Scenic Rim mum Belinda Rose advocates for toy library

As a mum and occupational therapist, Belinda Rose believes all children deserve access to toys to play with for their happiness and development.

A Scenic Rim mum is on a mission to divert toys from landfill and into the hands of less fortunate kids.

Occupational therapist Belinda Rose and her family moved to Tamborine Village in the Scenic Rim region three years ago and were shocked to discover the local community did not have a toy library.

Ms Rose said toy libraries were a great way for kids of all ages to have the opportunity to share in toys and activities they would not usually have access to, while also providing a space to stage educational programs.

“I had my daughter when we were living on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. Watching her grow and develop so rapidly made me realise that the toys I was buying for her were becoming redundant after a few weeks and would start collecting dust,” Ms Rose said.

“I couldn't keep up. So I joined the local toy library there. Not only did it provide us with wonderful toys and educational resources, it also provided opportunities to meet other parents and provided links to other relevant child and family services throughout the community.

“It saved us so much money and it really helped us as a family to reduce waste and manage toy clutter.

“Then, after having my son here in the Scenic Rim, I attempted to find a toy library within our region and was surprised to find that there were none.”

Ms Rose said every community could benefit from a toy library.

Scenic Rim local Belinda Rose is advocating for a local toy library. Photo: contributed.

“The environmental impacts of less wastage by recycling toys is a real positive and stops so many from ending up in landfill every year,” she said.

“They are similar to a traditional library, except you borrow toys instead of books.”

The aim of a toy library is to help support the stages of growth and development of children, as well as promote connectedness between parents and their children, and between families and their community.

Ms Rose said she is aiming to cater broadly to all abilities from 0-12 years.

“My vision is that the toy library will be able to also provide a space for a variety of workshops, classes, educational sessions, meetups and playgroups as well as provide vital links to child and family services,” she said.

“As a mum and through my work as an occupational therapist, I understand the diverse needs of children and families, and want to be able to provide access to quality resources at a fraction of the cost to support our young children and their families to be the best they can be, all while reducing the amount of toys which end up in landfill.”

The closest toy library to Ms Rose currently is in South Brisbane, about an hours drive for the mother of two.

“I’ve been chatting with the local council and am hoping they’ll be able to help me,” she said.

“Otherwise I just need to find some other local parents who want to jump and board and help me make this happen.

“Together we can make sure every family in the Scenic Rim has access to toys for their children to play with, and we’ll be reducing the amount being thrown away.”

If anyone is interested they can reach Ms Rose on: [e-mail]