To say it isn't "plastic crap" and its not "destined for landfill"

[unlimiteddilutingjuice]

I will admit that my kids get indulged at christmas.
And not with Grimms Rainbows and wooden dolls houses either!
They like moulded plastic, things that make noises and light up, ties in's with cartoons and things that they see being "unboxed" on youtube.
It doesn't get chucked out. Maybe if something gets broken or too many pieces go missing.....
It all gets played with. Sometimes for years.
My 6 year old still plays with the tub of plastic dinosuars we bought him on a whim when he was 2 and a half.
Some of our longest running toys have come free with happy meals (furbies, minions, and the Alien from "Home" remain in regular use)
Some stuff thats not an immidiate hit on christmas day, gets an enthusiastic response when it comes out of the cupboard 8 months later (Marble run- I'm looking at you).
Eventually they go to the charity shop "so another little boy or girl can play with it"
I suppose a lot of things we use do eventually end up in landfill so its not a completely inaccurate thing to say.
But still, what a joyless way to describe things that will be played with and enjoyed by children.

My kids watch the unboxing stuff. As a result, we have almost no toys because they've become very picky about what they actually want, having seen what the toys are really like on youtube!

Way better than when I was a kid, and I'd get all excited because it looked so exciting on the advert, but when you get it turns out it's fairly rubbish.

I’m being careful with stocking fillers and sticking to things that will get used or worn, such as fluffy socks, a chocolate orange, tooth brush, new pants etc.., I avoid Poundland tat as much as possible although dd likes the little pots of slime and fart putty.
Dd1 is getting a games console which will hopefully last a few years, dd2 is getting Lego which will be hear for years (and possible survive an apocalypse).

That’s not really what people mean by plastic crap. They mean really cheap toys that get broken quickly like the ones that come in a kinder egg.

It isn't just about recycling though. It is the resources that go into making these things and their packaging, transport etc.

Cheap wooden toys are only fractionally better as often the wood is sustainably sourced, bonus being of course it can be burned instead of chucked.

But honestly, avoid the unboxing videos. The materialistic and wasteful attitude they espouse are hideous

Totally agree micke, the unboxing videos have been great as the kids have themselves pointed out that half the time the stuff they want isn't that good on the videos, means they really think about what they want so I don't end up buying stuff that's a waste of money.

isn't sustainably sourced 🙄

I think it depends. My dd loves her peppa pig figures and sets and these are often derided on mn as plastic tat. She's played with them every day for over a year to the point that I can't see why it would be necessary to buy dd something like a dolls house because they are the same type of toy. But, I also don't see the point of buying her the entire peppa pig World collection a selection is enough. In addition, they are very easy to source second hand.

What I do find odd is the concept of' bulking' out the Christmas pile. You'll see threads on here where a mother is explaining they are skint and their dd6 only has 4 presents to open and she wants ideas for her last £20. Nearly everyone will respond with 'go to poundland/tiger, you can get loads for £20'. I just don't see the point of buying 12 toys for £20 when she could instead buy one or two nice quality toys which will last compared the pound land toys inevitably break very quickly.

I buy my DD toys but I am feeling increasingly uneasy about the amount of disposable crap she has. Not the big stuff like Christmas presents but magazine toys, party bag toys, happy meal toys, kinder egg toys, crappy collectibles like shopkins she buys on a whim a never looks at again, toys from poundshops.
I’m not saying I’m never going to buy another toy again because children need to play and choose their own stuff but I am starting to think more carefully about what I buy.

Oh and fucking balloons should go too. My fil brings DD balloons at every visit they fill up the house and make mess for weeks and then get stuck in a bin.

My kids will sit for hours if you let them watching squeaky-voiced adults old enough to know better opening fucking Hatchimals collectible eggs - I think it's kind of the 2018 kid version of looking over your friend's shoulder when they're opening their pack of Panini football stickers to see if they've got a shiny Gazza's arse crack or whatever.

Most of my kids' unloved stuff has ended up propping up school resources or similar (the trainset they really weren't fussed about is now in daily use in a year 1 classroom) - or was bought from the charity shop and went back there when outgrown. They have mountains of Playmobil - all the children have individual names and character quirks and they have played with them so much more than with a worthy lump of wood - they'll get sold on or donated on once outgrown.

Yes I get what you're saying op. My eldest is 12 and we have fireman sam "plastic tat" toys he had when he was 2 that my current 4 year old still plays with.

The paw patrol plastic tat seems equally durable and will no doubt be making some other kid happy in another 6 years.

But yes there is still an awful lot of single use waste - magazines and happy meal toys I'm looking at you!!

Dd has decided that if she buys new for dgs she will get wooden toys but if there plastic toys that she knows he will like then she gets second hand. At the moment he is really into toot toot toys and for Christmas I have bought an enormous box of second hand cars, animals and track for £20 which will keep him amused for hours but can be sold on when he is older.

Dd has also got him a second hand elc garage and airport made of wood which have hardly been played with and at 18 months he will not know old from new.

I agree with you, @unlimiteddilutingjuice - there are plenty of plastic toys that are anything BUT crap! Lego is plastic, after all. But I do think that it is terrible when companies make toys that are flimsy and won't last - it is bad when a toy breaks after being played with only a few times (and I suspect it is far more likely that a plastic toy will be this fragile than, say, a wooden one).

At the moment he is really into toot toot toys
If you haven't - go look up the Dave Gorman toot toot episode - it's hilarious.

If you have a tantrummer who throws - wooden toys hurt a hell of a lot more!

Part of the issue isn't so much the plastic, but the fact that new 'characters' come out all the time so for many it isn't just a case of buying a set of people for role play for example and that does you for years, you end up with multiple sets that fundamentally do the same thing with new ones being 'unboxed' every year.

YABVU. Those toys will still exist exactly as they are in 400 years. Maybe in the stomach of a sea bird or buried in the ground in china. But EXCATLY the same. Think about that.

Honestly, I don't give a shit how much your precious children love it. And if you had a brain you would care about more than their fleeting satisfaction. Plastic is ruining our planet.

But things like toot toot can be passed down, as can happyland type toys, it’s the tv character shit that ends up in landfill as trends change quickly. It’s hard when your kids ask for things. My dd collected shopkins for 3 years, she has 100’s of them, tiny bits of plastic but it’s the only thing she has played with for 3 years, she’s now decided she’s too old for them, we will keep them in hope someone else will play with them one day, the shopkins playsets on the other hand are poorly made, break easily and we have sent several to landfill, I refuse to buy anything like that again. Luckily dd’s are older now so mainly get things that are not made of flimsy plastic.

Anistasia that’s a bit harsh, I’m sure your house is 109% plastic free and your kids never ask for the latest trends.

I agree to an extent about plastic toys - but I do think you can over board and it's not god for the kids or the environment. Mine both loved their plastic food for their toy kitchen but there are plenty of plastic toys which are actually too flashy and noisy and seem to inhibit imaginative play rather than encourage it. While some plastic toys last the test of time there are plenty that won't (and you forget about these because you don't see them as often). There's definitely a slightly selfish temptation to wow your kids at Christmas with huge piles of exciting toys but it won't make them happy long term. Sure it's nice for them to have a bit of excitement opening their presents but just within reason.

Lots of plastic toys can't be recycled. Just because you virtuously put them in the recycling doesn't mean they actually are turned into insulation or pavement or something.
PLEASE check what your local council allows- it is very easy to do and only takes a minute.
Our council's list of plastics which can and can't be recycled in our curtsied bins:

"YES PLEASE:

Plastic bottles (including kitchen and bathroom products - please remove trigger/pump)
Plastic casing
Black plastic food trays
Clear plastic trays with or without film lids
Cling film
Plastic bags (please do not fill; keep empty)
Yogurt pots
Bubble wrap
Tubs
Medicine tubs

NO THANKS:

Thin plastic wrappings (e.g. salad bags)
Coffee machine pods
Confectionery and crisp wrappers
Salad bags
Disposable razors
Cereal packets
Plastic CD and DVD cases
Hard plastic (e.g. washing up bowls)
Plastic toys
Polystyrene
Small electrical items which fit inside a standard carrier bag can be recycled by placing on top of your bin lid on either collection day. Larger electronic goods can be recycled in one of our pink collection banks.

Claraschu unfortunately what can be recycled differs from Local Authority to Local Authority

Honestly, I don't give a shit how much your precious children love it

Exactly - who gives A SHIT how much your child likes playing with polluting plastic crap? What do you think it's recycled into?! Honestly?

And unboxing videos on Youtube FFS - i have no words for how much this disgusts me.

I wish the world could be divided in half - people like you on one side and the rest of us who are really trying to think of the health of the plant and everything who lives on it on the other.

Ngaio that's why I wrote:

"PLEASE check what your local council allows- it is very easy to do and only takes a minute."

It is one of those things which is really quick to check up on and everyone should do it! It is so easy to google, and all your questions are answered.

as long as kids have fun, its not tat.
But a lot of festive gift items, not even aimed at kids - supposedly "decorative" - is crap

unboxing videos (which I'm really about kids this young watching) are there to turn kids into consumers. Either you think that's fine or you don't. But take responsibility for the things your DC are exposed to. You're the parent, act like one.

Re plastic toys - we will certainly keep what we have for a long time and indeed will hold on to them for any future grandchildren as some of it is really good stuff.

When it comes to plastics I am far more mindful of other kinds that are polluting our planet. In my world, plastic toys are kept or recycled in one form or another. I agree that the small rubbish on magazines are awful but Happyland, not so much.