To want to throw out all my DS's toys apart from...

[farewellfigure]

...the lego. It's all he plays with. Ever. He's 5. He has a lovely wooden train set, some of that giant plastic meccano stuff, dinky cars, marble run, a playmobil castle, but he never touches it. He only plays with the lego. The problem is, the other toys are all neatly in those plastic IKEA storage boxes (gathering dust) and the lego is sort of spreading over the lounge carpet like a tide. I'm so tempted to bung every other toy in the loft and just leave the lego. I know what'll happen though... the day after I do it he'll suddenly have a random urge to play with something else.

My other (not terribly serious) worry is whether it's affecting his development. OK he reads, plays in the garden, does craft stuff etc, but as for actual toys... only lego.

I love lego by the way. This isn't a rant against the stuff

do it I dare you! we have too many toys to know what to do with

Sounds absolutely fine to mean for a young chap of 5, especially if he reads and enjoys outdoors too. I do know how you feel, I am currently looking at a living room covered in a fine film of Lego bricks.

Fine to me not mean. I also find if you put certain toys out of sight for a while, they regain their appeal when you get them out again.

If only I could tidy the lego into the storage boxes currently housing the totally un-played-with toys then the lounge would look so much better. Obviously when he's awake it looks like a lego factory which is fine. But it doesn't look much better after bed time!

Maybe rotate the toys? So he has lego only out for a week or a fortnight, then playmobil, then marble run, etc.

That way he will be more encouraged to play with a variety of things and will get use out of his other toys.

Oh yes... the guaranteed way to get him playing with something else is to put it in the garage and let him find it 2 weeks later. I'd forgotten that game. We had the whole pile of 'baby toys for sale on facebook when mummy can find the time to sort and photograph it' toys all over the lounge the other day. .

DS stores his lego in the Lego City zip up boxes. They zip down into a playmat and are fab as DS plays with his lego on the mat and then I can quickly zip it back up - so much less faff than trying to pick up a zillion little pieces!

Like these:

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130959864968?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

You can buy them new on amazon but more expensive.

Do check the measurements of the zip up boxes though before buying as they do vary in size and some are quite little. The firemen one is a good size though.

Yanbu, but only if you send me the playmobil castle

No seriously, I know what you mean. My 2 have cars including various tracks that take up loads of space, take along Thomas track, Lego, playmobil, wooden building blocks, a beautiful wooden games compendium,.farm, about a million board games, magic set, (you get the picture) but only ever seem to play with Lego and playmobil. But dare to suggest we sell some, and all hell breaks loose!

Do it. I have moved everything out of our lounge but the Lego & family games. It's so much better. Why not set up the play mobile in his room? I've found that stiff in boxes doesn't get played with so my 2 dds have dollhouse, play food, dollies and clothes visible in their rooms. DD2 spends hours with her dollhouse and I don't have to look at it!!

The playmobil is in his room all set up, and he still doesn't touch it!

I like the idea of the zip up lego mats. Do they come in lounge size?

I might suggest clearing out the toys and see what he says. Maybe we could sort out his room a bit and make room for everything that isn't lego, and then the lego will be tidy in storage boxes in the lounge (until he gets more at Christmas!).