When did you get your living room back?

[Geckosgarage]

What age did your DC’s toys move from the living room to their own room?

My living room was a room I was once proud to show off but now there are just toys everywhere! It’s certainly not the place of solace and comfort that it once was before DC.

Mine is almost 3 so I know I’ve got a while yet as he wouldn’t play by himself for very long in his room but just looking for a general idea.

When we moved to a house with a spare bedroom that became the playroom. Dd was 4. She still brought stuff downstairs but at the end of the day it went back to the playroom.

DS turned 4 and we finally moved all toys out of the living room. He will bring stuff in to play but it all goes back to his bedroom at the end of the day.

Christmas you've got a good few years yet! Probably like 10 years left..

We moved house around the time DS started school and we put all his toys in his new bedroom. He still brought things down to play with but took them all back to his room when finished. Things like train tracks and big Lego city pieces were set up permanently in his bedroom.

Those of you who clear away all evidence of children every night - are there never any in-process things (toy farmyard all set up, etc) that they will want to pick up playing the next day, where they left off?

I find it a bit sad that an unfinished game is cleared away rather than being there for them to come back to.

Around 4/5 when the toys went into the conservatory and bedrooms, they are able to play safely on their own. They can bring stuff into the lounge but it must be put back.

My daughter turned 5 and moved into a bigger bedroom last year which has space for 2 kallaxes which house her toys for the most part, except big things like her market stall and teddies. So we got our living room mostly back then. She is still welcome to bring things through if she wants to play in here but we try to be disciplined about them going back once finished.

I don't want my living room back - it is her home too.

Sat here in the living room watching TV, in the proud company of a magnatile house built for soft toys and a train track she built with her dad.

We have storage like this (but a bit bigger) in our dining room with storage boxes inside , and the shelves have books on not bottles of champagne.... There is also a toy box. Everything is packed away before DS' bedtime.

@Walkacrossthesand occasionally we leave a giant train track and accompanying fire department, police station, rocket launch area, safari zones set up overnight , but we're rarely at home during the day two days on the trot anyway.

Well the toys disappeared around 14 but then came the musical instruments. Currently surrounded by two guitars and a keyboard...kids 17 and 20.

When my oldest son was going to be a teenager, I had his room completely redecorated the way he wanted it (this is back when computers were big lumpy boxes & there was no such thing as a flat screen tv).

I had a futon in there to be a sofa/bed if friends stayed over, a computer, a tv, playstation etc..
It had EVERYTHING, even a cold drinks fridge.

I had been told all about how teens disappear into their rooms & all you'll hear for a few years is a grunt if you ask them a question.
I was looking forward to it to be honest.

It never happened. Not even the grunting thing.
He was a perfectly civil young man who wanted to talk to me.
I even dropped a few unsubtle hints but he just laughed at me & thought it was funny.

He still used the living room as his main living room, constantly bringing things (teen equivalent of toys) in there instead of using his bachelor pad style bedroom & when his mates were round so did they.

I got my living room back when he left home for uni, then lost it again when I had my youngest.

He'll be at home for years yet so I'm not optimistic I'll get it back until he goes to uni.

This time, instead of creating a brilliant space for my teen, I'm creating a brilliant space for me in my bedroom.
I plan to hide in it & reply with a grunt if disturbed.
I should have done it the first time round.

My kids toys were always kept either in their bedrooms or the cupboard under the stairs.

Just before the grandchildren arrived. 🙃

Toys kept in a cupboard and only got out what DS wanted to play with ... although have to be honest he never played with large toys such as car tracks, trains, bricks etc and must be one of the few DC who had zero interest in Lego. He much preferred outdoor stuff ... rugby ball, cricket ball, football . Still an avid cricket player at 22.

We almost got it when DD was nearly 3, we created a play room for them which is great; it means we have a small drawer of downstairs toys each, we rotate every so often so there’s different things upstairs and downstairs.

But then she figures out she can bring the upstairs toys downstairs and now my living room is an ice cream parlour, baby care centre, puzzle club.

Ds is almost 3. Living room is living room like with no toys on show when he’s not there. Has been the same since baby.

We have toys in there, but they are hidden away when not being played with. Brio in large wicker basket under sofa for example, and an upholstered ottoman for most other toys. He has a child size wooden desk in there but it has drawer where everything goes when not in use ( stickers/ colouring stuff). Most books and other odd toys in his bedroom.

We don’t have a huge amount, I try and not over buy, and he prefers outdoors anyway so garden has mud kitchen, ride on toys and sandpit. He’s on his bike most afternoons.

So daytime when he’s here there can be loads of stuff out whilst he’s playing. But everything gets put away at bedtime and then it’s a toy free evenings and until he’s back from nursery at lunchtime weekdays as he doesn’t get anything out before we leave at 8am

Nice ottoman, and baskets with lids or that ar elbow to go under sofa seems to work well here

We had something like this. Toys went away when DD went to bed. They all migrated permanently into her room when she was about 3, she just brought out whatever she was playing with as and when and took it back to her room when she was finished/went to bed.

When they had both started at full time school, then they just bring down the toy they want to play with or play in the eldest room mainly.

We have no toys in lounge but my gosh the conservatory is such a shit tip with them

@demotedreally

My DD1 hasn't had toys since she was 9. She collected those weird Schleich monster figures but didn't play with them.

Dd2 however is nearly 11 and still occasionally plays with an Our Generation Doll / Schleich Horse things / Those tiny food / products you get in the capsules. I keep thinking we will need to at least put the doll in the loft before y7?

Just goes from one thing to another in my experience. No toys as DS is 15 now but takes over the living room when he has mates over!

DC3 is 8 and the final boxes of toys moved into her room when we moved house a couple of months ago and DC were no longer sharing.

Now we just have DC’s crochet left everywhere instead!

I never used the livingroom as a playroom, the toys stayed in the kids rooms and they played in there. The only thing I had downstairs was playdoh, water colours, crayons etc. They were in a drawer in the kitchen and they used the kitchen table to play with those.

We never had toys in the living room. They're in the dining room instead. They still do my head in and end up all over the place despite having a huge box to store them all. My dc are 10 & 11.