sick of buying toys that don't get looked at twice, anyone else?

[rockshandy]

I don't know what it is with my kids. We spend around £300 on them each at Christmas, and that is because we tend to not really spend money on toys throughout the year.

But it feels like they don't have as many toys as other children, and when I try to figure out what they play with I draw a blank. Toys they are bought end up with pieces missing/dolls lose their clothes/games are broken.

They are 5 and 8 so not babies either.

We are thinking of this Christmas now and everything I look at I just think what a waste of money because it won't make it past January.

DD2 is better at keeping her stuff nice and tidying up after herself but DD1 is the messiest person I know and there is a lot of stress centred around losing things/messy rooms/being disorganised. She has never been one for playing with toys or independently amusing herself.

Does anyone else find this? How do you manage it? What kind of toys do you find last the longest? So far the only things in this house that have worked is playdoh and colouring stuff.

Thanks for the replies.

So a few things to clear up. I find that the money doesn't stretch far really. The budget was always £200 and less for the baby years obviously. But last year that didn't seem to stretch so far so we raised it. They don't have mountains of gifts and it's not done to be in competition with anyone. I am not posting pics of it on Facebook.

They don't have large extended families, so the only external presents they get is from my PILs and those are usually kept at their house.

In past years they have had bikes/scooters/tablets etc. This year they will get a trampoline jointly.

The rest last year was spent on lego, playdoh, craft stuff, family games that are now useless because DD1 has destroyed them. I find that lego etc all adds up so £300 really doesn't go far.

This summer they have both been sorted with new beds. We are reluctant to add more furniture to their rooms as we intend to move soon and would rather fit a new room, but they do have toy storage already.

While the lego still makes an appearance now, I am reluctant to buy sets that will inevitably be useless after a few days.

We are still in santa mode and santa has never brought experiences or days out before. I am not sure how well that would go down. But it's worth considering.

Santa does not need to bring experiences Santa brings toys then use the money saved to do stuff.

And I have to add that I do not buy tat. I am not spending £300 in the pound shop. It goes on the things they ask for.

Last year they wanted a Lalaloopsy hair doh thing which was £30 and a build a bear workshop toy that was also £30. I got those on sale/used vouchers so didn't pay full price, and although the buildabear thing was a once only kind of toy they both did really enjoy it. The Lalaloopsy thing is still played with now and again.

It's more the day in day out that I am thinking about. They just don't seem to play.

But those things add up and DD1 wants the lego friends rollercoaster this year with all the side items. That runs to £150.

It is definitely not a tat mountain.

I agree most toys were a waste of money.

Things that did get lots of use were wooden bricks, a toy hoover!, small cars/ trucks and a road layout, multicoloured paper and pens, some of the lego (including Bionicles that had battles with each other) a few bits of playmobil. (We bought too many sets overall though.) Then there was the outdoor stuff over the years: scooters, bikes, footballs, a climbing frame.

As the kids got older we did did get them monopoly, risk, a chess set, all used a lot from time to time!

I think 5 and 8 are still young to handle toys with loads of bits. Will your daughter really build the rollercoaster? Mine wouldn't have until age 10.

Honestly I'd be trying to move her away from such a massive sounding set.

I am pretty frugal and like to buy a lot of their toys in charity shops. Then it's less annoying if they lose interest or wreck them.

This Christmas I'm getting my four year old a transformer toy as he was obsessed with them at holiday club and the nearly two year old loves sticker books and anything car related. All the tat we see on TV I just say is rubbish and he sees go accept that for now.

Things like games here are kept up high and they have to ask for them so pieces aren't lost. I understand about the not wanting to buy new furniture bit maybe have a good sort out - might find missing bits and talk to them about selling/donating old toys. We do this about twice a year. Once a month a good sort out/tidy up (normally when they are at school so I can throw out the random shit they accumulate!)

The lego roller coaster will she play with it or actually build it? That's a lot of money for something to get discarded and eventually have bits sucked up the hoover! In the past with crap looking toys we've looked at YouTube videos/reviews. It stopped the hatchimal appearing on santa lists last year when they realised how crap it was!!

As an aside the toys that get the most play are wooden bricks, mega blocks, duplo and a second hand car garage I picked up for £5.

If your DC don't really play with toys (mine don't either), don't buy them toys! Craft stuff, garden games, board games, books are always on my lists.

A couple of books, a board game and something to wear? Why does it had to be so much, why so expensive? Children don't care unless they have been so spoilt with expecting so much.

I think 5 is too young for family board games with lots of pieces. I learned this to my cost when dd was that age. The games that she got the most enjoyment from at that age were ones that had minimal pieces - pop up pirate, crocodile dentist, pie face, mlp guess who etc

In our house, it always comes down to Lego. DS2 especially will probably only get Lego. One big set, a couple of little ones and some books. Done.

DS1 is more awkward, as he's on the cusp of wanting to be "cool" and move away from toys, yet still loves Lego. He has no idea what he wants.

Nope, we spend about the same and it's all
Played with. I do have to set up "toy stations" though to get them interested. If it's all just piled in boxes, then no they don't just go and play with everything.
But if I help with set up then yes they love it

£100??????

Guess Who is a really good game at the younger age range. Not many bits to marshall either for the parent!

Toys R Us do layaway plans. (Not suggesting your income is low, just makes it easier and not only that but they provide the storage until Xmas!) Get them a bike each (as a surprise, on layaway) and maybe take them in to choose a few toys that they like 'to put on list for Santa' then go back on your own and pop them on Layaway too! Problem solved x

DS didn't ever play with toys really once he was about 5. Even before then it was a stretch to get him to do imaginative play, he'd only really do it with me, he didn't want to do it on his own. He used to build train tracks for Thomas etc but as he outgrew that his toys just gathered dust. Lego hung on for a bit but seems to have died a death and he's only eight

Birthdays and Christmas we tend to do things like DVDs, books, computer games, gadgets, kits (which do usually need supervision...), clothes - normally character ones are too expensive - and collaborative toys that we know get played with like nerf guns, decoration for his room, and then consumables like generic craft/colouring stuff or sweets/unusual food.

Thanks for the suggestion nocuts. Hadn't realised Lego do a Ghostbusters range! Sounds like DS would get more use out of that than the Playmobil.

FWIW, I think things like llaloopsy and build a bear are "tat", tat doesn't have to mean cheap, it's just gimmicky and they only want it because they've seen it advertised, meaning that they think they want it but won't actually get much value out of it in relation to the cost.

Cheap flimsy crap can actually be some of the most successful stuff because they love it and it has a short life so can be thrown away and not stick around cluttering up the house.

I forgot soft toys - DS loves soft toys and pillows for his bed.

We have a blanket rule that you can't want something you've only seen on an advert because ads are so misleading (DS was liable to pronounce everything "Awesome".) You can only want it if you've played with it at someone's house or gone and researched youtube videos etc about it. That's cut down a lot of the weird requests.

£150 Lego roller-coaster is a total waste of money

The rest last year was spent on lego, playdoh, craft stuff, family games that are now useless because DD1 has destroyed them.

I'm sorry but that's not your DD1's fault. She's only 8, while you include her in the responsibility of looking after her toys, it's ultimately your responsibility. I can see a very, very stark difference in the homes of parents who accepted this truth from day 1 and those who didn't. Those of us, who decided right from the start to take responsibility for their children's toys have toys full of perfect sets and no missing pieces and children who play with their toys all the time because they always know where everything is and can instantly play out the scenario they envisioned. As the children get older, they know they expect their Batcave to have all it's missiles, for example, and learn to put everything away properly because they know it's how to keep their toys the way they want them.

Those parents who didn't take on the responsibility, have what is essentially a load of plastic bits of crap either about the house or stored in a way that the house looks good but the toys are wrecked and not very playable. The kids don't grow up expecting their toys to be kept in good condition, so they never learn to take good care of them. If you want your children to learn to take care of their toys, it's up to you to create the environment where that's the expected norm.

I love how I posted a thread essentially asking for ideas for long lasting present ideas and have ended up with posts telling me that I don't take responsibility, I spend money on tat, I am in competition, and that I need to use a layaway system because of my low income!

You have no idea what my income is, what I buy, how much responsibility I take for their toys or expect of my kids or even that I have no intention of buying the £150 lego set.

My income is as such that we comfortably afford the budget we set. TYVM.

Thanks to all the useful responses though. The experiences and some other ideas are great.

I agree that £300 each is a huge amount to spend. Its no wonder they're not playing with all their stuff if they get that much! Don't buy toys just for the sake of it- think about what they'd really like or get use out of and stick to that, with maybe a few books and craft stuff etc. as well.

This year we are getting our 6 year old ds a cd player for his room, as he loves music and would love to be able to play it upstairs. He will get other bits and bobs but not masses of toys because he just doesn't play with it! He'll maybe get a bit of lego which he does like, lots of books, maybe something remote control and craft bits and of course a stocking with lots of tiny bits and pieces in. He'll be very happy as he really just wants a cd player! He will love sitting in his room reading and listening to music.

My younger ds (3) likes toys more, but we have tons of cars etc. I don't see any point in getting more so will find him a few bits and pieces he will enjoy (no idea what yet!) But certainly won't have a massive budget- I'll just think what he wants/needs and not worry about the cost at this age.

think about what they'd really like or get use out of and stick to that

Which part leads you to think I do anything other than that?

OP I've found that open ended toys are the ones that get most play.
So Lego has been a massive hit in my house, but it only gets played with as a set for a week at most before it's cannibalised for pieces to build something else. I'm fine with that, but I know others might see that as a waste.

Kapla, wooden blocks are still going strong, wooden train was great but they are outgrowing it now

OG dolls and clothes are great. It helps to stick to one size doll/ bear etc

Dress up clothes : play silks and costume jewellery get more use than character costumes. Cheap vaguely princessy dresses have been better than specific ones. I have a blue one that gets used as Cinderella, Elsa and sometimes the Vurgin Mary, but they refuse to use a clearly branded costume as anything but what it is

Balls of all kinds

Skipping ropes - rarely used for skipping but also as pulleys, tying up baddies, making dens etc

Crafts: cereal boxes, toilet rolls and masking tape are the most popular; we have a huge crayola box and paints. Everything else I've found gimmicky

Play doh.

Trampoline

Swing

Climbing rope

They are all played with weekly by DS9, Ds8 dd6

But i should add that we have a screen ban on weekdays and if they could choose tv and computer games instead I'd doubt they'd ever play at all