When my son turned one, I joined the North Shore Community Toy Library. I was wondering what to get him for his first birthday and had been reading about the importance of play for young children so it seemed obvious to get him a subscription to the Toy Library.

I am so glad that we did. He is almost three now and looks forward to his weekly trips to see Doris the librarian and to get new toys. We have enjoyed everything from trampolines, ride on diggers, puzzles, games, tea sets and more. When Jack has friends over to play we always get comments about how cool the toys are, and I don’t feel bad that I am buying so much plastic that would just end up in landfill.

It wasn’t long before I decided to join our toy library’s committee. It has been a lot of work, but so much fun and I’ve made really good friends. We run a number of events every year including a toddler disco, an annual open day and we participate in the Mairangi Bay Santa Parade. The parents who are part of the Toy Library are great and so supportive of all our fundraising. We are currently looking for a new home, which is keeping us busy.

I would recommend to anyone with a toddler or pre-schooler to look into their local toy library. It is a great place to meet like-minded people, provides your kids with access to an awesome array of different toys, and it is environmentally friendly. If you are in the North Shore you should definitely check out the North Shore Community Toy Library – just pop in and Doris the librarian would be happy to show you and your little ones around.