Lovevery vs KiwiCo vs Monti Kids: Which Subscription Is Actually Worth It?

Lovevery vs KiwiCo vs Monti Kids: Which Subscription Is Actually Worth It?

If you’ve spent more than five minutes on parenting Instagram, you’ve seen the perfectly staged flat-lays of subscription box toys. Lovevery play kits fanned out on a white rug. KiwiCo crates mid-unboxing by a delighted toddler. Monti Kids wooden toys arranged like a Montessori classroom catalog. They all look amazing. They all promise to make your kid smarter. And they all cost real money every single month.

So which one is actually worth it?

As a parent of three kids spanning babyhood through preschool age, I’ve had the unusual (expensive) privilege of testing all three of these subscription services in our home. Not for a single box. Not for a sponsored post. We subscribed, we played, we observed, we canceled some, and we kept others. This is what we found.

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Quick Verdict: Lovevery vs KiwiCo vs Monti Kids at a Glance

Lovevery: The Play Kit Breakdown

What You Get

Lovevery ships a Play Kit every 2-3 months, timed to your child’s developmental stage. Each kit contains between 5 and 12 items: toys, books, and a detailed play guide written by child development researchers. The kits are named things like “The Inspector” (months 7-8) and “The Babbler” (months 13-14), and they’re designed around the specific cognitive, motor, and social milestones your child is working on right now.

We received our first Lovevery kit when our youngest was 5 months old, and the thing that immediately stood out was how intentional everything felt. A black-and-white card set for visual tracking. A wooden rattle sized perfectly for a tiny grip. A fabric book with crinkle pages and a mirror. Nothing superfluous, nothing gimmicky.

Pros

• Exceptional quality. The toys are beautifully made. Solid wood, non-toxic paint, organic cotton elements. These feel like heirloom pieces, not disposable clutter. We’ve passed kits between all three kids and they still look great.
• Developmentally on-point. The play guides are genuinely educational for parents. I learned things about infant cognitive development from reading them that I hadn’t picked up from any parenting book.
• Excellent baby kits (0-12 months). This is where Lovevery dominates. The infant play kits are the best curated baby toy collections I’ve seen, period.
• Everything is baby-safe from day one. No small parts, no choking hazards, no batteries. You can hand the whole kit to a baby without sorting through it first.
• Good value per item. When you break down the cost per toy, you’re paying $7-15 per item for genuinely high-quality pieces. You’d pay more at a boutique toy shop.

Cons

• Toddler kits lose steam. After age 2, we found the kits less compelling. The toys became simpler relative to what our toddlers were actually interested in, and they lost interest faster.
• No flexibility. You get what they send. Can’t swap items, can’t skip a kit, can’t choose themes. If your kid is ahead or behind on a milestone, too bad.
• The play guides can feel preachy. They occasionally veer into “if you don’t do exactly this, you’re failing your child” territory. Take them as suggestions, not commandments.
• Storage. The kits accumulate fast. After a year, you’ve got 4-6 kits worth of toys and you’ll need a system for rotating them.

Who It’s Best For

First-time parents with a baby under 12 months who want a curated, no-research-needed toy collection. Also great for grandparents looking for a meaningful ongoing gift. Less ideal for toddlers 2+ who need more variety and complexity.

KiwiCo: The Crate Breakdown

What You Get

KiwiCo operates differently from Lovevery. Instead of one product line, they offer multiple crate tiers organized by age. The ones relevant for young kids are Panda Crate (ages 0-24 months), Koala Crate (ages 2-4), and Kiwi Crate (ages 5-8). Each monthly crate contains a hands-on project or activity, all the materials to complete it, an instruction booklet, and often an educational magazine-style insert.

We started with Panda Crate for our middle child and later upgraded to Koala Crate when she aged up. The transition between tiers was smooth.

Panda Crate (0-24 months)

The baby tier is decent but not as polished as Lovevery. You get 2-3 simple toys and activity ideas per crate. The items lean more toward “craft-supply adjacent” than premium toy. Our baby enjoyed the sensory items (textured balls, fabric peek-a-boo toys) but some pieces felt flimsy compared to Lovevery’s solid wood.

Koala Crate (2-4 years)

This is where KiwiCo starts to shine. Koala Crate delivers themed project kits that our toddlers genuinely loved. A veterinarian pretend play set. A gardening activity. A color-mixing experiment. Each crate has a coherent theme, and the activities are well-designed for little hands with limited fine motor skills. Our 3-year-old would ask daily if her “KiwiCo box” had arrived yet.

Kiwi Crate (5-8 years)

Haven’t used this one personally yet, but friends with older kids rave about it. The projects get genuinely complex: building a hydraulic claw, making a walking robot, designing a marble run. This is the STEAM sweet spot.

Pros

• Best value. At $23.95/month (with an annual subscription), KiwiCo is significantly cheaper than both Lovevery and Monti Kids.
• Enormous age range. They cover ages 0 through 16+. You’re not going to outgrow KiwiCo.
• Activity-based, not just toy-based. Kids don’t just receive a thing. They make something, do something, experiment with something. This drives deeper engagement.
• Great for preschool and up. The Koala and Kiwi Crates are genuinely excellent. This is where KiwiCo pulls ahead of the competition.
• Flexible subscriptions. You can pause, skip months, switch crate lines, and gift individual crates. Much more user-friendly than Lovevery’s rigid model.

Cons

• Baby crates are underwhelming. Panda Crate just doesn’t compete with Lovevery for the 0-12 month range. The items feel less premium and less developmentally thoughtful.
• Materials quality varies. Some crates are packed with solid, well-made components. Others lean heavily on cardboard and stickers. It’s inconsistent.
• Projects create mess. If you’re not a “let them paint on the kitchen floor” parent, some crates will test your patience. Glue, paint, loose beads — comes with the territory.
• One-and-done projects. Unlike Lovevery toys that get played with for months, many KiwiCo projects are built once and then sit on a shelf. The replay value is lower.

Who It’s Best For

Parents of toddlers (age 2+) through school-age kids who want hands-on STEAM activities at a reasonable price. Especially great for families who value the making process over the finished product. If your kid loves crafts, building, and experiments, KiwiCo is your winner.

Monti Kids: The Full Review

What You Get

Monti Kids is the premium option, and they want you to know it. Each “level” ships a set of 8-10 Montessori-aligned materials (real wood, natural finishes, no plastic), plus access to a video lesson library where a Montessori educator demonstrates how to present each material to your child. The program covers ages 0 to 3 across 8 levels.

We tried Level 3 (for around 9-11 months) and Level 5 (for around 15-18 months). The sticker shock was real: each level runs $297-$399 depending on current pricing and whether you bundle.

Pros

• Highest material quality. These are genuinely beautiful, heirloom-grade Montessori materials. Smooth hardwood, precise engineering, elegant design. They look like they belong in a Montessori classroom because they’re modeled after actual classroom materials.
• Best parent education component. The video lessons are surprisingly helpful. Watching a trained Montessori guide demonstrate how to present the object permanence box or the ball tracker changed how I interacted with my baby during play.
• Authentic Montessori approach. If you’re genuinely interested in Montessori philosophy (not just the aesthetic), Monti Kids is the most faithful implementation of the three.
• Focused, not overwhelming. Each level has a purposeful, curated set of materials. There’s a clear progression from one level to the next.

Cons

• Extremely expensive. There’s no way around it. At $297-$399 per level, with 8 levels covering birth to age 3, you’re looking at $2,400-$3,200 total if you complete the program. That’s 3-5x the cost of Lovevery for the same age range.
• Very narrow age range. The program ends at age 3. After that, you’re on your own.
• Rigid Montessori approach may not fit your family. If you’re not bought into Montessori philosophy, some of the materials will feel overly simple or confusingly abstract. The coin drop box is not intuitive fun for every baby.
• Limited play variety. Because everything follows strict Montessori principles, there’s no whimsy. No colorful characters, no fantasy play elements, no silly sounds. Some kids (and parents) find this austere.
• Resale value is high for a reason. The Monti Kids resale market is active because a lot of parents buy in, use it for a few months, and decide it’s not for them. That tells you something.

Who It’s Best For

Parents who are genuinely committed to a Montessori approach at home and have the budget to match. Also excellent for parents who want detailed guidance on how to set up Montessori activities (the video lessons are worth a lot if you actually use them). Not recommended as a casual “let’s try a subscription box” purchase.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Price and Value

KiwiCo wins on raw affordability. At roughly $24/month, it’s accessible for most families. Lovevery works out to about $27-40/month depending on the kit cycle, which is still reasonable given the quality. Monti Kids, at $100+/month effectively, is a luxury purchase. However, value isn’t just about price. Lovevery toys get months of repeated play. KiwiCo projects often get one session. Monti Kids materials can last through multiple children. When you factor in cost-per-hour-of-engagement, Lovevery and Monti Kids close the gap with KiwiCo significantly.

Educational Quality

All three are educationally sound, but they approach learning differently. Lovevery is rooted in broad developmental science, hitting cognitive, motor, social, and language milestones. KiwiCo focuses on STEAM skills through hands-on projects. Monti Kids follows Montessori pedagogy specifically. For babies, Lovevery’s approach felt the most practical. For toddlers, KiwiCo’s project-based learning was more engaging. Monti Kids offers the deepest educational framework, but only if you invest the time to learn and implement it properly.

Engagement (Will Your Kid Actually Play With This Stuff?)

This is the question that matters most, and the honest answer is: it depends on your kid. Our youngest was mesmerized by Lovevery toys for months. Our middle child would do a KiwiCo project for 45 minutes and then ask for the next one. Our oldest found some Monti Kids materials engaging and others baffling. Across all three kids, KiwiCo Koala Crates generated the most immediate excitement. Lovevery baby kits generated the most sustained, repeated play. Monti Kids had the most hit-or-miss engagement.

Materials Quality

Monti Kids is the clear winner on pure material quality. Lovevery is a close second. KiwiCo is a distant third, though their Koala and Kiwi Crate materials have improved noticeably over the past year. If longevity and passing toys to younger siblings matters to you, Monti Kids and Lovevery are built to last. KiwiCo projects are often more ephemeral by design.

Flexibility and Convenience

KiwiCo wins handily. Pause anytime, switch lines, skip months, buy individual crates as gifts. Lovevery is inflexible: you get what’s next in the sequence. Monti Kids is the least flexible, with large upfront costs and a fixed curriculum. If you like control over your subscription, go KiwiCo.

Our Recommendations by Situation

Best for Babies (0-12 months): Lovevery

No contest. The Lovevery infant play kits are the single best curated toy collection for babies. The developmental alignment is tight, the quality is excellent, and the play guides actually teach you things about your baby’s development. Start here if you have a newborn or young infant.

Best for Toddlers (2-4 years): KiwiCo Koala Crate

Once your kid hits 2, KiwiCo’s project-based approach becomes more engaging than Lovevery’s toy-based model. Toddlers want to do things, make things, experiment. Koala Crate delivers exactly that at a price that won’t sting every month.

Best Budget Pick: KiwiCo

At under $25/month, KiwiCo offers the best entry point. And the annual subscription drops the price further. If you’re trying one subscription to see if your family likes the concept, start here.

Best for Montessori Families: Monti Kids

If you’re already doing Montessori at home, Monti Kids provides materials you’d otherwise need to source individually from specialty retailers (often at similar or higher total cost). The video lessons add genuine value for implementing Montessori properly.

Best Overall: Lovevery for Year 1, Then KiwiCo

Our actual recommendation for most families: subscribe to Lovevery from birth through about 18 months, then transition to KiwiCo Koala Crate when your toddler starts wanting hands-on projects. This combination gives you the best of both worlds — premium developmental toys for baby, engaging STEAM activities for toddler — at a total cost that’s less than Monti Kids alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I buy just one box to try before committing?

KiwiCo makes this easiest. You can buy a single crate without a subscription. Lovevery offers a single-kit purchase option at a higher per-kit price. Monti Kids does not offer individual level purchases — you commit to a level or a bundle.

Are these worth it compared to just buying toys myself?

It depends on how much you value curation and convenience. If you enjoy researching and selecting toys, you can build a comparable collection for less money. But if decision fatigue is real for you (and with three kids, it’s very real for me), the curated approach saves time and often introduces toys you wouldn’t have found on your own.

Do any of these subscriptions offer sibling discounts?

KiwiCo offers a sibling discount on additional subscriptions. Lovevery does not. Monti Kids occasionally runs promotions but doesn’t have a standing sibling discount. For multiple kids, KiwiCo is the most budget-friendly option.

What if my child doesn’t like what they receive?

KiwiCo’s flexibility is your friend here — swap lines or cancel easily. Lovevery’s toys tend to have delayed engagement; a toy your baby ignores at 6 months might become a favorite at 8 months (this happened with us multiple times). Monti Kids suggests following their presentation videos exactly before concluding a material isn’t working for your child.

Which subscription has the best resale value?

Monti Kids, by far. Their materials hold 60-70% of retail value on resale marketplaces because the quality is so high and supply is limited. Lovevery kits also resell well (40-60% of retail). KiwiCo crates have almost no resale value since the projects are typically one-time builds.