Wooden Dolls House?

[Matildathebrave]

Please can I have your views on these? Firstly they seem really expensive but also look great. I'm sure my nearly 5 year old daughter would love one but would it get played with?

Am looking at either the ELC one or GLTC one, has anyone brought one of these?

Is five around the right age?

Also I have already brought her the Playmobil take along dolls house as it was cheap in the sale, is this just a cheap cop out?

Please help!.

[bunnyspoiler]

I think the wooden ones get played with well between 2-5yrs but beyond that the figures and furniture are a bit clunky and unsophisticated and the children move towards Playmobil, Sylvanian Families, etc. If you want a more grown up one the Dolls House Emporium do great ones which become collectors items and will last her many years. Sylvanians are great for that age range too. Lundby also do a Stockholm house (just do a google search) which is lovely with working lights. All the above have options for working lights which 5yr olds upwards will find very exciting. The Playmobil take along looks nice and is small if you don't have much storage.

[mollschambers]

Second the elc mansion. Wouldn't pay full price for it but it has been played with a lot.

[Matildathebrave]

Thanks all. I really like the ELC mansion, but put off by having only one bed etc, I would think she'd like a house with a family in.

Absolutely love the Lundby Stockholm House, beautiful. Only put off by the price, if it had the furniture included I might be tempted.

Had no idea a 5 year old would be growing out of a wooden dolls house, I've not brought one before as thought she was too young! How rubbish am I! Still, she has the rosebud house which she plays with so maybe am ok to give her the playmobil one as it's a stage up from that I guess.

Oh I wish I had a big house and lots of money I would buy them all.

[Matildathebrave]

Sorry meant to say she has the Happyland Cherry Lane Cottage not Rosebud House

[ThingsThatGoFlumpInTheNight]

Bought my DD a huge expensive wooden dolls house a few years ago and it was a big disappointment. I think really I bought it for me as much as her [hblush]. I would sit with her spending ages moving the furniture around, etc, and I gradually realised she was humouring me (at the age of about 4?) and I was enjoying it much more than she was.

Then she started telling me how much fun it would be if 'we' had a 'real' dolls house to play with, and showing me pics of horrible plastic pink Barbie-esque houses. I eventually gave in, bought what she wanted and let her give the wooden house to her cousin. She still plays with her plastic ponce-tastic palace all the time and she's had it about two years. But at least I tried.

[Matildathebrave]

Thanks, no where near Wales but thanks for trying.

[Matildathebrave]

Oh yeah, the Ponce-tastic Palace! Ha ha! It's all new to me as am use to having boys and always played with 'boys' toys when I was young.

I was well into action man and cap guns!

[MamaPizza]

The ELC one is currently half price.

Dolls house

[rhondajean]

I bought DD1 an expensive but playable with wooden dolls house when she was 6, it cost a small fortune but I had fond ideas of passing it on as a family heirloom, unfortunately it didnt quite last 5 years till it fell apart.

DD2 at 7 is just now interested in such things; I got her the Chad Valley one from Woolies, I dont know the ELC price but it was £45, with lots of furntiure and 2 dolls, even better it was half price at the time, its really nice and she loves it, I have no illusions it will last more than a year but I would highly recommend it for the price - although you need to make it up yourself, its a two man job, not that difficult but fiddly, the joy of the v expensive one was it arrived complete!

[rhondajean]

Oooh not Woolies, from Argos, Woolies used to have all the Chad Valley stuff before they closed, sorry.

[mrsm123]

ive just bought the asda one for my 3 yr old daughter with furniture and people. it was very cheap but looks really nice. even if she gets a few years out of it, it will be well worth it. im not into collecting/keeping stuff anyway (if it needs chucked out in a few years) so not looking to invest in a really good one.

[TheRealMrsHannigan]

DD has the ELC Rosebud house and adores it, she has the stables set too and will be getting either the treehouse or hospital to go with is this year. She is almost 3 and still plays with it most days (granted that her my little pony's usually take up residence lol)

Le Van Toy do a beautiful range of wooden dolls houses, all different sizes, If I had seen them before the ELC one I'd have bought one of those instead.

[TheRealMrsHannigan]

Oops it might be Le Toy Van