To HATE getting my kids getting given plastic tat for presents?

[Oops41]

Of course, for birthdays and Christmas people give presents (which is so lovely and kind and thoughtful of course) but I HATE it when they unwrap it and it's a piece of cheap plastic tat from Amazon. Inevitably they are poorly made, last one play, end up in the bin this creating more landfill. I thought I would avoid plastic crap this year with the children not having parties but some friends and family members have still been really kind and given presents despite this lovely kindness, I'm always really pissed off when they open it and its some cheap nasty plastic toy. I dont mean that I want them to spend more on them, they needed get presents at all, but in honesty a handmade card, a book, some sweets would be so much better. The children are always excited to receive presents and generally tear then open, get the toy out and it never lasts. They're not massively interested or it breaks very soon. Gaaaaaaah!
Does anyone else get really pissed off with this or am I a miserable old bag? Its seen rude to request certain gifts but honestly it would reduce so much wastage and landfill!

@thekeatingfive unbranded copies I guess I am talking about. Anything with cheap brittle plastic. The sort of thing bought on wish, in poundland etc

@ThinkAboutItTomorrow there is an argument though that children who play with wooden toys instead of plastic ones tend to have better imaginations and I can kind of agree to an extent.

Wooden toys tend to leave more to the imagination. My son has got some wooden toys that he pretends are several things depending on his mood. What noise is makes etc all down to him. His plastic police car is also great but to him it's only ever that and it makes its own noises so no thinking to do there. I'm not trying to say all plastic toys are evil and all wooden ones brilliant, just offering my perspective!

I agree.

@thekeatingfive and anyone else interested. Here's an example of something I found in amazon and then looked at the reviews...

@MrsMiaWallis

I love books. Also love plastic tat. I've kept all the lego, Barbies, playmobil, fisher price garage, sylvanians for my grandkids, if I'm lucky enough to have any.

This is not plastic tat. This is good quality plastic toys. OP is referring to items such as this toy crane www.argos.co.uk/product/5268029?istCompanyId=a74d8886-5df9-4baa-b776-166b3bf9111c&istFeedId=30f62ea9-9626-4cac-97c8-9ff3921f8558&istItemId=ixixxqlqx&istBid=t&&cmpid=GS001&_$ja=tsid:59157%7cacid:629-618-1342%7ccid:9563523558%7cagid:102231001430%7ctid:pla-1001960801659%7ccrid:423314717909%7cnw:g%7crnd:14505358057480679296%7cdvc:m%7cadp:%7cmt:%7cloc:1007064&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=9563523558&utm_term=5268029&utm_content=shopping&utm_custom1=102231001430&utm_custom2=629-618-1342&gclid=CjwKCAiAz4b_BRBbEiwA5XlVVjpOq1U-rhQck6LIClJbzq7aiJslMtM5By8rndOxHRMY0EqoKnvZOhoCiJgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Look at the price point and then quality. My boy was gifted this last year. Its practically life size. It kept falling over and then the flimsy plastic parts snapped making it unusable after about a month. Compare to this crane toy. www.argos.co.uk/product/1931044?istCompanyId=a74d8886-5df9-4baa-b776-166b3bf9111c&istFeedId=c290d9a9-b5d6-423c-841d-2a559621874c&istItemId=ixixxqrlt&istBid=t&&cmpid=GS001&_$ja=tsid:59157%7cacid:629-618-1342%7ccid:9563523558%7cagid:102231001430%7ctid:pla-1001960801659%7ccrid:423314717909%7cnw:g%7crnd:14505358057480679296%7cdvc:m%7cadp:%7cmt:%7cloc:1007064&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=9563523558&utm_term=1931044&utm_content=shopping&utm_custom1=102231001430&utm_custom2=629-618-1342&gclid=CjwKCAiAz4b_BRBbEiwA5XlVVrtsaAaFokTAgbYqp47RDrLGABdP_AN_5rQFjVK0PHkaHEDtNDeSmBoCg2MQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Bit more solid. Still large but its not going to fall over or snap from even gentle use. OP is not suggesting anyone should go over budget with a gift but if they only have £15 to spend then perhaps the biggest item is not always the best and is not very environmentally friendly. It also took up loads if space in our small living area. Just a bit more thought about quality over quantity.

I’m greatful for anything anyone give my kids. If they’ve taken time to think of them and spend money on them it’s very great fully revived. I understand about landfill concerns so try and recycle as much as poss

Yanbu. I don’t mind plastic toys in general if they are durable and well made. My children have quite a lot of happyland, playmobil, leg and go jetters toys, most of them second hand and have lasted years, will most likely to sold or given to charity in a few years. It’s the ones that are cheap and flimsy that are awful because they break after a couple of uses and end up in the bin.

The problem is not plastic toys but your kids not looking after their toys. Had all sorts of toys plastic and none plastic. Never had an issue with broken toys.

Do you make your preferences clear?

I have a friend who clueless the same. She's very passionate about the environment. She's given handmade items to people and their kids and they've laughed at her behind her back calling her stingy. There's threads on here every year about handmade gifts being crap. The secret Santa thread has a few people complaining about being given something handmade.

My friend, when she first started really taking things seriously asked people not to buy her or her children gifts at all because as a family, they were trying to reduce their waste esp stuff that can't be recycled and when she'd still get messages asking what they can buy she'd ask them to sponsor and animal or something like that.

Could that be an option for you?

*Thinks

No idea where "not clueless" came from

An MC toddler lol !!! I know Mumsnet is OBSESSED with class ( find it so strange tbh ) but to classify a toddler .......

@Oops41 dunno why you’re getting such a hard time.

Or why people are being so faux wide-eyed about the existence of plastic shite. It’s in every bargain shop in the world!

We handled this by asking for money to buy a big gift (swing set) or made suggestions of what they’d like. And veered away from cheap plastic shite!

there is an argument though that children who play with wooden toys instead of plastic ones tend to have better imaginations

That’s just Instagram influencer horseshit though.

I can’t think of a toy better placed to develop imagination than lego/duplo. And that’s not to mention all the other price/happy land stuff.

The best imaginative play my son ever engaged in was with one of those cheap plastic desk tidies. It was epic. Not insta-worthy though, I know.

@TheKeatingFive

there is an argument though that children who play with wooden toys instead of plastic ones tend to have better imaginations

That’s just Instagram influencer horseshit though.

I can’t think of a toy better placed to develop imagination than lego/duplo. And that’s not to mention all the other price/happy land stuff.

The best imaginative play my son ever engaged in was with one of those cheap plastic desk tidies. It was epic. Not insta-worthy though, I know.

You have a real bee in your bonnet about this.

It’s been explained loads that Lego/duplo etc isn’t tat.

And nobody else has mentioned Instagram.

@TheKeatingFive

For me personally- crowns and dress up things (plastic shatters, jewels fall off), Kinder egg or McDonald's type toys

I get those, but the OP is talking about m bigger, ‘impressive looking’ toys so I wonder what she means by this

We've had cheap plastic, brittle castles where bits snapped off and in half, large toy dinosaurs, yapping dogs, and ponies where the legs snap and break. Rollercoaster type tracks. Battery operated light up toys tend to be the worst.

It’s been explained loads that Lego/duplo etc isn’t tat

I’m directly responding to a post that states that wooden toys are better for imagination than plastic.

Next time, could you ask for "experiences"?

It is/was quite convenient that DD has a summer birthday, but her grandparents were persuaded to buy her a riding lesson at Christmas and another for her birthday if we holidayed near a riding school. We then tried pottery and surfing and skiing as she got older. They were always chuffed to go to watch of have a video clip of her grinning from ear to ear.

I get it OP. You mean the sort of toy that comes in a huge box with loads of clear plastic, and is usually of a poorer quality of plastic and quite crap finish.

Ds has a relative who is loaded yet invariably purchases this stuff - eg a plastic train set where the track didnt fit together well, the moulding of the train and garage was wonky, and the electronic recorded sounds featured heavily accented "English" phrases that weren't quite right. They last max 6 months before bits break off. Often its branded tv character tat that is like this.

By contrast another relative buys inexpensive but durable stuff from ikea that lasts FAR longer & is equally fun.

there is an argument though that children who play with wooden toys instead of plastic ones tend to have better imaginations

This is balls 🤣

Wooden toys can be colourful, detailed etc just as plastic can. It's just another hard material.

YANBU, these days I tell people what to get the kids. It's not just the plastic tat it's the enormous presents. I don't have room for a gigantic car garage or rocking horse FFS