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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have toys in the living room?

82 replies

ColaOlaLa · 02/06/2021 12:20

I have 4 children so we have a lot of toys, they are mainly in the living room as the kids don’t play upstairs, my mum thinks it’s awful to have toys in the living room and says it makes the house look messy and toys should be kept to bedrooms. I don’t mind it and we are not lucky enough to have a play room, does anyone else have them in the living room?

OP posts:
stayathomer · 02/06/2021 12:34

We always had it until the last house when we had a playroom. Personally I loved it, everyone in and around each other and as people said above means you have a home not a show house.

Aerielview · 02/06/2021 12:38

In the living room...and all over the house! It's your children's home; I don't think they should be confined to playing in their bedrooms.
When I visit some friends' houses, you would think some of them are childless as there are no signs of any kids/kids' stuff downstairs. I think there's a great sadness to that, and I feel sorry for their children.

I'll take my kids' clutter over that any day - they'll be grown up and flown the nest before we know it, and we'll have all the time in the world then to keep the house tidy and clutter free.

Drunkenmonkey · 02/06/2021 12:41

We have loads of toys in the living room and nope they don't neatly pack away. How can I pack away a kitchen, an activity table, a ride on lion, a toot toot garage, and god knows what else doesn't fit in the storage we have.
We don't have a playroom either, if we had a playroom the living room would be toy free, but I've got used to just pushing them all to the side in the evening!

Original poster
ColaOlaLa · 02/06/2021 12:43

That’s what I’m saying a lot of it can’t be packed away there’s a kitchen, a dolls house, a food truck a rocking horse, mini trampoline Barbie house/trucks if I put it all in their bedrooms they would never play with it, smaller things like dolls and Lego etc do go away into the toy box

OP posts:
2bazookas · 02/06/2021 12:49

our kids always had toys and books in their bedrooms AND the living room, so do GC's in their home.

DH and I have always had our own "toys", er hobbies and current crafts/projects etc in the living room. Still do. Our GC have always had toys, books, games, crafts in our living room, provided by us for when they visit. Even our late dog kept his toys in our living room. In his toybox beside his sofa.

A home belongs to all the family and is for living in. Our home is very lived-in.

I can't stand that immaculate featureless everything-new latest-fashion show-home look where you can't even tell the house is occupied (let alone guess who inhabits it).

Snoken · 02/06/2021 12:57

I probably wouldn't have the big toys, like the trampoline, in the living room as I do like it to look like a grown up place at least in the evenings, which would be impossible with a trampoline in it. Would mind a toy box and whatever you can fit in there because you can just chuck that back in at the end of the day.

AngeloMysterioso · 02/06/2021 13:02

We’re able to put most of them away after DS is in bed but during the day, yes, it’s like a toys r us exploded in our sitting room.

Original poster
ColaOlaLa · 02/06/2021 13:04

It’s a mini one like an exercise one

OP posts:
Caspianberg · 02/06/2021 13:05

We do have toys in living room atm, but they do all pack away into a lidded basket and ottoman at the end of each day which I like.

We don’t have any ‘big’ toys indoors. Things like a play kitchen I bought an outdoor version so he uses in garden. trampoline etc would all be in garden here. We don’t have space indoors

Crazycakelady17 · 02/06/2021 13:06

No I don’t but my youngest is 11 when they were younger when we didn’t have a play room yes the living room had plenty of toys

VaguelyInteresting · 02/06/2021 13:06

No big toys in the living room- they stay in DS’ (4) bedroom.

He has a big IKEA unit under the built in shelves in the living room and if it can fit in there, it can stay downstairs. Board games and his little theatre set are stacked on the bookcase and visible but tidy- and the toy theatre is an antique and looks lovely anyway.

Otherwise it goes in his bedroom.

It wasn’t ever thus, but I made the rule when we moved house last year and have stuck to it. Im a LP and he still cosleeps with me, his toys are in his bedroom, there are bath toys in the bathroom, and as he cosleeps most nights even my bedroom isn’t really mine- so it’s nice for me to feel like there’s at least one very tidy adult space in the house in the evenings.

SleepingStandingUp · 02/06/2021 13:09

Living room here too, some in bedroom but he rarely plays in there. Twins are 17 months so obv play downstairs. Storage is a major issue so it rarely loos entirely tidy but I'm not running a show home so meh. I'd love better storage but we just don't have wall space atm

Wanttocryatthecost · 02/06/2021 13:11

Tell her, it’s your house so if it’s a mess it’s your problem not hers. I use to get the same, people without kids or grown up kids including my parents making comments about all my kids toys and my house looking like a toy shop has exploded in it but I just ignored it, still do. My house is clean that’s all I care about. Even with storage it’s impossible to put it all away every day, even if I had the energy too. Like you we have dolls houses, ice cream trucks, building blocks, lego, our generation is a thing in my house so lots of big dolls, camper vans, hairdressing chairs, wardrobes etc...

My favourite thing to roll my eyes at is when older people complain kids are forced to grow up too fast these days then complain when they play with toys🙄 I want my DDs to play with toys as long as possible, if that means I live in a constant state of toy mess for the foreseeable then so be it.

Singalongasong · 02/06/2021 13:13

Absolutely YANBU. We do have a playroom but children have always been welcome to bring toys into the main living room. They live here too. I have friends whose main living area I didn't see for years on end, because baby group was always hosted in their playrooms... I find it a bit weird.

Wanttocryatthecost · 02/06/2021 13:15

@ColaOlaLa

It’s a mini one like an exercise one
Love those mini trampolines, we’ve had 2 over the years and they are definitely worth putting up with when the DCs are young.
Original poster
ColaOlaLa · 02/06/2021 13:15

Yep people do complain about kids growing up to fast then moan if they have toys that’s definitely true, my daughter is 10 but still has loads of Barbies but my mum thinks only the youngest should have toys, she also wants me to throw away my sons teddy that he has had since he was little that he is attached to but it’s “tatty and old” apparently so should be thrown away, he would be devastated. I will have to continue to ignore her but that’s why I don’t invite her round which she doesn’t realise either!

OP posts:
Howshouldibehave · 02/06/2021 13:16

my mum thinks it’s awful to have toys in the living room and says it makes the house look messy

Unless your mum owns your house and is paying your mortgage/rent, her opinion about where your toys should live is utterly irrelevant! Honestly, I love my mum very much but if she said this, I would tell her it’s my house and has literally nothing to do with her.

Howshouldibehave · 02/06/2021 13:16

I will have to continue to ignore her but that’s why I don’t invite her round which she doesn’t realise either!

I would just tell her. She is being really rude!

Original poster
ColaOlaLa · 02/06/2021 13:17

Love those mini trampolines, we’ve had 2 over the years and they are definitely worth putting up with when the DCs are young.

I got it for my oldest for her birthday she has autism and needs constant stimulation, I thought it would save the neighbours ears a bit as she has one outside as well but she would be on it all day and night if she could 😬

OP posts:
BrieAndChilli · 02/06/2021 13:17

We didn’t store toys in the living room but that was because we had the luxury of a conservatory off the lounge. They never played in there though so it was basically a glorified toy cupboard and they would play in the lounge (probably because that’s where the tv was!) and then we could tidy them away into the conservatory at the end of the day.

BraveBraveMouse · 02/06/2021 13:18

Yanbu. You sound like a great parent. I really don't understand the point of having kids if you are not the kind of person who is happy to have toys on display around the house.

Washimal · 02/06/2021 13:18

FWIW my MIL tells me she really regrets spending her sons' childhoods running round in a frenzy tidying up. She says now "what was the point?" And wishes she'd just enjoyed them more

Your MIL sounds lovely. Want to swap? Grin

We have toys in the living room because DS (2.5) is too young to be trusted to play unsupervised. We got a GLTC storage unit that means he can see his toys and get them out/put them back himself but it's also easy to tidy them all away at the end of the day. DD (7) has her toys in her bedroom, her arts and crafts stuff has pretty much taken over the dining room though!

Original poster
ColaOlaLa · 02/06/2021 13:19

Mind you growing up we weren’t allowed pens, paint, play dough, slime etc we got told “that’s what school is for (drawing/painting)” so maybe it’s just my mums issues!

OP posts:
PegPeople · 02/06/2021 13:19

I would just tell her. She is being really rude!

I would too. I'm sure she taught you that honesty is the best policy when you were growing up... Wink

Onairjunkie · 02/06/2021 13:21

I don’t allow toys to live in my living space. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I like that to be an attractive shared space for everyone. A toy can be brought in but it must be taken away once it’s finished with. There’s bedrooms and playrooms for such things. I hate looking at a messy stack of toys.

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