Any tips

[sandra3971]

Hello all beautiful mums,

Being a mum with two kids, I know how expensive it is to entertain the children from a young age, whether it is toys, games, films, equipment, sports and holidays. I am planning to start a business to help parents reduce spending on these items but would like some comments and advice from the mums.

Q1: Any items that you, as a parent, would want to borrow, instead of buying?
Q2: Items that your child is no longer playing that you would like to lent to othe parents for a small fee.

I would love to hear your view/suggestion/recomendation if you have experience of starting an online business?

Thank you!

Also thinking about things that you may want to rent when on holiday for kids instead of buying or taking it with you....

Yes I’d rent items on holiday. I say this as someone who has several times over had a new travel cot and high chair delivered to a relative for a short visit then asked them to donate it or chuck it out afterwards because we didn’t want to wait at baggage reclaim. The service would need to reliable with items in good condition, spotlessly clean, and dropped off and picked up at a time of my choosing. I think some companies already do this? I saw a van in Vail, CO and remember thinking what a great idea it was!

No I wouldn’t rent toys/equipment for at home. When my child is done with something it goes to the local women’s shelter. It’s also common here to leave old outdoor toys in our local park. I wouldn’t consider loaning something out as I don’t want the hassle, I don’t need the money and I don’t want the item back.

Good luck with your business

Thanks Expressedways. Good points. The business idea first started with the realisation of the amount of plastics generated by toys and how little they can be recycled.

I understand that not many parents buy or rent toys as the toys itself not expensive. Many topics on environment is about single use plastics but no one has talked about toys. The toy industry is £20billion industry and most of them used plastics. The sharing economy on toys is a starting point and it is something that we can teach our children to look after the environment I hope.

Hi I would definitely rent some types of toys. We try and buy all wooden toys for the little ones now but some are totally out of our price range. I guess the only issue would be if you were to rent these types of toys is breakages. They are quite expensive to buy in the first place eg.grimms rainbows. But other things such as rocker boards and mini climbing frame are a lot sturdier and I would rather rent these initially to see if they warrant the cost for my child.

I probably wouldn’t borrow any plastic toys as you can pick them up second hand for pennies. What type of toys were you hoping to rent?

I have PM’ed you.

I try to avoid plastic toys where possible. Wood is nicer and more sustainable, and has a better second hand value. I probably wouldn’t rent toys. My DC uses the same toys for many months so I’d be renting for a silly length of time. It’s cheaper to just buy and resell when we’re finished. Also means I don’t have to keep track of rentals or worry about my DC wrecking something.

There is a site called fat llama where you can rent all sorts of stuff you might not need/use every day, not just for kids. A bit like eBay for renting/lending, I think.

I can’t see a message but I am new to mumsnet so it could just hiding 🤣

I came across fat llama but they are not many activities outside of London.