated a massive amount of toys. Blocks, musical instruments, puzzles, action figures, random pieces that go to something somewhere, movies, art supplies, balls, board games and more. Most of them were gifts, some of them were hand-me-downs and some of them were bought brand new. And the crazy thing about it? Jack probably only plays with 10% of them. He’s got his go-to favorites and everything else is just floating in a sea of mismatched, outdated and forgotten play things.

Not only is this testing my patience and my sanity… it’s a complete waste! A waste of space piled high and deep in bins and buckets . A waste of time spent searching for, and then cleaning up, said random pieces. And let’s not even get started on the waste of money spent on toys and things we just don’t use or need.

But here’s the thing – we know that playtime is actually a crucially important aspect for childhood development and education. It’s how they learn to use their imaginations, problem solve, increase coordination, interact with other children and more. So – you’ll need toys to facilitate all that fun learning, right? Hence the vicious cycle of buying and collecting MORE toys as your kids grow.

Does any of this sound familiar to my fellow parents?! Well, I think I’ve stumbled onto a solution. As I was putting together a segment featuring “Mommy Approved” products and ideas, I found a website called Pley.com.

It’s a toy rental service. Yes – you can actually rent toys for your kids and then send them BACK! Let’s be real here – most of the time the novelty of a new toy eventually wears off and then it’s cast to the side to be forgotten. But if you were to use a toy rental service – the kids would consistently get to experience new ways to enrich their minds and imaginations. It’d also mean less clutter, since you’ll send them back instead of adding to the piles. Plus it’s more eco friendly to rent and return than to continuously buy new toys. So this idea really sparked my interest. I was so fortunate that the folks at Pley.com provided me with a free trial to test the service out for you guys.

So here’s how it works:

1. You go to Pley.com to sign up, it’s totally quick and painless.

2. Then you create your “Pley list” of toys that your kids would like. There is plenty of variety to choose from – more than a toy store! You can whittle it down based on age and theme if you’d like. This is also a great way to have some fun with your child – letting them explore the selection and add to their own queue. We picked out a fun LEGO Duplo set for Jack’s age range.

3. Then your toy is shipped right to your door. When the kids are done with it – send it back and get the next toy off your queue. It’s guilt free – your kids play more and you save more. Did I mention shipping both ways is free?!

Overall – Jack was really excited to open up his “special delivery”.

Charlie had to watch from afar – but this little guy will be joining in on the fun before we know it.

I’m pretty sure Jack will be even more excited to know a new one is on the way once we ship his used toy back. It’s definitely a unique idea that I’m so happy I was able to try out and share with you guys!

If you want to try a toy rental service for yourself, head on over to Pley.com to get started. Have fun!