What have you bought your DC expecting they’d love it but they weren’t bothered?

[CatsOfSummer]

For us it’s been;

• V-Tech toot toot set for DS as a toddler. Bought for him for Christmas, never touched.
• the Ikea play kitchen and lots of food etc. Rarely even looked at. (Thankfully bought second hand and sold on, to moans of ‘but I loved that kitchen!’)
• DS had a mini micro scooter that he adored in the shops and then ignored for well over a year when he was given one - he finally started using it and we realised it was too small
• DD LOVED Peppa last year. Watched it loads, she had Peppa wellies, a Peppa hat....we got her some a Peppa beanie toys for Christmas and she’s barely touched them.

What have your kids ignores that you thought they’d love?

Sometimes they are just too young for the things you buy, even when they seem like the right age. There have been things I thought were ignored and two years later get picked up and really played with! DD wasn't bothered about Barbies at 4 (although she liked them and wanted them) but at 6 she's really into playing schools and families with them. DS was allowed to play with the Wii U at 6 but found it frustrating and it gathered dust - at 8 he's devoted to it! Put things away and bring them out again next year and you might be surprised - kids rarely seem to truly outgrow toys. Even the toy kitchen you think is for toddlers gets a new lease of life once they can design menus, write down your cafe order, add up the prices etc.

On the other hand, items which have been favourites and played with for hours and hours include

• a pot of tiny playmobil flowers
• tin of pennies (she played with these almost non stop for 2 weeks until I took them away because I couldn't bear the noise any more)
• melissa and doug ice cream parlours

Has anyone bought incredibly expensive Grimms toys only to have them ignored? My friend has a whole load up on display but I have never seen her child touch them.

Happyland
Sylvanians
Vetch watch camera thing

A Fisher price little people car garage. With cars and figures, and airport set. It was a lovely toy but my son (although he loved the little.people DVD) just didn't play with the set.

My DC desperately wanted those Our Generation dolls for weeks. They were taken on a special shopping trip and chose one each for christmas. We spent nearly £100 on accessories & clothes for the things and MIL even bought them the horse, which is over £100 itself. They are rarely played with, clothes never changed, hair all wild.

Such a waste of money.

Just to add - they still love their Baby Born dolls and accessories however!

Massive baby annabel/baby born set for dd when she was 5, buggy, cot, highchair, dolls etc. She had wanted it for ages. Played with for about a week, then relegated to the wardrobe. Same dd, went on and on about the LOL House. Entered competitions to win it, was saving her own money etc. We got it for her for Christmas. Shes played with it a handful of times! Such a waste of money! I've stopped buying toys now.

I feel like stop buying toys too, but what do you do for birthdays and Christmas when they don’t get toys?

DS is asking for a ton of stuff for his birthday coming up, but I said to him last night that he hardly plays with anything else he’s got

We're in the middle of a major sort out, and I've got rid off loads of toot toot driver stuff that DD wasn't interested in. Thankfully its gone to a friend who's DC love it.

To he honest we've rarely bought her toys, they've either been passed on (and are being passed on again, or presents. DD prefers arts and crafts so I'm happy to see all the big stuff slowly disappearing.

Dd 4 asked for barbie camper for Christmas all she kept asking for so got her one she never plays with it I did wonder why and have recently found out why her bday coming up an asking what she what's she says a barbie camper santa brought me the wrong one I want one I can drive. So googled it the one she wants is £1000 😂 sorry but ya will never be getting one for that price.

Dolls house
Sylvanians

When my daughter was about a year old there was a toy penguin at nursery that she LOVED. She would carry it around all day and cry when she had to leave it there at home time.

I had a good look at the label one day and it was a limited edition toy that had come with a Kinder Easter egg. I found one on Ebay and bid for it. They are collectors items in fair demand. I managed to get one for £18.

When I gave it to her she could not have been less interested. :(

Dolls House.
Turns out DD1 couldn't do imaginative play, and DD2 preferred animals.

Sylvanian Beechwood manor? car, boutique and other accessories. Played with twice I think. It is now under the bed gathering dust.

'Little live Pets' mice and the fancy obstacle course.
DD found it in a cupboard and forgot she had it. Put it in a bag for charity.
She played with it for ten minutes on Xmas day a couple of years ago.

DS a remote control truck nearly £100 in Smyths with Birthday money.
Took it round the block once.

Remote control flying snitch, it's still in box.

Another play kitchen gathering dust here. I'd like to get rid of it but DH is convinced DS2 will enjoy it one day. So another 2 or 3 years of it cluttering up the house. DS1 probably plays with it for half an hour every 3/6 months.

Dh was expecting him to be so happy when he got his bike at Christmas. He's maybe ridden it 10 times since then. It's one of those things where when the mood strikes and he asks to go out on it we literally run out of the door before he changes his mind.

I was the child in the situation. Mum bought me a pogo stick, she'd always wanted one when she was a kid and was very disappointed that I didn't take it out to the street to play on with my friends.

I was 14 at the time and my boobs had popped up and I was really self conscious, the last thing I wanted to be doing was bouncing about the estate like tigger.

My son was really excited when the LOL dolls came out so we bought 1 (sometimes 2) from a couple of different series. Not only are they an awful amount of plastic tat but he hasn’t looked at them since. I’m just glad I knew better than to buy the big ticket LOL items!
He also had the first Paw Patrol truck that came out, £65.00 wasted as he barely ever played with it.
Ditto a keyboard, Paw Patrol figurines and vehicles from different ‘series’, WWE wrestlers and wrestling rings, guitar, Play Doh sets and accessories, Micro Machines and a tub full of Superzings.
I have learnt my lesson though and for Christmas, birthdays and Easter there will be only money/books from now on.

@WindsorBlues

I’ve remembered another one - not a toy as such but a pushchair/trike thing, used once as DS never looked comfy in it. Thankfully again it was second hand, and sold on.

I do love charity shops for toys - cheap hits with my two have been a 3D Trolls jigsaw which cost 50p, and a plastic T Rex that DD loves that I bought for 20p to keep her quiet in the pushchair while I shopped.

At nursery DS2 loved the dolls house, played with it for ages. So I bought him one for Christmas (fortunately off eBay rather than brand new, but it was lovely with furniture, dolls etc) it gathered dust from the first day. Barely even looked at. Gave it away eventually.

Playmobil. I love all the details of this but neither DS has been bothered. Fortunately ours was from a charity shop so there was no big spending involved.

Books (DS1) much to my shock as I loved reading throughout childhood and imagined my child would feel the same. DS1 just doesn't see reading as a leisure activity or as something to enjoy, he rarely reads anything (we have a house full of books).

Things they have loved and still play with - the Brio train set, the Galt marble run, Hexbug players, an ancient Duplo zoo set which they should be years too old for but they still love setting up all the animals

I almost got rid of all the barbies as my two DDs never played with them. However, now, DD8 has suddenly taken an interest and plays with them with her friends all the time.