Toy Library

Toy libraries are great for people with children. This place is exclusively for children. Your library could probably have a different wing for a toy library (children tend to make noise, you know...lol) We are also able to donate toys (in good condition) to the toy library. The toy library I frequent allows the children to use the toys at their premises for free. That also is a good idea for moms with very little children looking for interaction with other children and their moms (or even dads). The toys are clean and checked when returned. If I feel my son likes one of the toys we have borrowed and would use it for a longer period of time, I go out and get one for him. But the library works for me...to borrow toys that he would tire of easily. I don't need to waste money on those...and then figure out where to store them. And my little one has very expensive taste and he tires easily of the toys that are made just for fun.

Here the teenagers are allowed to make noise. They are LOUD, too.

HI, Kenchiprincess...it's a new concept in India too...it's come up in the main cities but not anywhere else. Buying toys for most kids is a big thing especially when you do not know their tastes. Some kids like a toy at the store but tire of it in a couple of days or week. And each child is different. My older son loved his toys...the educational ones we got him and he would play the same one over and over again. With our little one, we found he tires of toys and then I had a harder time figuring out where to store his toys without it being strewed around with no one using them. He also didn't like his older brother's toys that we preserved (tastes are different) and we needed to go out and buy new things for him ...and when we did that we found that he had quite expensive tastes ...even at the age of 3..lol. So, the library worked out better for us. The toy library we use also lets the kids visit the premise and play with the toys there for free...only thing is we cannot borrow it without paying a membership fee...but we can use it at the premises and the children also get to learn and share because there are other kids there who might want the same toy. It also is a good place to introduce very young children to other children and new toys.

Toy Library is a good idea and should not be thought as an business otherwise there will be no difference between a toy store and a toy library, It will be better if some Not for profit organizations come forward for this task and help the community.

Yes, they do promise to clean and sterilize the toys...so far there has not been any untoward incident where I take my kids....but the CDs we've borrowed never work. Delivery of the toys is free too.

Oh, it's great that you can avail of this facility in your area. Here the toy libraries are open to the public and not really attached to a public library. I was thinking of starting one myself. Sounds like something I'd love to do...I'm missing my kindergarten teacher job.

We have a few toy libraries here....but none at my hometown and I am thinking of starting one there. Just a spark of an idea. let's see how it goes.

My younger one is crazy about cars (vehicles actually)....and that's where this library helps. I will buy the cars because he wants his own but I am able to introduce other toys without having to buy them and have him tire out of it pretty soon. I had never heard of a toy library when my older child was younger (now he's into books)but I guess, I would have ended up having to buy a lot of puzzles because he loves doing and re-doing those. We have so many of his...that right now I'm making him re-do them and then sticking them on cardboard and going to frame them. Isn't it a good thing that some kids don't grow up?:)

Though it is a relatively new concept in India, I was sure it would already be in place in the US and UK. I didn't know of it when my older son was younger and anyways he probably wouldn't have needed it either. He was very clear about what toys he wanted and used them imaginatively too. But with my younger one, buying new toys is a challenge and the library works great for me.

Not just the capital for toys, one needs a place too. But the library we go to is a very small place with shelves that store the toys...and we also can use the place to use the toys for free right there. The space is comparatively less and the maximum no. of people that can be there are 3 adults and 3 kids. But it still had lots of people using the library. Larger toy libraries have opened in our area. One can start with fewer toys ...for fewer people...say only the families in the apartment complex..or only the people in the same street one stays at...and then expand. The investment in that case would be lower (one wouldn't need to buy 2-3 sets of the same toy). People also donate toys in good conditions to this library. With a little help from friends who have finished with the toys, one can start a small library.

Sorry, I missed seeing your response. Yes, it's a pretty new concept in India.

Yes, the children love it...it's like being let loose at a toy shop and being allowed to touch and use EVERYTHING! The library we use allows the kids to use the toys at the premises for free. We pay only if we need to borrow it. Many parents with very young kids use this time to socialize and spend time there with their kids and other people and their kids.