Toy subscriptions are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to buying more and more toys. But not all toy subscriptions work in the same way.
If you’re considering Wilf and Bear Toys, Whirli or Lovevery, the biggest difference isn’t simply price — it’s what you want from the service.
Do you want to choose individual toys yourself?
Would you prefer a developmental play kit?
And, importantly, do you want to borrow the toys or keep them?
Here’s a straightforward comparison.
Wilf and Bear Toys: curated play without the clutter
At Wilf and Bear Toys, the focus is on carefully selected, developmentally appropriate play kits.
Rather than choosing individual toys from a huge catalogue, families choose a play kit suited to their child’s age, stage, interests and style of play. The toys are borrowed rather than purchased, then returned so they can be cleaned and enjoyed by another family.
Wilf and Bear currently caters for children from around 2 months up to age 5, with age recommendations used as a guide rather than a rigid rule.
Families can also ask for help choosing a kit based on their child’s individual needs, including SEND.
Best suited to: families who want a smaller, thoughtfully selected collection of toys, regular toy rotation and less clutter — without having to research and buy everything themselves.
Whirli: lots of choice and flexibility
Whirli takes a different approach.
You subscribe to a token allowance and use those tokens to choose toys from Whirli’s library. When your child has finished with something, you return it, regain the tokens and choose something else.
Whirli currently offers 1,000+ toys for children aged 0–8, and toys can be kept for as long as you like while your subscription continues.
This gives parents considerably more choice over exactly what arrives.
However, standard delivery and returns can carry additional charges unless you add its Delivery Booster; the first delivery is free.
Best suited to: families who love browsing and choosing their own toys and want maximum flexibility over when they swap them.
Lovevery: developmental kits that you keep
Lovevery UK is different again because its Play Kits are purchased rather than rented.
The kits are designed around specific developmental stages and arrive every two months during baby’s first year and every three months thereafter. Lovevery currently offers Play Kits through age 5.
Its approach combines stage-specific toys with developmental guidance for parents. The subscription also includes access to the Lovevery app and parent resources.
Because you own the toys, there’s nothing to send back — which may be ideal if you want to keep them for younger siblings or build a permanent toy collection.
Best suited to: families who want premium, stage-based developmental toys and prefer to own rather than rent them.
How do the prices compare?
It’s important not to compare the headline prices alone because you’re paying for three quite different services.
At the time of writing, Lovevery’s baby kits are £80 every two months, while kits from age one are £120 every three months.
Whirli has several subscription levels depending on how many tokens you want, with postage arrangements depending on the plan and whether you add its Delivery Booster.
Wilf & Bear’s model is different again: you borrow a curated play kit and then return it for your next selection, with delivery and returns included.
So the better question isn’t necessarily “Which is cheapest?”
It’s “What do I actually want from a toy subscription?”
Which one should you choose?
Choose Whirli if you want a huge selection and enjoy choosing individual toys yourself.
Choose Lovevery if you want structured developmental kits and would like to own and keep the toys.
Choose Wilf and Bear Toys if you’d prefer someone to take some of the decision-making away — providing a smaller, carefully considered selection that you can enjoy, return and refresh as your child develops.
There isn’t one subscription that’s right for every family.
Some parents want to build a beautiful collection of toys to keep. Others want hundreds of options to choose from. And some simply want fewer, better-chosen toys in their home without continually buying more.
That’s where Wilf and Bear fits.
The Wilf and Bear difference.
Wilf and Bear Toys was created with a simple idea at its heart:
Children don’t necessarily need more toys. They need meaningful opportunities to play.
Our play kits combine quality toys with knowledge of how young children learn and develop. And because the toys are returned and reused, families can enjoy something different without another toy permanently joining the pile.
‘Wholesome moments of play’- Carlene, Owner of Wilf and Bear Toys
