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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be confused about playrooms?

234 replies

Wowsostormy · 21/02/2022 11:19

I just don't get how they work in the home. I get it more if your child is old enough to play unsupervised, but if they're young you surely have to just be in the playroom with them, in which case why not just have toys in the living room? Because you're probably not in the living room much, so isn't the playroom then basically your living room anyway?

And a child old enough to play unattended could surely play in their room instead anyway?

Explain this to me!

YABU - playrooms are great for X reason I haven't grasped

YANBU - pointless room which may as well be the living room

OP posts:
RedCandyApple · 21/02/2022 11:22

My mum hates my kids toys in the living room, she says it looks untidy and that I should turn the dining room into a play room and keep one room a “grown ups room” tbf I do have 4 kids so we have a lot of toys and I think they can make living rooms look untidy/messy! So I probably will turn the dining room into a play room.

Invasionofthegutsnatchers · 21/02/2022 11:23

We have a sofa in our playroom. And a rug on the floor so we could sit in there comfortably. It's now a pet room where the rabbits live.

StrawberrySquash · 21/02/2022 11:25

Because you don't have to tidy the toys away to make the living room look tidy if you have a playroom. And it means the kids are nearer you as generally a playroom is downstairs. If you've got the space they make sense. Also is a neutral space if you have multiple children and often larger than bedrooms.

stormstormgoaway · 21/02/2022 11:25

If you have the space, it can be nice for older children. Somewhere they can paint, craft and generally make a mess without their bedroom or the living room bearing the brunt.

For younger children who need supervision, the benefit is just that it keeps toys and mess out of the rest of the house.

CaptainMerica · 21/02/2022 11:25

I don't have a playroom, but do envy it in friend's houses. It's just a second, kid focused, living room you can close the door on when the kids go to sleep, and have a nice, tidy, grownup living room for the evening.

Purplestorm83 · 21/02/2022 11:26

We have a playroom because we have a three bed house with two large a one small bedroom, it makes more sense for our daughters to share the small bedroom and have the other large bedroom as a playroom (it has a sofa bed in it so doubles as a spare room)

Whatsonmymindgrapes · 21/02/2022 11:26

As my living room doesn’t have toys everywhere! So it’s lovely and clean and calm when I sit down at night.

2022HereWeCome · 21/02/2022 11:28

We have a room that is a playroom (although Lego inevitably ends up throughout the house anyway). In theory this is the room DS spends time with his friends, it is a mess, I don't object too much if the floor is covered, and its the room we do arts and crafts in. It means the lounge is a calmer place with just board games, tv etc played in there and tidied up immediately after use

3WildOnes · 21/02/2022 11:29

I can leave half built Lego creations out, or giant marble runs and I don’t have to be surrounded by mess. I don’t have to listen to them playing on their consoles. Our playroom is like a second living room and I do spend a lot of time in there with the kids but is also great when they have friends over or we have friends and want separate spaces.

StringyPotatoes · 21/02/2022 11:29

It entirely depends on your tolerance for "clutter"

I find that as kids get older their play becomes more elaborate - big train tracks or cities made of blocks etc. As it's part of an ongoing game you may not want that left all weekend in your living room. Some people are very particular about bedrooms being for sleeping or, again, don't want intricate worlds left in a room where they'll be tripped over and knocked whilst getting ready for bed.

Playrooms are not essential but finding a way that allows a child to maintain their games is.

Easterbunnyiswindowshopping · 21/02/2022 11:30

In time our playroom became a dining room. And sitting down after dc are in bed and not being surrounded by dc toys is great!

KeyWorker · 21/02/2022 11:30

Our playroom goes through stages of being a toy storage room and a playroom. It’s nice to not have toys stored in the living room after the play mat and jumperoo stage. Also, it means now DD(aged7) can set up playmobil scenes ect and they don’t have to be packed away.

DementedPanda · 21/02/2022 11:30

We had a playroom when the dc were young. We turned the conservatory into one, it was the best move we made. All toys were sorted into plastic tubs. Although often spilling into the living room while building train tracks etc I didn't mind that and the dc used to help put things back into the relevant boxes before bath and bed. Now it's dh turn to use that room since working from home due to covid. One day I might reclaim it as my reading room Grin

Anycrispsleft · 21/02/2022 11:32

I never figured it out either. My kids wanted to be in the same room as me all the time until about age 5, and most of the time until about 7. We have a big open plan kitchen and dining area and they always did most of their playing there - if you're going to be stuck in one room all day with the kids, I find it might as well be the kitchen, because then you can do a bit of housework (and make a cup of tea)

Bullandbush · 21/02/2022 11:32

Dh's db and sil had a playroom for the dc.
It was a small room to keep the toys, don't think they played in their much.
Poor kids weren't allowed so much as a book in their bedrooms let alone a toy.

Thesearmsofmine · 21/02/2022 11:32

Ours has been amazing. When the dc have set up huge train tracks or Playmobil towns they can keep them set up as long as they like without it being in the way.

RegardingMary · 21/02/2022 11:33

My living room is for drinking gin not for barbie's dream house and sticky fingers.

They generally start playing in there from around 3. It's right off the kitchen which is where I generally am and I pop my head around the open door constantly. I wouldn't be able to do that if they were in their bedrooms.

Occasionally toys sneak out, but they just get slung back in at the end of the day. I also like that thd majority of toys are downstairs, so there's less to prevent them sleeping in their rooms.

OinkyO · 21/02/2022 11:33

I'd love one so my kid can paint everything without me worrying g about the carpet too much

ShowOfHands · 21/02/2022 11:34

We had a playroom off the dining room when the DC were younger. It just meant all the crafts, board games, Lego, action figures etc were in the same place and could be contained. We had IKEA storage in there, a rug and small sofa and a small desk and chair. I wouldn't have wanted all that in the living room. I was usually in the dining room anyway and could keep half an eye on them or join them. It made perfect sense. They're older now so the room is just a garden room again and they have their stuff in their bedrooms or in the art studio in the garden.

ExactlyThis · 21/02/2022 11:34

We have a playroom. I love it because:

Toys have a place, and I don’t feel I have to clean it constantly like I would if it was the lounge. They can leave toys out all over the floor if they like, I can just shut the door.

Bedrooms are for reading and sleeping only. It is a calm environment for them and has a clear purpose. It also keeps the bedroom tidy, no hurting my feet on Lego when I check they’re still breathing before I go to sleep.

When they were small, of course we hung out in the playroom. They also did (and do) bring toys elsewhere, but they also know said toys can’t stay there for the rest of time. Tidying sometimes means dumping them inside the door of the playroom, but that’s fine, because I can shut the door and not look at the mess.

It also keeps the children and their noisy games out of the lounge, so if we have play dates, adults can sit and enjoy a cup of coffee whilst the kids scream and make a mess elsewhere.

On that note, it means no need to clean / tidy upstairs when we have guests as nobody is going up there anyway. Suits me!

MrsBungle · 21/02/2022 11:34

It keeps the living room tidy and clutter free. You can leave out half done jigsaws or other games etc ready for the next day. As my two have got older the playroom now has a switch and a TV and they lounge about in there as a second living room.

FirewomanSam · 21/02/2022 11:34

We had a ‘family room’ when I was a kid, it was basically just a second living room but it was upstairs and was where all the playtime and most of the TV watching happened. I think our family computer was in there too. It meant the actual living room stayed tidy and wasn’t full of kids’ clutter when my parents wanted to have friends round. It was great! I could never afford to have that myself now but I would totally do it if I ever had a big house and kids.

Leonberger · 21/02/2022 11:35

Ours is more a toy storage room but I can leave tracks and things out without stepping over them.

I tend to bring the toy of choice into the living room and then put it back once they are sick of it!

gamerchick · 21/02/2022 11:36

You adapt the room as they grow. One time it's full of toys and spaces for activities. Stick a sofa in there and a nice rug, it's fine.

These days mines full of piano and tech. It's just nice to have a space that doesn't intrude on the rest of the house.

DoctorSnortles · 21/02/2022 11:37

We used to for chuck all DD’s toys in when she went to bed. During the day we had a fine time rampaging around the whole house, creating mayhem, then I’d set a timer before bath time and we’d race around putting the stuff away in the playroom. We now use it as a study - on days when he’s WFH, DH uses the desk in there. DD does her homework in there. I go in to swing around on the spinny chair when I have a quiet moment.

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