The Story
About Us
We are a personalized toy club that powers parents to borrow (or try-before-they buy) premium educational and engaging toys for optimal playing, learning. and thriving - all based on your child's budding personality. Keep what your kiddo likes and send back what they don’t! We'll also take your outgrown clutter and help find it's next home: whether that's another family or the elementary school in your neighborhood.
Mission
[play it forward]'s mission is to make parenting easier with an innovative, affordable, and sustainable toy subscription to help parents de-clutter and discover stage-based toys. Our play experts have scoured the earth for the best toys by age and stage to help parents take the guesswork out of toys. By better matching your family's play preferences with toys, and by elevating the benefits of re-use, we can extend the life of toys and avoid overconsumption and landfill waste. Help us build a more sustainable future, one toy at a time!
Vision
We hope to inspire future generations to play more and waste less. That our little ones learn and thrive, and live more consciously. That every toy gets played with and is loved by multiple families. That the $90 billion toy industry becomes less reliant on plastics and that the world is filled with more sustainable and eco-conscious toys.
Meet the Play Experts
We leverage AI-powered data to pair your family's play preferences with toys your kids will love. And every data-driven recommendation is reviewed by one of our play experts. Learn more about the child development specialists that handpick our curated toys.
Hello I'm founder and CEO Kim Bolt
I'm a mom of 3 kiddos under 4, a trained child development psychologist, a graduate of Wharton's MBA program, and a technology marketer by day. I know first hand how quickly kiddos can outgrow their baby toys and gear - and how much clutter can accumulate all over your house. Data and AI is helping to transform other industries and providing more personalized and custom solutions for today's most pressing problems. It's time we innovate the toy industry to help modern parent's navigate the world of play by finding toys for the right kid at the right time. And live lighter on the planet as a result.
Meet Our Advisors
Nick Bolt
Nick has a Master's Degree in Developmental Psychology from Fordham University and has spent over a decade in K-12 education in philanthropic and strategic support services.
Fun Fact: Nick also served as a consultant on the Nickelodeon show Blues Clues.
June Jiao Liang
June has dual bachelor degrees from MIT and Long Island University and is a former ICU nurse. As a mom of 2, she is focused on Waldorf and Montessori play philosophies to support her children's optimal development.
Favorite toys: Coco Village Balance Board and Grimm's rainbow
Dr. Tu Carol Nyugen
Tu is an emergency physician and Ultrasound Director at University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center who teaches and trains medical students and residents. She received her residency and fellowship training at University of Maryland Medical Center.
As a mother of two, who understands the need for a sustainable option for child play!