What are you keeping for the GC?

[NoClueNoDough]

My DC are young teenagers and it's looking like we are going to have to move somewhere a lot smaller. I've always said I'd be keeping the duplo, brio, rocking horse etc for the grandchildren! My ILs did this and DC loved playing with their dad's toys when they went round. On the other hand my mum kept pretty much everything that wasn't toys, books, reports, photos, clothes. However, both had houses with lots of storage. We'll likely be moving from a 4 bed (with an attic I.e. lots of storage) to a 3 bed flat with nothing 😢I can't get my head round how this will work!
Do you keep stuff?
How do you choose what to keep?

I've just kept a box of keepsakes for each child - first shoes etc. I start off keeping a fair amount but it gets whittled down as the years go by - with the child. e.g. DS kept all of his primary school exercise books but then it was just a couple.

As far as generic toys/clothes are concerned - none. I think it is a waste of space and is just passing on the obligation/guilt/clutter down the generations.

PIL kept loads BUT not well e.g. presented us with an open box of Lego/small toys covered with 30 years of dust and dirt on, and that definitely put me off doing them same...not that I would ever pass something on that was filthy (I would at least clean it first!). I would only keep what you intend to keep at your house for the GC to play with. We ended up having to keep/store loads of stuff that came from PIL and DC never played with it - you can probably tell I resented it a bit...and have kept none of it. I didn't keep my toys from childhood either (sold my Sindy dolls when I had finished with them etc. no regrets).

Duplo and wooden train set. Costs a fortune and won't degrade over the years.

I've kept the best wooden toys, but I'm not keeping anything like Duplo because it can be rebought secondhand if wanted.

I only have one small box, I don't want to store lots of things for twenty years!

The only things I've kept, or will be keeping, from my DC are sentimental baby clothes and very special soft toys.
My mum kept all of my toys and DHs parents have an attic full of stuff of his and his siblings. None of it has been played with, I sold all my toys. Included duple, wooden train track, dolls, Sylvanians, cars and animals.
I agree with a PP, it's just passing down junk to the next generation and personally I found it very stressful being handed all this stuff to decide what to do with.
Maybe keep the odd quirky, fun thing you genuinely wouldn't be able to buy nowadays but wooden trains and duplo is just clutter and you can easily buy it second hand when the time comes, if you need it.

I have 2 adult DC.I kept their first pair of shoes,their school report cards,Lego,Brio and a few of their favourite soft toys/dolls.My granddaughter now plays with the doll her mummy played with over 30 yrs ago.My parents kept all our Lego and I now have it .

The only thing I kept to pass onto grandkids is books. My kids' absolute favourites, plus some from my own childhood. 1 box.

My teens have 1 box each to store keepsakes of their own, which I'll look after for them while they get settled into adult life.

We’re only keeping a few books and other bits that I (or the children!) loved.
My mum kept nothing and instead picked up charity shop bits as and when - that way it could be what my children were really into. It worked really well.

I got my son to pack up some toys in a box and dated it .So funny opening it 10 yrs later he had put a note in it .
I kept lego, good cars, action men and the biggest hit with grandson was a battery operated tank with flashing lights on its moving guns .
Sounds a lot but was a couple of boxes with lids in attic .

I intend to pass on what I’d have liked my parents and ILs to pass on to us when I had my children aka nothing.

My DC are 8 and 3, I’m planning to keep a small box of books that have sentimental value to me. I love books and have quite a few children’s books from the 70s and 80s with beautiful illustrations that would be hard to replace, and I’d be happy to store until/if my DC have GC.

most of the rest of their toys I don’t plan to keep; they’ll still be making lego in the future and I’d rather pass it on when it’s outgrown so it can be played with by children now than have it sit in a cupboard unused.

My horrible mother threw away absolutely everything from our childhood so I've made sure I kept a lot of my children's stuff so they can decide what they want to keep. I've kept some of their old school work, party dresses and quite a lot of toys and books.
Now my daughter has a little boy of her own, she's delighted that he can now play with some of the things that she remembers fondly from her childhood.

I've got a couple of plastic boxes and have kept the brio trainset, the silver cross pram, the push along horse.

I loved that my ILs had toys my husband had played with. They remained at the grandparents for playing with, as will ours.

That said I don't think either of my two want to have kids so it could be a waste of time!

My Aunty kept everything including the cot. Her children are child free by choice. You can buy toys again in the future if they’re needed.

I wouldn’t clutter your house with stuff they might never need or want. A lot of people now chose not to have kids, or can’t. Don’t base your life assuming you’ll have GC. Keep some nice sentimental bits of course

I kept all the Barbies, some brightly coloured wooden bricks, the Fisher Price School someone gave to dd1 when she was 1, and a lot of soft toys.

Gdcs have enjoyed all of them.
Dh kept an ancient Bagatelle board from his childhood - that has proved a massive hit with elder Gdcs (7 and 8) lately!

We do have the space, though.

I’ve kept the Brio, Lego and a couple of the favourite games which are no longer made. Post the Most springs to mind.
a few favourite books too.
that’s basically what my mum kept too and it’s been ideal.

Wooden toys mainly - timeless ones. Large wooden dolls house, wooden train sets,
Baby clothes I had made into single bed size quilts for each child

MIL kept 3 small wooden trucks that my kids love playing with. Nothing more than this is worth it imo - just get rid to the charity shop but that's just me.

I will be keeping some sentimental things like a blanket, a few clothes, teddies and books. Things that don’t take up too much space. DC can keep their own items for sentimental reasons if they wish as they get older. Otherwise everything else goes. There is no guarantee that anyone’s kids will have their own kids and I think keeping a rocking horse in the attic is pressure for your kids to have kids. If they do have kids, you don’t know where they will be living and how much space they will have, will they have space for a rocking horse and all these old toys? It’s just passing on an admin job to your kids.

Nothing! I sold all the brio( original) when dcs grew out of it.

Everything goes. There isn't room in most homes to cling on to the possessions of children who are too old for them.