Why I’m Starting a Toy Library, and Why You Probably Wish One Existed Sooner

As a first-time parent, I had no idea I was signing up for a full-time job in toy logistics, acquisition, evaluation, storage, and emotional detachment. And that’s why I want to tell you why I’m creating a toy library—and why I think it’s something every parent deserves.

🍼 From Rattles to Ride-Ons in 3 Minutes Flat

You thought you would have a lot of free time on maternity leave. But babies grow fast—faster than your search history can refresh for “best toys for 6-month-old motor skills.” One minute they’re chewing on a teething ring, the next they’re solving puzzles and climbing furniture like baby parkour champions.

It felt like every time I finally figured out what my child needed developmentally, she had already outgrown it. It wasn’t a marathon. It was a sprint, with a backpack full of plastic things that blinked and broke.

🔋 The Battery-Powered Madness

Let’s talk about the toys themselves. You know the ones with lights, sounds, movement, all at once—and always on. As a stay-at-home parent, I was the lucky audience to the entire performance. Daily. On loop.

Some toys made more noise than my coffee machine. Some lit up brighter than my toddler’s birthday candles. And guess what? My child often lost interest in them faster than they lost battery life. Meanwhile, I needed earplugs and a nap.

🎠 The Cellar of Forgotten Toys

Two years in, I looked at the cellar (a.k.a. Toy Storage HQ), and realized we’d amassed an embarrassing collection. Stacked bins of toys I once carefully selected, budgeted for, read reviews about… and then stashed away “for the next sibling.”

And let’s be honest: I never had time to sort, sell, donate, or fix them. It wasn’t just the money that stung—it was the time. Hours spent hunting for “the perfect toy” online, only for it to be played with for a week (if we were lucky) and then abandoned like a banana with one brown spot.

😬 What Is in This Toy, Anyway?

Like many first-time mothers, I also got paranoid the moment my baby put something in her mouth. Suddenly, I was reading up on toxins, plastics, and paint safety at 1 AM, wondering how much I really trusted companies that sold toys in 37 layers of plastic wrap.

And while some toy companies are doing better, there’s no universal standard that guarantees every toy is truly safe, especially for babies who taste-test everything.

💡 The Lightbulb Moment: A Toy Library

At some point, I thought—what if we could just borrow toys? The way we borrow books or bikes or tools?

And that’s how the idea of a toy library was born. A place where:

🎲 You can try toys before committing to them.

🔄 You return what your child outgrows (before it gathers dust or multiplies under the couch).

🌱 You reduce waste, save money, and choose quality over quantity.

✨ You get access to well-designed, developmentally appropriate, actually enjoyable toys (for both kids and parents).

🌎 You do something small, yet powerful, for the environment.