THE PRESENTS

Not as outrageous as it sounds, at least for small children who often forget toys after a short period of time. I wouldn’t get away with wrapping up rented presents for many family members, but for Edgar, who’s two, a rented box of Toy Box Company toys would definitely give a month’s worth of joy. The toys are concealed within the box in cloth bags; Edgar enjoyed opening each bag in turn, pulling out a toy aeroplane, musical instruments, books, a train set and puzzles. The contents are aesthetic in appearance, age appropriate and gender neutral from reputable brands, and if you subscribe (£35 per month) they will be replaced with a new selection each month. I also like the idea of renting larger toys, such as ride-on cars and toy kitchens for three to six months rather than buying them – it’d free up so much space in the playroom (from £10). Plus, you can upgrade it at any stage and if it breaks you can send it back to be replaced.

For older children and teens, meanwhile, renting a games console or phone for the year is less of an outlay than buying new and enables them to try out the latest tech. A tech rental revolution is currently underway, according to research by musicmagpie.co.uk, with 53 per cent of us no longer feeling the need to own our gadgets. A Nintendo Switch or Playstation 4 costs from £12 per month to rent; an iPad costs from £11. You can upgrade it at any stage and if it breaks you can send it back to be replaced.