Bewildered by the cost of these toys - what's the point

[PetiteSourisManoir]

Yesterday I went to visit an old friend. We went to primary school together (all girls private so I'm not going to pretend I'm not also privileged). She's been living abroad for several years but now has a little girl who's 3. I have 2 DC who are 2 and 3.

Anyway, she showed me around her home which was lovely but I've left feeling a little bewildered by the cost of some of the toys.

Her daughter has a rocking horse, I commented that it was lovely and asked where it was from, custom ordered from a specialist maker. I asked how much and she said a little shy of £5000 but it's an heirloom piece. Fair enough I suppose, not something I would do but I get that it's intended to be passed on for generations.
When we were in the toy room and the kids were playing though I noticed how so many of these toys seemed expensive. I got nosey and decided to have a google when I got home. Dolls house - £870, play kitchen - £569, tea set - £129. There were more but these stood out to me!

Now I have 2 boys, but our play kitchen was £160 and I thought that was ridiculous. Now it has crayon marks, stickers etc. on it and frankly I wish I'd spent less or got it secondhand!

AIBU to think what is the bloody point in toys this expensive? Have you ever bought your kids a ridiculously expensive toy? If so why?

It depends.
I'm not sure they'd enjoy them enough to spend crazy money on them tbh.

Okay fair enough, I have friends of all backgrounds, some much wealthier than this friend and some much less so, and she is the only person I know to spend so much on her kids toys.
I have friends who dress their kids in Chanel and Fendi which I don't agree with either.
This friend is more likely to dress her daughter in Trotters and Bonpoint which again just seems very indulgent.

Never known someone to have a £5000 rocking horse or £800 dolls house so I thought it was odd was all!

@ueberlin2030 - seeing as the children playing with the rocking horse are aged 2 and 3; whether they'd spend lots of money on it is a moot point.

@ueberlin2030

Interesting, I know from other friends that dolls houses are still very well played with, be it Sylvanian Families, Maileg or something else so I'm not sure that the cost of that would change the enjoyment level.

Clearly a child will enjoy a £80 dolls house as much as an £800 one which is why I was questioning why anyone would spend more.

The question was answered with - because they can.

This is what I mean. Are kids these days wowed by a traditional dollhouse with all the intricate reproduction furniture and fittings?

I'm imagining a period item here...I could be wrong.

I agree OP

On mumsnet though it’s just about disposable income and if you can afford it which always baffles me - surely if you have a high income it doesn’t mean you have to waste money pointlessly. But each to their own I guess.

@PetiteSourisManoir - I've never even heard of Trotters or Bonpoint just shows how poor I am after 60 years on this Earth 😂

Maybe at some point we will all benefit from your friend's largesse (hmmm really not convinced about trickle down economics)

If she has enough disposable income then it’s up to her what she spends it on. I’d consider an £870 dolls house to also be an heirloom piece.

in theory they can be sold on but to be honest how many stand the hours of playing with to be able to resell? apart from items being scribbled on bits missing stickers ripped off? unless it is a toy that was not popular and the parents put it away or an unplayed with duplicate i doubt many could be sold to raise decent money.
if your friend has the money to spend on these toys its her choice. I understand about the rocking horse lots of people like those for an heirloom piece and they are gorgeous

Of course it’s not, if you have the money.

Any spend on non-essential items and luxuries will seem a waste if you are not used to having or spending that much.
A friend spent over £500 on a light fitting for her child’s bedroom - her child wouldn’t have appreciated it at all but my friend loved it, gave a small bit of joy to see it and she could afford it. I could afford similar but would never consider spending that on a bedroom light shade. As it happens, mychild has had a bare bulb hanging from their bedroom ceiling for 2 years as I just haven’t got round to it and is low down on my list of things to buy.

Perhaps OP’a friend likes having beautiful toys to furnish the playroom rather than cheaper ones? She may continue to keep the dolls house and rocking chair long after the children have outgrown them - they can be beautiful pieces to have in their own right.

Yes I have spent a lot of.money on toys when mine were small and the simple answer is "because I wanted to and I could afford it"

May sound like a flick offf but I got the beautiful wood crafted kitchen rather than thr plastic brightly coloured one as I loved the astetic.of it. We got the train table because it was both beautiful and practical.

I didnt only buy expensive things but some I did and I don't regret it. I didnt do it to show others up but because I wanted my children to have something beautiful. It gave me joy to watch them with the items.

Some children will enjoy a dolls house or a rocking horse or a kitchen or whatever, but it's not wise to assume anything.

This particular friend is a big fan of spending - most recently were VIP hospitality tickets for her, her dad and her little girl to go to a F1 Grand Prix race, I imagine worth 10s of thousands. Nor convinced her 3 year old got anything from that experience but she clearly has a lot of money to burn!

Me too!!! My niece collects them so I decided to get her one for xmas - £30 for a "christmas pudding" and it was so small. I was really shocked. (but still bought it 😬)

But to them it’s not a pointless waste. In the same way that to someone else, a handbag costing thousands isn’t a waste. That would be to me, but different things float different people’s boats, don’t they? If you posted a question on here “If you were to be given £5000 today, what non-essential item would you spend it on?” You’d get all sorts of answers. There’s always a cheaper and more expensive version of things that perform the same function. One person’s waste is another person’s joy.

I mean Trotters is not the height of luxury is it?????

And they spent money on F1 tickets because THEY want to go and they took their kid with them (because they can afford to pay for their kid).

People spend money on things they like doing- I spend a lot of money on sporting tickets for an obscure-ish sport and travel to see it. And now DS1 comes with me.

We buy lots of books and music and concert tickets and like travelling (not luxury). But our kids have no gaming consoles and other than an old phone for the teenager no personal devices. Everyone chooses to spend money on what they prioritise.

If their children are not badly behaved, and if their money is not ill gotten HOW DOES IT MATTER?!

It seems an insane amount to me but they're going to be very well made, give a certain aesthetic and all possibly be heirloom items.

Those Harrods dolls houses include all the furniture - it would be easy to get to £1000 buying Maileg furniture!

So I can see if money is no object why I might go for the more expensive option.

Not sure why you are bewildered. Many (most) people who have a lot of money spend more on things than people with less money do.

Why did you spend £160 on a play kitchen when you can buy them for under £50? Lots of people would find that a lot to spend! Presumably because you thought the more expensive one was sturdier, or looked nicer, or it was bigger, or you liked one or more of the features or trusted the brand and ultimately you spent £160 because you could afford to. The same reasons will apply for buying a £400 play kitchen as for you buying a £160 - because there was an aspect about it preferred to the cheaper ones that made it seem worth the money and it was affordable. The only situation in which I’d question someone spending that amount of money on toys is if they clearly can’t afford it and are getting themselves in credit card debt or similar to fund it. If they have a high income and can afford it though then I don’t see the issue.

But that is your definition of waste and pointless and, tbf, most things beyond basic food, clothing, shelter and warmth could be considered pointless or a waste.

Life is for enjoyment - if you can afford it, spend money on the things that give you joy.

At a guess I would assume she is spending a similiar % of income on toys as others. You could have easily bought a cheaper kitchen but you choose not to. Why did you spend more on the kitchen you choose?

Clearly a child will enjoy a £80 dolls house as much as an £800 one which is why I was questioning why anyone would spend more.

Not sure I agree - for me, the point of a dolls' house is the charm of its miniaturisation, which lies in the details. Cheap dolls' houses tend to be not much more than boxes; expensive ones have proper staircases, lighting, details like door lintels and skirting boards. You have to pay for carpentry of that intricacy. Perhaps very small children wouldn't appreciate it, but that was what I hankered after from the age of about 7 to 12. I had no interest in the plastic Sindy houses that were the in thing at the time.

YANBU

More money than sense I think is the phrase.

Or she’s spent every penny who knows. It’s the bloke dressed in m&S clothes at the back drinking tea out of a flask with a million in the bank 😂😂

I remember looking at rocking horses when mine was tiny and wishing I could afford one (there was one in a book shop she loved). I realised then that I would if I could but I couldn't so didn't. Not quite sure what your point is? She has chosen to, you have not. Whether this is for financial reasons, space or preference, who cares?