THIS MOMMA DOES NOT "PLAY" AROUND....

Mompreneurs really impress me. I can barely muster the motivation to put up and organize what we already have, let alone invent some new and useful baby product or start a home business. My reaction when I first heard about Baby Plays, a toy rental service ala Netflix for the toddler set, was no different. “What a genius idea,” I told my Mom this morning while stepping over a sea of toys in our kitchen that could double as a stadium and it is still filled to the brim.


Anyone with children knows all about toy clutter. what looks shiny and cute in the store soon becomes a big, cluttered mess in your home after a couple months. Not to mention that children tend to have short attention spans and get over playing with certain toys pretty quickly so not only is there a big pile of plastic or wooden stuff floating all over the house, but half of it is not even being used.


I have to give this lady kudos, after scouring the Internet to fill her house with only the best toys for her infant twin sons, Houston based, Lori Pope hated to watch the clutter build as the boys lost interest. This lady has three children under 3 and also owns an oilfield services company. Pope gets an A+ from me for finding the time to wash her hair, much less come up with a business plan for a market that has yet to be explored.

If you can rent movies, video games and even handbags online, why not toys?


Makes sense.

Then I started thinking about it.

After feeling insignificant for not creating a company on the side, while beating my brains out trying to be "uber mommy" I started pondering, there is the "ick factor." Baby Plays assures customers that they thoroughly sanitize their toys between households, but I’m not sure I could quell the old “put that thing down you have no idea where it’s been” instinct. Especially since I still have a child who hasn’t yet learned that toys are for playing with, not eating now that molars are errupting.


And then, how the hell would I keep up with the loaner toys? Our playroom is a sea of naked babies, Elmo dolls, crafts and puzzles whose pieces haven’t been seen in days. Most books have been covered in arts and crafts paint. Also, I have single-handedly kept Amazon in the black with the ability to "one click." I can see it now, it’s time to pack up and ship out the Baby Plays box o’ toys, and I spend 5 hours on my hands and knees, peering under beds and couches, swearing because I can’t find one (or two…or three) of the toys I’m supposed to return.


I still say it’s a good idea, just not one that would work well in my family. But it obviously appeals to lots of other moms and dads; the Baby Plays website is currently down after an enormous number of page loads crashed the site.
I’m curious to know what others think. Would you utilize it?