Just got rid of dds last toys - feeling emotional.

[gloopygel]

Dd is now too old for toys. Earlier today I asked her to clear out any stuff in her cupboards/ drawers that she no longer wants.

Bit of a toy story moment where she sorted what to bin / donate / keep.

It feels stupid, but when I saw all her once cherished toys, thrown into the donate/ bin boxes, it upset me.

We've had many toy clear outs and these are the toys that she had always chose to keep, her favorites. A few years ago she would have been crying the thought of them being donated.

Poking out the box was her My Little pony collection she had from the age of 5. She used to play with them every day and I remember the day i surprised her with the one she had wanted for ages. She said I was the best and gave me the biggest hug.

I asked her if she wanted me to keep the ponies in the attic, but she looked at me and said what's the point I'll never play with them will I?

Knowing that was true, I took the box to the local charity shop.

The toys had been just sitting in the cupboard for a while so I know now they will go to better use.

It just made me feel really emotional. Seeing all her once beloved possessions, just dumped. She really couldn't care less that they're gone.

I know I'm being pathetic and should be proud of my daughter and how she's growing up. I really am.

Anyone else felt like this?

Please don’t throw them away. I’m 37 and just given my sylvanian collection to my girls! It brings me so much joy. My mum kept them.

I have my original troll collection too and the first CD I got (NOW 35). My parents kept all my CDsand many of my special toys. We still play the monopoly I played as a kid! And I still have an original PlayStation that gave me so much happiness in my teens!

Keep them, you’ll be glad you did!

I hear you OP. I'd keep a few sentimental objects, 'for the grandchildren'.

My youngest slept in a foldable playpen on wheels when very little, in the living room, while we lived in a very small flat. It was a hand-me-down via freecycle, decades old but really sturdy and cleverly constructed, with colourful movable, but not removable, parts for kid to play with.

We now live in a much bigger place but not much storage space, and I couldn't justify hanging on to it any longer. It was really emotional taking it to the recycling facility and I was properly relieved when they said they could spruce it up and resell it, rather than treat it as old wood. Took a photo of it as a keepsake....

I don't really remember the last toys going (my kids are 14 and 16 now) but I did keep all the lego. Partly because we have loads and it is worth a fortune but also it will stand the test of time so if I have grandkids they can play with it! Some of it was my brothers that I found in my parents loft so is 30 odd years old.

My mum saved some of my old my little pony toys. My then 4 year old loved them when she visited grandparents (she loves the attic because it had lots of old toys) and a few came home with us. She did ask me if she could scan some (some of the modern ones can scan into an app) though!

Reading this has made me cry 😢 dd is 10, I think I'll just keep everything, wouldn't be able to do it.

Aww, they grow so quickly.

My MIL has kept DH ken dolls and her daughters barbies/dolls house.
She was thinking her children could pass them on in the future or sell them. My children would love to play with daddies old toys. (We need to get them down)

My kids and my nieces LOVE playing with our old toys when they visit my mum! I'm keeping sturdy things like duplo and Happyland for prospective grandchildren.

I'm glad my mum kept some of my treasured toys even though I did the same. I now have them for DD as well as lovely to reminisce myself.

@Ticklemycarpets

I once took my daughter's teddy to the charity shop and the next day it looked so sad and lonely in the window that I bought it back again 🤫

That's so sweet and funny. I've a childhood doll who's been in the bin at least twice. But I can't bare to get rid of her.

Op your doing the right thing. Keep a few toys that are timeless, but move stuff on which will date. Anything character driven will date and no longer be a thing in 30 years time. Let another kid have them while they are wanted.
There's another thread where a poster is complaining her ILs kept all her DH toys and clothes. And naturally she wants to buy some new stuff too which means she's going to end up overflowing in stuff.

I couldn't bear Toy story 3. I turned it off after 10 minutes!. My oldest is 30 , a few months ago they suggested passing something on to their partner's toddler nephew. I was bereft! We haven't kept everything but I would never make them part with their treasures.

I’ve already decided to keep the box of Thomas trains, Lego and toy cars. My DM regrets getting rid of our Lego.

Thank you all for sharing your stories.

The box of toys got donated yesterday. I did think I should at least keep the ponies, but then figured that some other child would really love to play with them so why keep them hidden for years.

We have many photos of dd with her beloved toys, I did find that helped somewhat.

You did the right thing with the ponies. They are popular because of the TV shoes and there is no guarantee the TV shows would still be around for the next generation.
I bumped Thomas the Tank for the same reason. He's seems to have disappeared from the telly and I doubt he'll still be a thing in 30 years time. So the toys might as well be played with and not cluttering up my loft.

I kept some of the Playmobil and a bit of lego until we downsized then it had to go. We only have a tiny bit of loft now. Have a dg and another one on the way. At least I know what to buy them for birthday and Christmas as the lego and Playmobil were the most played with by far.

Of course u can keep some, one day when she has her own children it will be pure nostalgia not to mention a bit of family history.

I kept my eldest’s dinosaur collection in the loft when he outgrew them and I’m glad I did because I went on to have another two DC who love the dinosaurs now . It is hard getting rid of them though, I know what you mean. My older three haven’t played with toys for a while now, DD’s still have a few soft toys but that’s about it.

i have regret about letting lots of my toys go as a teenager, and im now nearly 50!! my kids don't really have any attachment to their toys so i'm not sure they'll be any tears when they are eventually all packed up. But i might hang on to the things i still have from my childhood and keep them for my grandkids.

Can you not keep some of it, for future grandchildren? My DM kept our Fisher Price garage and house, all our lego,all our barbies and more, and now the GC love playing with it all!

Thomas and the Sylvanians are in my loft. I sometimes knock the box and hear the troublesome trucks still chattering and it makes me smile. Such a huge part of our younger lives.
Polly my heart is with you.

Dds are both early 40s now but I kept a number of things which have come in very handy for visiting Gdcs. Among others, a few My Little Ponies and Barbies, a big Christmas shortbread tin of small farm and zoo animals, and a Fisher Price school, still played with by the 5 and 6 year olds, which was a present to dd1 for her very first Christmas.

Not to mention some of the favourite soft toys, though rather than bin the others, we did pass a lot to the Battersea Dogs’ Home - apparently the dogs like them!

We've kept DD's most loved Sleich(sp) hard animal toys, a rocking horse, a ride on car, and a number of books.

We still play with various board games I had in the 70s, and DDs enjoyed some of my old books such as Milly Molly Mandy and Mr Gumpy's Outing.

bumped Thomas the Tank for the same reason. He's seems to have disappeared from the telly and I doubt he'll still be a thing in 30 years time.

@Lockdownbear, Thomas has definitely not disappeared from the telly! He’s on channel 5 every day. It’s now called Thomas and Friends and there are loads of new engines plus several films (I know because I’ve had to watch them all at the cinema with DS!). Thomas is still huge, he’s just been remarketed.

Op get yourself to the charity shop and buy some of them back. Put them in a box in the loft. There may be grandchildren one day who will love them.

I think I must be dead inside because I can’t wait to get rid of all our toys oldest is 14 youngest is 7 2 inbetween we have cupboards full
Upstairs and playroom full downstairs that nobody plays with ever but all swoop around when I try to sort them out and get rid of stuff. I can’t wait till the day I can get rid of them all 😆 ( the toys I mean not the kids😉)