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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Living room full of kids stuff

58 replies

Coyoteuglyisonagain · 15/01/2024 20:41

Is your living room/lounge full of your kids things (if you have small children) ?
Just looking around and realising how other things were replaced with kids toys , books etc and if this is normal 😂
We have no coffee table anymore, instead there’s a kids cooker next to the tv and tv table /cabinet thing, our sofa, dining table, bookcase and computer table & fireplace. The rest is filled with baskets with kids toys in, baskets with kids books in, a blackboard, dolls house and toy boxes with teddies in, plus my Dds little chair she sits on.
Is your downstairs living space filled with things too? She does have some things in her bedroom, but never plays there

OP posts:

RawBloomers · 15/01/2024 20:47

No. I didn’t want to feel like I lived in a nursery so I got a chest for throwing their downstairs toys in so they’re hidden and everything else lives in their room. When I tidied up in the evening I just had to fling everything in the chest, close the lid and it looked adult again.

It was a bit of faff when they wanted to things like painting as had to go get the easel and set it up. But I didn’t want that just out anyway as then paint would go everywhere.

But - it’s only for a few years. They get older and things change. So if it’s working for you, keep with it.

Blomdd · 15/01/2024 20:49

Nope. Everything is in his bedroom stored away in kallax units. All toys have to be back where they belong before bed. Living room full of toys it way too much and would do my head in.

Doyouwantmejusttogo · 15/01/2024 20:50

Not really but we have 2x playrooms for just that reason.

ButtonMoon5 · 15/01/2024 20:53

Yep, but its baby stuff everywhere. my defence, we live in a miniscule flat. I will get organised and sort it all out once we move (I hope!)

Vettrianofan · 15/01/2024 20:53

When the youngest turned 5 I made a decision to reclaim the living room so all toys went upstairs to their bedroom, gave bags of toys to charity, and some up loft. There comes a point when you need to get back to normal and make life easier to clean too.

Snowpaw · 15/01/2024 20:54

My living room is full of toys. I don't find it stressful really. Usually on say a Friday afternoon we make a proper effort to have a big tidy up so it feels relaxing for the adults at the weekend in the evenings, but the rest of the time the state of the living room just reflects what my DD is interested in at any one time, and I quite enjoy looking at her little collections she has made. It reminds me of her when she's asleep, and I like it. She gets really into elaborate imaginary games and sometimes they last days, so I don't put them away each night. She gets up in the morning and picks up where she left off and that's her entertained while I make breakfast.

I definitely prioritise other things over tidying up the living room.

bluechicky · 15/01/2024 20:54

Yes and I will miss it when it's gone

Carsarelife · 15/01/2024 20:55

Yes and I am decluttering as we speak. My youngest is 9 now and hardly any toys played with. Loved board games and colouring etc
So really cutting down on younger books and toys.
My lounge is quite small really

Moveoverdarlin · 15/01/2024 20:56

Nope, that would drive me mad. I can’t stand all the plastic crap around when I want to relax.

DisorganisedMummyTurningOrgnaised · 15/01/2024 20:56

Yep! We moved into a new house not long ago and the little one claimed our living room - so it’s all his. Atleast I can shut the door. In our last home, we had to get rid of the TV to make more room for him!! The kid took over our entire downstairs!

fisky · 15/01/2024 20:56

We have a corner with toys in boxes and a dolls house. Also a craft section of our living room bookcase. I don't mind. The DC will grow up fast and it's only a few years of toys.

Growlybear83 · 15/01/2024 20:57

We always had quite a few toys in the living room, but they didn't take long to tidy away when my daughter went to bed. Once she was big enough to have a toy kitchen, thst was in the middle of our kitchen so she could play with it whilst I was cooking. I had a little tykes mountain train set in the bedroom where I do the ironing so she could play whilst I was ironing, and then a small supply of toys in the bathroom and lots in her bedroom. I always took the view that it was my daughters home as much as ours and she was entitled to have her belongings in the rooms where she spent most of her time.

Passingthethyme · 15/01/2024 20:58

More than I'd like but it's not too bad. My child has boxes of toys and I alternate them so they're hidden away but it also means they play with different things as the boxes are on rotation. I hate clutter anyway so what you describe would drive me insane

UndertheCedartree · 15/01/2024 21:04

Yes, my sitting room used to have a lot of toys and books and baskets of arts and crafts things. The plastic toys went in a big toy box in front of the fireplace and the nice wooden ones were on the shelf. I loved seeing their toys and never wanted my house to look like I didn't have DC.

Droppit · 15/01/2024 21:05

I have one living space and when DC was young the toys were kept mostly in there because that's where they played. It was cluttered but life was easier that way. Doesn't last forever.

Footprintsinthesand · 15/01/2024 21:05

Yes! I'm currently sitting with a toy kitchen, an easel, a full kallax, a massive box of duplo and another full of playmobil. I've also promised faithfully that I won't clear away a half built duplo houseboat.

It's their living room too. I don't mind as long as stuff is mostly clear and in the right boxes. I get stressed when they scatter it everywhere. They're 4 and 1.

GoodVibesHere · 15/01/2024 21:07

My DC are teens now, but when they were young our living rooms were filled with their stuff, toy kitchen, craft table, dressing up box, dolls etc etc. I wanted my kids to be able to play wherever they wanted and to feel that every part of the house was theirs as much as mine.

Original poster

Coyoteuglyisonagain · 15/01/2024 21:08

Mine isn’t cluttered and it’s always tidied away, it just makes me life how the lovely coffee table and side table thingy with nice lamp disappeared and there’s a kids kitchen and chair etc etc

OP posts:

Youcannotbeseriousreally · 15/01/2024 21:08

God never. I’d hate that. All toys played with and stored in the playroom when they were young. Now they don’t have toys so it’s fine.

MargaretThursday · 15/01/2024 21:09

Mine was when the dc were small.
It isn't now, however we have a portable tap floor (dd2), various musical instruments (dd2 and ds), two budgie cages plus food (ds) and a car cover drying over the sofa (dd1) instead.
We've also got various costumes hanging over the curtain rails before they're returned next week from a show ds did before Christmas.

Edited to say: No playroom here as no space for it, and the children's rooms are too small to have those things in.

Pickles2023 · 15/01/2024 21:10

Yeah, mainly just an alphabet foam mat down on one half..have a toy box for all the toys come evening/adult time.

Its carpet so having the mat it is easy to clean and also protect floor.

But i like it, i like watching her play and joining in..think even if we had a massive house id still end up in the same room where she plays.

Umph · 15/01/2024 21:15

Nope. We’re fairly ruthless with rotating and donating toys. Our house is tiny so I’m not using up the very limited available space with kids stuff. We did have the play kitchen in the front room for a while but now the youngest is a little bit more independent (she’s 3), it’s in the kids’ bedroom.

The rest of the ‘downstairs toys’ (art stuff and a selection of favourites) are stored in a toy box (with a cushion on top so doubles as a seat), in the book shelves (there is a puzzle shelf), or in the bottom of the dresser.

Our house isn’t show home-y or un child friendly by any stretch of the imagination but I can also relax of an evening without feeling like I’m running a preschool.

WaitingfortheTardis · 15/01/2024 21:15

We have some ottomans in the lounge and then a storage area behind one of the sofas. I like knowing it's there, tidy but friendly and homely feeling. I hate separate playrooms.

SleepingStandingUp · 15/01/2024 21:15

Yes op. Our bookcases that used to be filled with adult stuff are full of kids books. Basket of cuddles down the front of the room. Couple of big cupboards at the back full of toys. We did have doors on them at one point but they came off. Massive paw patrol tower on the kids desk.
I mean we have kids. This is their living room too. I don't want them stuck in their rooms. I don't want them having to trek upstairs and downstairs every time they want a new book or a new toy because I didn't want to have to live with seeing the consequences of our unprotected actions lol

Devilsmommy · 15/01/2024 21:16

Oh yes, toys all over my living room 😅 though I do tidy them when DS 15mo has gone to bed. I'm sorry but the amount of posts here saying god no, we had the playroom for that🤣🤣🤣 I'm in a 2 bed flat, my living room is the playroom 🤪

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