We’re obsessed with knowing more and building the best.
Our goal is to help every parent feel confident. Our play products are designed by child development experts and distilled to their simplest, purest purpose: to be exactly what children need at each stage.
Playtime with purpose
Our Story
The creation of Lovevery began with Jessica, Rod and an idea.
Jessica- Passionate about giving babies the best and healthiest beginning in life. As founding partner, she helped to build Happy Family into a top organic baby food company. Confident that she was giving her babies the best nutrition, she started to become curious about what each of her three children’s brains were craving.
Rod- A builder of companies and movements with environmental and social impact. He was masterful at making things happen and generating results. Meanwhile, Rod was experiencing fatherhood times two, with his twins!
Jessica and Rod have known, trusted, and respected each other for many years. Rod is married to Andrea, Jessica’s life long best friend.
The idea behind Lovevery began after Jessica read a doctoral dissertation titled Current Research Findings on the Neurological Development of Infants. (Such a nerd, right?)
Through reading the study Jessica learned that the human brain has about 100 billion nerve cells, all of which are present at birth but have few links between them. Babies brains develop by constructing an intricate communication network. The network’s structure is formed by experiences children have in the first 3 years of life. The research revealed the more you expose babies to how the world works, the richer the neural networks become. Jessica’s takeaway was that early development experiences wouldn’t just happen on their own, she had to create them.
Jessica wanted to share what she had learned with other parents. This desire gave her the idea to create a second baby company, this time focused on brain development. The hard part would be bringing that idea to reality, she would need help. The moment that Rod said that he would co-found the company, it all became real!
Jessica and Rod created Lovevery, a company that offers products and information which help create developmental experiences in the lives of new babies and families. Lovevery helps parents feel confident that they are giving their little ones just what they want and need every step of the way.
Advisors and Key Research
We know that you are the expert on your baby. Lovevery brings academics, researchers, and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines together for a holistic approach that is simple, accessible, and relevant to you and your baby.
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Dr. Gillian Starkey
Gillian is a professor of Human Neuroscience in the Center for Psychology at Goucher College. The goal of her research is to understand how the brain supports and reflects developing math skills as children progress.
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Dr. William Staso
Will is the author of Neural Foundations and Brain Under Construction, the original surveys of published research in the field of baby brain development including applied methods for tailoring play by developmental stage.
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Dr. Ariel Kalil
Ariel is a professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, where she directs the Center for Human Potential and Public Policy and co-directs the Behavioral Insights and Parenting Lab.
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Jody Malterre
Jody has owned and managed multiple Montessori schools and worked as a master teacher trainer of Montessori methods in both the US and China. Jody is also a Certified Positive Discipline Trainer for both teachers and parents.
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Dr. Zelana Montminy
Zelana is a positive psychologist and author of bestselling book 21 Days to Resilience. She creates resilience curriculum for youth and schools worldwide, and is a go-to parenting authority in the media.
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Laurie Dewan
Laurie is Vice President of Research Insights and Data at BabyCenter, which reaches more than 45 million moms and dads monthly.
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Katherine Barrett
Katherine is a professor of Occupational Therapy at St. Catherine’s University. A certified occupational therapist, her academic work and practice focus on developing sensory awareness and motor skills in young children.
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Dennis and Nancy Dunn
Dennis and Nancy are the creators of the Growing Child. The Dunns engaged child development experts from across the country to write their series of science-based development publications covering the first six years of growth.
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Dr. Evelyn Johnson
Evelyn has coauthored more than 50 research articles and three textbooks on different approaches to childhood learning. She is the Scientific Director at the Lee Pesky Learning Center.
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Shael Polakow-Suransky
Shael is the president of the Bank Street College of Education. Prior to this, he was Chief Academic Officer and Senior Deputy Chancellor at the New York City Department of Education.
In the News
When It Comes to My Kid’s Toys, I Went Back to Basics and Here’s Why
Created for kids 18 to 48+ months, Lovevery's new Block Set is perfect for my boys who are two and a half years apart. With 70 pieces (don’t panic; they all fit neatly into a bag or a box that converts into a pull car) that work in conjunction with one another, kids have more than 20 stage-based activities they can do with the Block Set — which adds up to years of play. Blocks are fundamentally essential for the growth and development of young minds. Plus, for many of us, blocks are our first introduction to STEM — kids can stack, roll, count, build, sort, connect, and categorize their blocks in a variety of ways that range in complexity.
We Tried It (& Loved It!): Lovevery's New, Multi-Functional Building Blocks
And just like that, Lovevery has done it again. The brand—known for its best-selling activity mat and educational Play Kits for babies and toddlers—has launched the perfect classic toy with a twist. The just-released The Block Set by Lovevery isn’t your run-of-the-mill bundle of wooden building block squares. Instead, the innovative, colorful, and super multi-functional toy includes over 20 ways to play for littles from 18 months to 4+ years old! Plus, it’s crafted from sustainably harvested FSC-certified wood and water-based, non-toxic paint, making it 100% kid-safe.
I Just Discovered Play Blocks That Actually Develop With My Toddler!
Shopping for learning and educational toys for our children feels overwhelming — just which STEM toys and science-backed programs should we be buying to help foster brain development? And should we change them out every time a new skill is mastered? A new comprehensive stage-based play system can't solve that individual dilemma for every parent, but it did just release a new product that makes open-ended play and adaptable learning opportunities possible. Lovevery, the brand behind the popular play mats and play kits, just announced The Block Set, the expansion of its staged-based line that goes well into toddlerhood.
Silicon Valley's Biggest Inventors Want Your Kids To Play With These Low-Tech Toys
Lovevery, Idaho-based company cofounded by Jessica Rolph and Roderick Morris two years ago, creates toys that are carefully designed to meet the developmental needs of children. The brand first launched an award-winning Play Gym for infants, then a collection of Play Kits that would take a child through the first two years of life. For instance, the newborn kit contains cards with interesting black-and-white images on it since babies take several weeks to fully develop their vision, and the kit for 19- to 21-month-olds contain a usable flash light for toddlers to go on nighttime adventures.
Lovevery Play Kits Might Be The Most Stunningly-Designed Educational Toys Ever
Ever wonder if your baby or toddler is playing with the right toy for his stage of cognitive development? Frankly, there's a lot of research out there on just this topic (and there are even more opinions), but of course you don't have the time to read any of it. That's why The Play Kits by Lovevery are so cool: The new subscription box service for ages zero to 2 years aims to take the question of which toy when off of your plate, and bring the answer straight to your doorstep. Named one of Time magazine's Best Inventions of 2018, The Play Kits by Lovevery are designed by a team of experts especially for the millennial mom, according to the website.
