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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:
FirewomanSam · 21/02/2022 11:37

And when we were teens it was a great space to have friends over and watch a movie or have a sleepover without taking over the rest of the family’s space. Ahh this has made me nostalgic for my old playroom now. I loved it.

BigPurpleEgg · 21/02/2022 11:41

Agree with everyone else, I don't want every toy they own in my living room and their bedrooms are for sleeping. Mine are 1 and 3 so yes I have to be in the playroom with them but I would be playing with them anyway so it's no problem to me. We do have a lot of toys in the living room too but not ones that create a huge mess like art and crafts or sensory stuff or if my 3yo decides to create an elaborate dino world she does it in the play room and it doesn't have to be packed away at the end of the day, nor do I have to sit in it to watch TV after shes asleep

NerrSnerr · 21/02/2022 11:41

We have a very small 'playroom'. I think it was an office before we moved in. We use it for storage and they bring stuff out to the living room to play with.

DeadButDelicious · 21/02/2022 11:41

I could have a living room full of toys and clutter or I could sacrifice my Dining room until she's old enough to play unsupervised upstairs and keep one room that's a grown up space at least some of the time. I chose to hand over the dining room. She was still in a crib when we moved in here so her room was the box room as all she did was sleep in there, she's getting moved into the bigger spare room this year so most if not all of her toys can go upstairs and I'll get my dining room back.

SirSidneyRuffDiamond · 21/02/2022 11:42

We had a playroom downstairs where all the toys lived and half-built lego constructions/marble runs could be left up for several days. We had a piano, sofa and TV in there too, so it was essentially a family sitting room used mostly in the daytime. We had a much tidier and more grown up sitting room which the adults used in the evening or when we had guests.

Now DS is 15 the playroom still has a piano, sofa and a TV, but now also a PlayStation and is still used as a messier, informal sitting room. The adult sitting room is still used by the three of us in the evening and is a nicer space to invite guests into.

TheBeesKnee · 21/02/2022 11:43

Toys get absolutely everywhere and if you can afford a play room I think it's a must have.

Growing up I had my toys in my bedroom. I was always shouted at to tidy up and it was chaotic with toys all over the floor, under the bed, etc. I was not allowed to have toys in the communal spaces unless it was one thing e.g. cuddly toy.

I have visited homes where there is just one reception room and toys are all over the place, even if your try to tidy up. It's chaotic and overwhelming. You can't really relax, even after the kids are in bed imo, when you can accidentally step on a Lego or sit on a paw patrol toy hiding in the sofa.

I think adult spaces are important. Children shouldn't be excluded, but they also should not be taking over everything.

I personally don't have a spare reception room for a play room and it's something I worry about, I don't want to feel like I'm living in a kindergarten, you know?

OinkyO · 21/02/2022 11:43

I quite like the clutter it's fun to see what they are up to with their toys. But I don't have visitors I usually go to their house.

User839516 · 21/02/2022 11:45

I’m a SAHM with a 2yo and 4yo, we spend our days in the playroom (biggest room in house) which has all their toys, books etc. in it. It has a sofa but no other ‘adult’ furniture, just kids table and chairs, dressing up station, play kitchen, toy storage units etc. it is semi open plan with kitchen and dining area so I can make lunch and tea without leaving them totally unattended. The living room on the other hand is a completely separate space with sofa, armchair, coffee table, TV and unit (no TV in playroom) bookcase for adult books etc. I spend evenings in there with husband when kids are in bed. They’re totally different things imo! I imagine as kids get older the playroom will become maybe more of a ‘games room’ where they can hang out with friends etc. will probably eventually put a tv in there, possibly games console etc.

Caspianberg · 21/02/2022 11:46

Ds is still small, so our playroom is relatively new. It will adapt over time.

At the moment it’s an ideal spot where we store bulk of toys. He currently has play tent, tunnel, pikler climbing frame. So it’s basically a space for large items where he can run and not break anything.
Also set up things like train sets and they can stay set up a few days without being in the way. Just shut door when finished.

I imagine when older it’s where he can make more of a mess or leave things like Lego models or large scenes without being in the way

WonderfulYou · 21/02/2022 11:47

I’ve never had one but would love one.

Isn’t it just so you can shove all of their toys in one room and it be a safe area where they can play and get messy - if so I think it sounds great!

Chasingaftermidnight · 21/02/2022 11:47

We’ve recently moved house to one with a playroom (well a second living room) and it’s a game changer for all the reasons people have mentioned above. It also means the kids can have larger toys that they just couldn’t have had in our previous place - things like an easel and a toy kitchen.

TheOpportuneMoment · 21/02/2022 11:50

Our conservatory is a playroom. It's directly off the kitchen/dining room so he's in sight and I'm close by to help if I'm not in there with him. It's somewhere to store large toys that we don't have space for in the living room, and he can easily see and find anything he wants. He can leave train sets/tents etc set up for as long as he wants. It doesn't matter if he gets play doh on the rug. We do bring things into the living room over the course of the day but it's easy to tidy them away and have the living room relatively clutter free.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 21/02/2022 11:51

It depends on the house layout. One of our houses had an L shaped living/dining room... it was supposed to dining room one end, living room the other. But we had the dining area at the corner, the playroom in the dining room area and then the little bit around the corner was the TV area. Not having the toys in the small area in the evening was a lot more restful.

The spare bedroom playrooms didn't work as well. Just storage really.

tealandteal · 21/02/2022 11:52

You can leave half built train tracks etc or have bigger toys like play kitchens while still having a relaxing lounge in the evening. When DS was very small it was just a different room but we have a gate in the door so keeps the dogs out.

Kinko · 21/02/2022 11:54

Reasons for a playroom - if you have the space

Mess - you can close the door on it. Having a dinner party - no racing around telling your kids to put their toys away

Safety - no TVs at risk of having a bouncy ball lobbed at them, easy clean flooring, no wires, or broken expensive lamps

Space - less furniture to navigate your tricycle around

Bibbitybobbityboo86 · 21/02/2022 11:54

We have a playroom but my daughter didn’t really play in it. We used it as a room to store all the toys in.
Now she’s older we’ve made it into a crafts and Lego room- she spends a lot of time at her desk drawing and colouring in now.
When she’s older I’ll make it somewhere where she can do homework in peace.
I’ll also make it into a separate den with a tv and games console so her and her friends can hang out in it

Saracen · 21/02/2022 11:55

My friend had a playroom off the kitchen - presumably it was originally a dining room. She could watch the kids while working in the kitchen.

The kids' bedrooms were too tiny to play much. Besides, the playroom was a good shared space where all of her kids could play together.

Peanutbuttercupisyum · 21/02/2022 11:55

Sitting room is for tv, reading, chatting, having a drink in the evening, the odd jigsaw puzzle or board game.

Playroom is for Lego, barbies, pet hamsters, sylvanian families, dolls houses, pretend schools..etc Its a communal space for them.

Bedrooms are for sleeping, reading stories, and cuddly toys.

Couldn’t deal with no playroom.! At the weekend me and DH hang out in sitting room, kids play in playroom.

Christmas1988 · 21/02/2022 11:56

Playrooms are great, it’s a good space to keep all the toys in and do messy activities! My both my sons play in the playroom and it’s great when their friends come to play! We don’t have a TV in the play room but have comfy seating.

SleepingStandingUp · 21/02/2022 11:57

I'd love a playroom

I'd have a comfy chair in there for me bad accept that I'd mostly live in there. But I could also leave toys that have been constructed, out. If it was getting late I could pull the door and ignore. No toys staring at me when I'm trying to star at the Vikings ON TV R etc.

NoNameNoGane · 21/02/2022 11:58

I would absolutely LOVE to have a play room but our house is tiny. As well as the benefits of not having a living room that looks like a crèche, the playroom would not necessarily have a television so DS wouldn't constantly be asking me to put it on!

NeedAHoliday2021 · 21/02/2022 11:59

It was the room we stored all the toys and did craft/painting in with easy clean floors. When little I’d be in there too but it’s more used even dc are juniors at primary I think… although we don’t have one now my dc are that age.

00100001 · 21/02/2022 11:59

It's a symptom of kids having far too many toys.

Walkingandtalking · 21/02/2022 12:01

When my eldest 4 were younger we had a playroom but tbh they never stayed in there unless i constantly sat in there with them - at which point it becomes another living room.

We have 6 children now and live in a much smaller space for very complicated reasons and my two youngest have a toy box in the living room and the oldest have toys in their bedrooms. Thinking back the playroom just gave me another room to tidy!

I miss the old house but i dont miss the playroom.

GiantSpider · 21/02/2022 12:01

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

IME there is a period of time lasting several years (approx age 2-3 to age 11) when a child is old enough to play independently for a period of time but still wants to be near you, not tucked away upstairs. It's not really until they're teens that they disappear into their bedrooms.

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