Comments on: Toy lending library

By: WilliamB

WilliamB — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:40:30 +0000

Or put kids’ toys away for a while. Or trade with friends, neighbors, classmates. Or sell some to finance new ones. Or freecycle. There are lots of options.

By: Dream Mom DBAwww.dreamorganizers.com

Dream Mom DBAwww.dreamorganizers.com — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:08:15 +0000

Lekotek has a toy lending libary for special needs children. It has been around for years and we used to check out toys for my son when he was young. They had regular toys and adaptive toys; often times adaptive toys are too expensive to purchase (Some cost $249 just for one toy!). UCP (United Cerebral Palsy) also had a toy lending library that my son just loved. He really liked some of their adaptive toys.

I think toy libaries make sense for all kids. It helps keep the clutter down. And if they really like something, then you can purchase it and know it was money well spent.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:37:04 +0000

Where we used to live (College Station, Tx), I volunteered at a Toy Library. We got “credit” for volunteering and took several toys at a time for 2 week periods. It was a great place to get big toys, like riding toys for a while. It was also a good place to try out a toy before we bought it. Another thing I remember is that they had a large number of puzzles, which my son loved. After doing a puzzle once or twice, he was bored with it, so I hated to spend money on them and second hand you never knew if a piece would be missing.

I also remember we cleaned with a vinegar/water solution so as to not expose the kids to harsh chemicals. We kept the toys very clean – our own kids were going to be using them at some point!

By: Jeri Dansky

Jeri Dansky — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:14:40 +0000

A similar idea is the toy co-op:
http://jdorganizer.blogspot.co.....under.html.

By: Pat

Pat — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 01:17:45 +0000

Hey, that’s just down the street! I don’t have kids of my own but I’ll definitely tell some burgher moms about it.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 01:05:25 +0000

This is amazing. Who knew services like this existed?

As a kid who grew up with a “toy library” in the basement, I can see the potential. My parents still keep their toy room (yes, an entire room for toys!) around even though all kids are in college. I assume they have such a huge investment they want to try and get two generations worth out of the stuff.

By: STL Mom

STL Mom — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:14:20 +0000

My children are so overprivleged that we have a “toy library” in our basement. If the kids want their megablocks or legos or Lincoln Logs, then another toy has to be put away in the storage area so they can take the desired toy out. Therefore only one toy with a million pieces is being played with at any time.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:59:40 +0000

My city (Rochester, NY) is lucky enough to have a fabulous toy library. It has everything you could imagine, including outdoor play stuff (I’m talking play houses, sports stuff, everything!). Unfortunately Rochester is a shockingly violent city for its size with frequent shootings taking place. The library is located in an area that I am just not comfortable bringing my kids to. I take pleasure in the fact that it is where it is, however, because it serves the population that most needs its services. I used to love seeing home day care workers bring their troops to the toy library for a “field trip.” Although I don’t use its services anymore I am pleased that it is there for those who truly need it.

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:09:00 +0000

Our local library offers this and it is so great! You can flip through a catalog of toys and pick something to take home with you. It has been a huge lifesaver for bored children and long days indoors in the winter.

By: Mer

Mer — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:38:54 +0000

@Alice and Lori – RIGHT ON

By: Lori

Lori — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:39:33 +0000

Many a number of libraries offer this service, too. For example, the Cuyahoga County Public Library:
http://www.cuyahogalibrary.org.....x?id=15774

@Natalie: It is my understanding that most programs clean the toys between lendings, so they’re probably cleaner than anything else kids are exposed to out in the world.

By: alice

alice — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:35:59 +0000

you know, you’ve reminded me! when i was a kid, any time i went to visit my grandma the first stop we’d make would be the toy room at the madison (NJ) library. she has a small house and didn’t want to keep tons of toys around, so this service allowed her to borrow a few fantastic things for her grandkids to play with when we were in town, and then return them after she had returned us! heh.

and the toys were always amazing… nice sturdy thick wood ride-on stuff, blocks, trains, etc. heaven!

and ya know what… we just weren’t that worried about germs. nana would usually give them a quick wipe-down with a damp cloth and maybe some murphy’s oil soap when we picked them up and just before we dropped them off. i know many parents these days wouldnt be comfortable with a wooden “shared” toy even if it had been autoclaved beforehand! but i gotta say… my brothers and i are still here, and doing just fine! i don’t buy into all this hyper-germ-phobic stuff

By: Erin Doland

Erin Doland — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:49:15 +0000

@Beth — We talk all about the web-based service in the second post today … stay tuned to 10:30 a.m. EST.

By: Beth

Beth — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:24:37 +0000

They just highlighted something similar to this on one of the morning talk shows this morning… web based with a wish list similar to a netflix structure.

By: Natalie

Natalie — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:12:40 +0000

A very cool idea- but I worry about germs. Seems like you would have to spend a lot of time sanitizing considering most toys seem to find their way into kids’ mouths!