Jain said toy libraries also teach children to respect other people's property, especially if you introduce the concept of borrowing and giving back.

Added Devendra Desai, founder and managing trustee of Children Toy Foundation: 'The variety in educational games and puzzles is amazing and parents simply cannot buy all the games that the child needs.'

The foundation is a Mumbai-based NGO that aims to educate children through toys.

'The rising price of toys and the lack of storage space in apartments are the reasons for the mushrooming of toy libraries,' Desai said.

Gayatri Menon, coordinator for the postgraduate programme in toys and games design at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, is all for the concept, but says there is no government back-up.

'The original concept of a toy library was to help underprivileged and specially-abled children come and play with toys without having to buy them. But as of now there are no such government funded toy libraries in India,' she said on phone.

But these libraries are not just about toys. They also organise workshops and other activities for children.

'The workshops organised by these libraries actually help children hailing from nuclear families to learn and function in groups. Toys act as a very innovative and interactive medium of learning for children,' said Menon, who is involved in these workshops.

Another person who started the toy library concept in India is Sanket Popat of khilonaghar.com, a Mumbai-based online library.

'Working parents are busy most of the time. For them our online toy library is a convenient option. They are just required to order the toys and we deliver them to their doorstep anywhere in India at a cost of Rs.399 per month. One can rent up to eight toys and games at once,' he said.