American Mum Lori Pope has come up with a great way to avoid that build up of toy clutter parents know so well - a toy hire service! It’s a great way to make sure children are always getting interesting new toys without having to fill the house with all the old ones.

Her new business, BabyPlays, allows parents in the U.S. to hire toys. Parents can choose from a number of different toy hire plans which allow them to hire toys for a minimum of one month before returning them. The plans start at $36.99 per month (about £20) for 4 toys per month, with a minimum 3-month contract.

Seems like a great idea! And surely American families aren’t the only ones that could benefit from something like this. Anyone fancy setting up a UK toy hire service?

Update: we’ve found one! See the new category in our UK hire directory: toy hire companies.

Photo: AP Photo/Pat Sullivan