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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

That even if we had room we wouldn't have a playroom

73 replies

yellowflowers · 16/09/2010 10:23

Lots of my friends seems to have playrooms for their toddlers. Our house isn't big enough - we have three bedrooms and a large living room which also has a table and chairs in it but even if we had more rooms it would be an office or a quiet room for our books and piano. Plus I am not sure I want our kids to have that many toys, and I want them and their playing to be part of the general house not confined to one room. Am I the odd one though?

OP posts:
sapphireblue · 16/09/2010 14:36

I would love to have a playroom so that I could shut all the toys away and nothave them cluttering up my living room!

pooka · 16/09/2010 14:39

We have a playroom. Was technically the dining room, though never was when I was growing up here, and only has large table and chairs in for Christmas now we own the house. Have an eat-in kitchen so a dining room would be wasted space.

Whereas having room for the kids to play, keep some of their stuff, watch kids tv and so on is definitely not wasted!

PatriciaHolm · 16/09/2010 14:41

I love ours - doesn't mean they don't play elsewhere, indeed all over the house, it just means the toys all return there at the end of the day and the rest of the house is tidy. It's off the kitchen/diner, so I can sit there/cook etc while they play if I want, but tbh they are old enough now that they don't need constant supervision. We're lucky enough to have a dining room and study too, so didn't have to give up a room for it!

paisleyleaf · 16/09/2010 14:41

We don't have a playroom. But I did grow up with one.
My parents tried their best to keep it as a dining room, but meals hardly ever got eaten in there and me and my DB and DS fixed a pingpong set to the table, then later set up the scalectrix in there, then it ended up being the best room for a dart board, then things sort of snow balled and it was a playroom.
Maybe if you've got the room, there's just no avoiding it.

lynniep · 16/09/2010 14:43

We have a playroom (the conservatory) and it still all spills over into the dining room (also my 'office', DS1s eating area and DS2s changing area!) and the living room. Gaaah!!

thesecondcoming · 16/09/2010 14:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BeenBeta · 16/09/2010 14:56

No. I'm not joking. There is no reason for them to go in the other rooms.

cupofcoffee · 16/09/2010 16:57

I know some kids that have to 'contain' their mess in that they are restricted what they can get out and where. They come to play at my house and seem to go crazy making a mess just because they can! I don't object to mess through playing but making a mess just for the sake of it Angry
Not saying your kids behave like that BeenBeta just some that I know where their parents are very restrictive of their mess at home but not too bothered about chaos caused elsewhere!

FrameyMcFrame · 16/09/2010 17:01

You sound a bit anal BeenBeta. Is your house a show home?

ChippingIn · 16/09/2010 17:12

Playrooms are brilliant - if they are in the right place.

girlsyearapart · 16/09/2010 17:23

having just hurt my foot treading on some play food I would love a playroom!

my wishlist would include playroom,downstairs loo, spare bedroom and driveway...

beccagrace2 · 16/09/2010 17:28

we have a spare room downstairs that is going to be a play/craft room, pics or ideas for storage etc would be great please. dd1 is 9, ds1 is 6 and dd2 is 6 months. i think we need the tv in there, leaving the lounge for grown ups and the piano.

kitcat83 · 16/09/2010 17:29

We bought our house as it has four reception room and a large conservatory at the back, which is our playroom, like a lot of others it is so nice not to have all the toys strewn all over the house and adult only spaces. Its great when i have put DS to bed and cant be arsed to clear up. I just flop on the sofa and dont have to stare at toys all over the lounge floor. I LOVE LOVE LOVE MY PLAYROOM Smile

cupofcoffee · 16/09/2010 17:29

Ouch girlsyearapart, but unfortunately a play room does not protect against that one. It's the lego bricks that always get me.

PosieParker · 16/09/2010 17:32

We have a playroom which will eventually be a snug, although I bloody hope we move before that!!

miracled · 16/09/2010 17:32

We have a conservatory which is used as a playroom most of the time and for big family dinners at christmas, when it takes me all of december to clear it out. Unfortunately the toys still creep into the rest of the house and I have to do a weekly round-up.

ThingOne · 16/09/2010 17:36

We have a playroom. We love it. Boys (4 and 6) love it. Their friends love it. They're not confined to it nor are we excluded from it but it works well.

It's in the middle of the house so they don't feel shut away in it.

nancydrewrocked · 16/09/2010 17:44

YABsooooooooooooU

The DC's playroom is the best thing about my house the fact that it is on another floor (in the basement) means all paint/mess/glitter/toys are confined and the children can do whatever they want without me nagging about tidying up, keeping things clean, putting stuff away.

The playroom keeps me sane Smile

BeenBeta · 16/09/2010 17:55

FrameyMcFrame - we have nice furniture and we just dont want it trashed. It is very noticeable that when our children go to other peoples houses they respect their furniture but when children come to our house in some cases they just run wild.

BaggedandTagged · 16/09/2010 17:56

I had one as a child. Was great because meant I could build giant lego/ mecano/ train set constructions over days/ weeks without having to ever move them.

missmoopy · 16/09/2010 17:57

Our dining room is generally the play room. Toys obviously come into otehr rooms and she plays where she wants really but at the end of the day all toys in playroom, door shut, and reelllaaaaxxxx! So YABU!

frenchfancy · 16/09/2010 18:01

YANBU

We had a play room and it just became like a great big messy cupboard. because you don't have to tidy a playroom we never did. I hated it and am glad to be rid of it.

InmyheadIminParis · 16/09/2010 18:09

We have a playroom but we certainly don't confine playing to just that room! They pretty much all over the house, but it's great to have a room to snowplough all their toys back into at the end of the day.

We're very lucky in that we also have a dining room which doubles as the piano room/ quiet room for reading etc. If it was a toss up between a dining room and a playroom, I think the playroom would be the one to go...

FrameyMcFrame · 17/09/2010 07:40

How do you respect furniture?

cory · 17/09/2010 07:51

That would depend on the furniture, Framey. A quick bob will do for the Welsh dresser, but for the early Victorian chiffonier something more sweeping might be in order. For the Billy bookcase or the Stolmen storage combination a democratic wave is quite sufficient.