The Netflix model has been extended to toys, to the joy of infants and toddlers--and to the great relief of parents. Tired of spending lots of money on toys your baby gets sick of, doesn't like, or quickly outgrows? Wish your house wasn't so cluttered with old toys no one ever uses?
Tired of stressful shopping ships? Just tired, and wish you could find a way to relieve some of your motherly or fatherly duties?
Then you might want to check out www.BabyPlays.com, a fledgling business that allows a family to go through toys the way Netflix customers go through movies. Depending on your plan, you can keep 4 or 6 toys at a time, and keep them for 30 days or more. The company has over 1400 toys (of over 200 different types), and is growing quickly. I think this is a great idea. It's a way to provide lots of toys for your kids without breaking the bank, and the program appeals to the age group. Just as an adult would prefer a new movie to one they've seen, kids get sick of toys at amazing speeds (and prefer new exciting ones). It also mitigates risk that a child won't like a toy at all, and allows parents to be more adventerous with the variety (and educational content perhaps) of the toys they present to their children.
I'd even wager that participation in such a program would create faster-learning children. Kids learn from experiences and interactions with the physical world. They develop by testing the limits and characteristics of their surroundings (they're like tiny, adorable, and smelly scientists). And if signed up for BabyPlays, a child would be exposed to far more new toys than the parents would otherwise be able to provide (plus many of the toys themselves are educational).
For all these reasons and more, I expect BabyPlays, or at least the concept, to be a rising star to keep an eye on--especially if kids are in your future.
[Editor's Addendum: In response to comments, yes, BabyPlays does thoroughly sanitize and disinfect the toys between uses. Furthermore, damaged toys are taken out of commission, and toys that are or could easily become dangerous to small children are never even purchased in the first place.]
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3 comments:
The one thing I would worry about with this is diseases. Children catch everything, and if they are playing with toys, putting them in their mouths, that's a quick way to get something infected. Hopefully BabyPlays sanitizes things in between uses...
Rest assured, they do.
Interesting concept. I definitely think it fills a need. However, I see two major differences from Netflix that could be problems for the business in the future.
Unlike Netflix, this business appeals to people only for a couple of years. While Netflix can build up a user base over time (and not worry about base attrition because people will always watch movies regardless of their age), this business loses customers every year. Therefore, they may have to spend significantly more on promotion to acquire new clients, which could cut into profits.
Also, I would imagine that baby toys have a much higher "burn rate" than movies. Basically, you will have to replace a baby toy much more often than you will a movie. This will drive costs up as well (plus the costs of disinfecting, etc).
But it is definitely an interesting idea. I think one thing the business should explore is vertical integration (figure out what types of goods/services parents of toddlers/kindergarteners will want, and get those ready so that in a few years, they can maintain these clients).
Just my two cents.
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