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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not buy a wardrobe for 22 month old DS?

34 replies

IHeartKingThistle · 02/07/2011 09:18

Sorry for the crashingly dull topic...

I need to replace his old changing table thing as it doesn't have enough storage for his clothes. I was just going to buy a big chest of drawers and have one drawer for vests, one for trousers etc. I thought this was a good idea as a good chest of drawers could be used in the house for years, as opposed to a kids wardrobe which we'd have to get rid of at some point. Mentioned this to the ILs and they were APPALLED! Apparently depriving a small child of hanging space is some sort of parenting crime Hmm

He doesn't wear suits or dresses. I don't iron everything before it's put away. I am bad at putting away clothes at the best of times and coat hangers drive me mad.

AIBU? Do children need a wardrobe?

OP posts:
DesperateHousewife21 · 02/07/2011 09:21

YANBU, ds is nearly 1 and he just has a freestanding plastic drawer set at the mo, it probably wont be big enough as he gets older but in your situation I would be doing the same.

You know a big chest of drawers will be used as long as he lives with you so its a good investment.

DS' room also has a built in wardrobe although its used for me and DHs things!
I think your DS will possibly need a wardrobe of some description when hes older i.e at school when he has shirts etc.

trixymalixy · 02/07/2011 09:21

DS is 4. He doesn't have a wardrobe in his room. He did when he was a baby and nothing ever hung in it, so I didn't bother when we moved him into his own room.

tallulahxhunny · 02/07/2011 09:22

no my girls are 6 & 7 they both have wardrobes and it all lays on the floor Angry

a good size set of drawers will do fine

trixymalixy · 02/07/2011 09:22

Although saying that I am thinking of buying one for his room, but putting shelves in it for toys instead!!

bigkidsmademe · 02/07/2011 09:25

YANBU

I do NOT UNDERSTAND wardrobes for small children. Their clothes are tiny! All that wasted space. Plus they don't have anything smart or that would crumple badly if folded. DS just has a chest of drawers for everything including nappies and sheets / towels etc - he grows so fast he doesn't need lots of clothes or space.

ApocalypseCheeseToastie · 02/07/2011 09:25

meh, my son is 10 and the only furniture in his room is a huge chest of drawers.

Dd is 12 and has a wardrobe..... which is full of toys and games. Hmm

And I specifically bought my wardrobe because one half is shelves/drawers and the other half is full of boxes of bedding as I don't hang anything Blush

If you must buy a wardrobe get one like this www.dandys.co.uk/product_FELLSIDECHUNKYPINELADIESWARDROBEFITTED.htm I LOVE mine

Original poster
IHeartKingThistle · 02/07/2011 09:33

I'm so glad I'm not the only one! ILS were talking to me the way they'd talk to a slightly dim child!

OP posts:
pooka · 02/07/2011 09:36

Ds2 is nearly 2 and has never had a wardrobe. Just a large chest of drawers. He tends not to have anything that would need to be hung up.

Dd has a wardrobe, but most of the clothes end up draped over the rail rather than on hangers.

I have a wardrobe, and I do the same!

pissedrightoff · 02/07/2011 09:47

Don't get one, they really don't need it.
I got incredibly carried away and bought an expensive set of furniture when I was due with DD (almost 2yo) Even though her room has a fitted wardrobe, now it is just taking up valuable space.
I am thinking of taking the doors off and using them to create shelves inside the wardrobe then just using it for toys and books.

Sirzy · 02/07/2011 09:51

Ds only has drawers in his room. I couldn't be arsed hanging everything up anyway. Folded in drawers is great.

When he starts school I will probably hang uniform in my wardrobe.

bessie26 · 02/07/2011 09:56

Nooooo! Don't buy one! I got a wardrobe for DD1. the shelf bit I use all the time, but the hanging space is just wasted...

Good idea about putting shelves into the hanging space. Might add that to DH's todo list! Grin

TheHumanCatapult · 02/07/2011 09:57

what i did when ds was small yes we had wardrobes as built in but I had the plastic draw storage and put that in base of his wardobe so not so much wasted space

WoTmania · 02/07/2011 10:01

We didn't have a wrdrobe in the house untiol about a year ago - it is in the biggest bedroom (DSs') just because that's where i fits. I to see no point in have a wardrobe for sprogs. Let alone one of those ridiculous 'child' ones.

So, YANBU IMO

HelloKlitty · 02/07/2011 10:02

My DD iss three and we still don't have a wardrobe....but we are getting to the point where we need one. Her clothes are bigger and bulkier...I want somwhere to store her winter things....you will need one eventually.

LiegeAndLief · 02/07/2011 10:27

Ds is nearly 5 and has never had a wardrobe. He now has two shirts that hang in dd's wardrobe but to be honest they would be fine folded as I never iron anything - apart from that it's all in drawers. I do have a big drawer under the bed though for bulky jumpers and trousers etc as normal drawers were a bit too small as the clothes get bigger.

keepingupwiththejoneses · 02/07/2011 10:35

None of my boys have ever had a wardrobe, like you say they don't wear suits or dresses. If they did ever have something nice though I just put it in my wardrobe, easy. Ds's are 18, 12 and 5 now.

Original poster
IHeartKingThistle · 02/07/2011 11:11

Brilliant, just what I needed to hear.

But if the Joneses had wardrobes would you get them? Wink

OP posts:
Firawla · 02/07/2011 11:18

I've never bought wardrobes for mine, just a good sized chest of drawers per child seems to do the job, if we are living somewhere with fitted wardrobes in their room i use it though for hanging some things and also for toys but wouldn't go out of my way to buy it, as the clothes are small its fine to just fold in drawers

Jude89 · 02/07/2011 11:22

good place to hide for hide and seek though...

DilysPrice · 02/07/2011 11:32

DS just has drawers, DD has a built in wardrobe split in two - my shirts go in the top and her dresses go in the bottom.
IKEA would provide the equipment to slot lots of drawers and shelves into the bottom of a wardrobe to minimise wasted space.

SummerRain · 02/07/2011 11:39

the ds' room had a fitted wardrobe and chest of drawers. The drawers are heaving with cloths and we need another one but the wardrobe is a barren wasteland.... a couple of school shirts, their christening suits and a tonne of unused hangers. More so than the pointlessness of hanging clothes is the fact that once they start dressing themselves they can't reach the damn clothes on hangers!

dd has a wardrobe as she has lots of dresses, I'm going to buy her a proper one as currently she has one of those cloth and wood contraptions but I'll definitely be buying one that's half shelves and half hanging as the shelves are essential for most of her everyday stuff.

EdwardorEricCantDecide · 02/07/2011 11:39

my DS is 2yo and i've always had a wardbrobe for him and use it all the time his drawers just have vests, pjs and "garden clothes" in but i don't see a problem in just having drawers either.

i don't understand why a wardrobe is any less of an "investment" than drawers though TBH surely good quality furniture would last years regardless of wether its drawers or a wardrobe?!

SummerRain · 02/07/2011 11:41

*have
*clothes

strandedbear · 02/07/2011 11:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

jugglingmug · 02/07/2011 11:53

All 3 of my Dc have a set of drawers. This means they can put their own clothes away, and get their own clothes out. Your ILs have too much time on their hads if they are able to get that upset aout where their Grandsons clothes are stored Confused

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