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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To get rid of barely used toys?

22 replies

WaitingForSunday17 · 02/09/2018 10:26

I’m finding it hard to know where to draw the line.
Some stuff is easy - things they’ve outgrown or never ever use - but what about the inbetween type toys? The ones that see very sporadic short lived play?
Dd is coming up to 3 and we will have new toys for her birthday and then toys for her and ds at Christmas.
There’s definitely some stuff she’s outgrown that can go but I’m struggling with knowing if to keep things she might play with once or twice a month for less than half an hour. In that bracket comes the play kitchen and the shop and also a great big crate of duplo. I feel I should keep these things but they are taking up so much space. Ds never played with duplo and didn’t like Lego either as he got older. Dd likes Playmobil and small figures / realistic looking animals. She plays well with these. For Christmas she is having sylvanians and Playmobil mainly as these are things that give her a lot of play value.

Aibu to get rid of these big things that are taking up so much space? She feels little to just get rid of stuff like the play kitchen but the level of interest is fairly low... whereas Playmobil ponies / dolls’ house / zoo etc can entertain her for a good hour or so at a time.

OP posts:

Hufflefloof · 02/09/2018 10:34

If you aren’t sure, box them up and put them in the loft/garage for a couple of months. If they haven’t asked for them by the end of that time, they can go. Sometimes out of sight, out of mind works really well

namechangedforthisone123 · 02/09/2018 10:35

I wouldn't get rid of the play kitchen and shop just yet, she might play with them more as she gets older.

Original poster

WaitingForSunday17 · 02/09/2018 10:38

She played with the kitchen and shop when we first had them but they don’t seem to hold her interest like the little figures and dolls do. Maybe it’s more of an activity she needs someone else to play with for? Once you’ve shoved a plastic pie in the oven a couple of times there’s not much else to do on your own? Mind you even if I try and play with her she doesn’t have much interest. She might half heartedly make me a cup of tea...

OP posts:

KC225 · 02/09/2018 10:41

Totally agree with hufflehoof above. Box it up. Put it in the loft or in the garage or leave on your mums loft or spare room. On a cold miserable day next March/April/May when they are moaning or bickering ....... look what I've found. They go nuts.

Original poster

WaitingForSunday17 · 02/09/2018 10:43

What about duplo? If by 3 your child has no interest are they ever likely to become interested? We have a massive box of it - some from ds and some dd has been bought. It’s actually now in two crates... I get it out maybe once a week and dd ignores it. Actually no, she takes the people out of it and plays with those with her other people figures but the building part she totally disregards. She CAN build with it, she just doesn’t want to!

OP posts:

ChateauRouge · 02/09/2018 10:45

3??? My two still play Duplo at 9 and 12!
Building is something they got into at about 4 or 5.

ILoveMyMonkey · 02/09/2018 10:49

I agree with sticking in the garage or loft. Things we thought DS wasn't particularly interested in at around 3 are now suddenly the best thing since sliced bread at 5 nearly 6 and it's all because the way he plays has changed and developed. I'd hang on to it.

Original poster

WaitingForSunday17 · 02/09/2018 10:53

I will try and find a place in the garage for it where it will remain relatively dust free! We don’t have a huge amount of space in the house and they take up a lot of room. I don’t mind if they get played with but at the moment it’s dead space... I might keep the duplo but get rid of the kitchen and shop in the next couple of months if she doesn’t ask for them. Ds is 9 so outgrown all of the things I’m considering getting rid of!
I never liked duplo or Lego as a child and nor did ds...I kept waiting for him to get into it and he just didn’t! He is dyspraixc though which retrospectively might have been part of his lack of enthusiasm. Dd just wants to do role play type play with figures. I tried to encourage her to build houses for them with the duplo but that didn’t work either.

OP posts:

bookmum08 · 02/09/2018 11:01

Do you keep the Duplo separate from the Playmobil and Slyvanians ? Is it one toy at a time that is 'out'? If she likes the Duplo figures then they can 'live' with Playmobil and Sylvanians and you could help build a house for them etc. Or just keep the Duplo figures and sell the bricks (Duplo will sell quickly).
Although my ten year old has got back into Duplo recently (and me aged 43!). But then again if you sell the Duplo it isn't exactly hard to get some more again in a couple of years time.
If you have storage space put away the Kitchen for a few months. As others have said - if it isn't asked for or missed then it can go .

BogstandardBelle · 02/09/2018 11:06

My DS (10 now) never got into Lego at all. Yes, he’d build the set initially but once that was done, no interest in building his own stuff. He’s just not into solitary pursuits: fun = playing with other people. DS2 maybe a bit more, but considering the space it takes up... so I’ve just sold the entire lot, bar some Minecraft sets that DS2 still wants to do.

DH never liked Lego as a child either, so it’s not for everyone I guess.

Notso · 02/09/2018 11:10

My youngest are 6&7 and we've just passed on the duplo, it's been sat under the bed for over a year. Once they got into Lego they weren't bothered by it.
Our kitchen and shop were sold about 18 months ago I found they were playing with the accessories more than the big items so we kept the till and a few pots and pans etc. They wanted a new garage so the funds from the sale went towards that.

Original poster

WaitingForSunday17 · 02/09/2018 11:17

They are just out for her to use as she likes bookmum
I don’t leave the duplo out all the time but when it’s out she can use it as she likes.
This morning the imaginext firemen have put out a fire in the Playmobil fairy castle and Snow White assisted.
Dd likes magnatiles more than dulpo.

OP posts:

Orangepear · 02/09/2018 11:19

Our play kitchen doesn't get much use so I think it's going to go, but I'll keep the tea set as they do like that. (Age 5 and 2). If they want to play kitchens they can use a coffee table or a box or something.

Kitkat2018 · 02/09/2018 12:10

My dd 3 sounds like yours loves figures. We have a toy kitchen which gets played with when friends are over but that's about it.

CatchingACold · 02/09/2018 12:12

At 3 she hadn’t grown into either dupli or a okay kitchen yet. You need to model and okay alongside

CatchingACold · 02/09/2018 12:13

Correction

Duplication
Play kitchen

CatchingACold · 02/09/2018 12:14

And again

Duplo
Duplo
Duplo

SilentHeadphones · 02/09/2018 12:16

Mine are 6&8 and play more with the Duplo (8 yr old has dyspraxia so finds it easier to build than Lego) and kitchen than they ever did at 3.

cmlover · 02/09/2018 12:17

I'd keep the kitchien and duplo.. she still has a while to get intreasted in ir

TeenTimesTwo · 02/09/2018 12:23

I think she might not have grown into the kitchen and the Duplo yet. give them both at least another year.

When she gets a bit older she can use the duplo to make houses for her mini figures etc.

You may find they both have better play value when you get a similar aged child round and they can run a café or build a zoo together.

TakemedowntoPotatoCity · 02/09/2018 12:32

I know loads of toys are a pain in the arse, but it's worth keeping them at this stage for variety. As pps.have said, they will feel like new toys of they haven't seen them for a while.
While my house is overrun with plastic crap, I'm holding on to it until dd is much older and I can do a mass sale/clear out. Not worth doing it in dr ibs and drabs.

holasoydora · 02/09/2018 12:32

My DD didn't play with Duplo at three but plays with it lots now at 8, and it's a godsend when other kids come over. I personally think it's a toy easily stored and worth keeping but if you don't then yes, it is obviously fine to pass on/sell unused stuff.

The play kitchen is another (storage) matter. Would love to chuck out ours for my sanity but my DD loves it. She set up shops with them constantly. She is a mature 8 year old. She wants to be Tilly Ramsay.

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