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For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Parenting

Does everyone have a playroom for their children?

89 replies

Gateau · 10/08/2009 09:23

Everyone I know seems to have a separate playroom for their children. We don't. Although it is huge we only have one living room and DS plays with his toys here which means our living room is never wholly an adult space, whereas my friends have a room that is always tidy - just for them. And the kids play elsewhere. In fact my friend is having a conservatory built - just so the children have a playroom! It doesn't bother us but am just wondering if we are the odd ones out? At the end of the day we stack DS's toys in boxes near the window to get some space back, and of course to let DS knows this has to be done.
It's no big deal but am just musing.

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MissisBoot · 10/08/2009 09:29

nope - dd has her bedroom with most of her toys in where she'll play quite happily - stack of puzzles and games in the sitting room that are tidied away at the end of the day.

would be interested to know how many children actually play in their play rooms.

CaramelisedOnions · 10/08/2009 09:31

Sorry to say that we have a playroom, however the children all prefer to be in my sitting room with all their stuff as we have the Sky box in here and it is much warmer in the winter.

But no playroom = one less room to clean in my view.

GeeWhizz · 10/08/2009 09:31

No, we try to get them to play in the dining room if they want to be really noisy.

We have toy boxes in the living room as well though.

Mine are 5 and 3.

K999 · 10/08/2009 09:32

DD2 only plays in her room if DP or I are there!! DD1 was the same until she got older and then would spend time playing in her room. And then you have the whole nightmare of having their friends over and the bedroom gets trashed!

clutteredup · 10/08/2009 09:33

We had a playroom in our old house as DC shared small bedroom but it was essentially a glorified very large untidy cupboard in which we dumped things at the end of the day - DC still played with toys all over the house. Now DC have own rooms we have toys in their rooms and more limited toys downstairs which can be tidied away at the end of the day for grown up space in the evening - IMO much the better way v. glad to get rid of playroom.

WhatFreshHellIsThis · 10/08/2009 09:33

Nope, Ds1 plays in his bedroom or in the living room (his room is really small). Ds2 is only 4 mo so has his playmat in the living room.

Toys mostly live in the living room, tidied away at the end of each day.

Tommy · 10/08/2009 09:34

no playroom here - they just spread their toys and things everywhere....

BertieBotts · 10/08/2009 09:38

No as we don't have room. DS doesn't even have his own bedroom at the moment

I think we would have one if we had more money and lived somewhere bigger AND had 2 or more children with separate bedrooms, I think it's nice for children to have a shared space to play in. But if they share a room I don't see why they can't just play in there!

Mousey84 · 10/08/2009 09:39

I have a playroom but Im a childminder, and want to keep the living room separate. My dd rarely plays the playroom when the mindees arent here. It was a toy storage room before.

Gateau · 10/08/2009 09:42

Bertie, when DC2 comes along and is old enough, he/she will share a room with DS1. We only have two bedrooms. It's big, so I guess you're right, why can't they both play in there?
I guess there is a temptation with playrooms not to tidy the toys away, whereas if the toys are in a living room then they need to be - it's a good lesson for children.

OP posts:

Overmydeadbody · 10/08/2009 09:46

No of course everyone doesn't.

I can't imagine the average British house to be big ewnough for a playroom.

DS has his bedroom to play in and keep his toys in.

misdee · 10/08/2009 09:46

nope. the whole house appears to be dd's playroom. but i dont store toys in the living room, toys belong upstairs so stuff has to be taken up.

oh except the elc pirate galleon as that lives on the sideboard, its pretty cool!

StewieGriffinsMom · 10/08/2009 09:46

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makedoandmend · 10/08/2009 09:47

No, your friends are obviously considerably richer than ours

Overmydeadbody · 10/08/2009 09:49

And I only have one living room and no toys are stored in it, so after bedtime it is always tidy.

BiscuitStuffer · 10/08/2009 10:05

No playroom here either. Same as you with toys and books in the living room that get tidied away at the end of the day - good discipline for me if nothing else!! DDs room is also teeny tiny so no real space for toys in there for her and she always wants to be where I am anyway.

NotBreeVanDeKamp · 10/08/2009 10:08

We tried having one, but guess what, they wanted to play in the other room with the telly and where the adults were hanging out. Like you we just put the stuff away at the end of the day, apart from the permanent train track construction....!

KnickKnack · 10/08/2009 10:11

I'm the opposite to everyone here it seems...we have a big toyroom. TBH if it wasn't used as a toyroom, it would just become a storeroom/empty room (can't afford to do it up as a dining room or spare bedroom etc).
Off the top of my head I can only think of 1 friend who does not have a toyroom (I'm in Ireland though and I guess generally you get more house for your money)

MitchyInge · 10/08/2009 10:16

No! We've only got 1 and a half bedrooms, and very little space downstairs in which to do everything else - work, eat, play. One family raised 10 children in this house though, back in the olden times!

KnickKnack · 10/08/2009 10:19

Forgot to say, they use the sitting room as much as (if not more than) the toyroom (due to TV/music, me, and fire).

sarah293 · 10/08/2009 10:19

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Pollyanna · 10/08/2009 10:22

yes we do, but we don't have a dining room (the kitchen has a table in it). I don't remember people having playrooms while I was growing up, but they always seemed to have separate dining rooms instead.

We don't have a toy free sitting room though - ds2 (16mo) has alot of his toys in there.

As they have got older our playroom has changed into a family room with a piano, tv and computer games consoles in it.

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Lizzylou · 10/08/2009 10:23

We are just getting rid of our playroom.
It will be the dining room again (we ate in the kitchen), the boys are now 5 and 3 and can play in their bedrooms.
I won't miss it, it just seemed to be a mess all the time. They didn't seem to play in it much either.
The boys can bring some stuff downstairs if they want and then tidy up at the end of the day.

ssd · 10/08/2009 10:23

we have the playroom in the west wing, near the servants quarters

aGalChangedHerName · 10/08/2009 10:24

The dd's share a really small bedroom and i am a CM so had a sunroom built to serve as a room for me to work from.

Will be good for when the dd's have friends over to play too as they can't go up and destroy toys and trash upstairs lol

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