Keeping toys for possible future grandchildren

[Lovedecorations]

What are your opinions on this.

We've been slowly decluttering over the year after h finding ourselves with a house full of 'stuff'.

We've done really well, sold loads and made a few hundred pounds.

We sorted out our loft at New Year, it was completely ridiculous. Did really well and got rid of so much. Decided to keep a few classic toys incase we have have dgc.

Things like Lego Duplo, Happyland Farm, dinosaurs, a toy kitchen, shopping trolley.

The truth is though that eldest is only a teen so realistically we are years off if ever having grandchildren. So are we being silly keeping these things for years and years?

Having another sort through ahead of Christmas so should make a decision.

I've done this too, eldest child is 14. I would have loved to have had some of my old toys for my kids. I've re-bought some classics, Fisher Price, Sindy etc. Duplo and Lego don't age. If you've got space for it, keep it! Recycling is good for the environment too!

My friend’s mum kept everything from their childhood - Lego, Sindy houses, playmobil sets, everything fisherprice. Her grandchildren absolutely loved it all and had such a lovely time playing there.
I say keep it, if you have space. My mum didn’t keep anything.

I kept a small amount - duplo, lego bricks ( sold the models), PlayMobil, a few favourite toy cars, Thomas the tank engine toys and a selection of favourite books. A couple of plastic storage boxes only.
I would say that the duplo has been the most popular so glad I kept that.
All now played with by grandchildren. I’ve also bought stuff from charity shops as the grandchildren have come along and developed their own preferences.
None of my offspring are planning any more so nothing is going back in the attic! All donated to the charity shop as they’ve been outgrown.
My adult children haven’t shown any particular nostalgia about the stuff reappearing though, so I could probably have just got charity shop stuff and had an empty attic!

I'm the wrong person to ask, LOL. We've just passed on a favourite 'classic toy' to a GC, which was originally DS's. He's 33! If you have the space, the it's OK to keep proper classic toys that won't deteriorate, IMO.

My DC are very young but I’m keeping good clothes, toys, books.

I’m giving away or selling everything else like cots, prams, outgrown furniture…

Keeping duplo, Lego, brio, and books

Yes to the recycling! My duplo which is still played with by youngest grandchildren was first purchased in 1982 for child number one - it’s virtually indestructible and can be added to. It’s been far more popular than lego

My mum kept quite a few toys from when me and my siblings were little.

My daughter is two now and loves going round and playing with the toys there. Added bonus is that I love seeing her play with them as they bring back lots of memories for me! I’d say keep them if you have the space!

Yes, It was easy just to get stuff I needed for my house like stair gates, high chairs etc and my adult children obviously wanted to choose their own baby equipment.

We've kept Duplo/ Lego and favourite books. Everything else has gone.

I definitely wouldn't be keeping the kitchen or shopping trolley unless they are particularly good quality.

Deffo keep, I had loads of lovely Sylvanian families stuff and a dolls house that I remember from my childhood - it wasn’t kept, I don’t know where it went - so sad. However, I would just quietly keep it and don’t broadcast to the kids you are stashing it ‘for the grandkids’ as this would also have driven me mad. When grandkids appear just bring it out. (I’m sure you know this sorry 🙈)

I would say don't tell your children you have done this unless they ask. I used to really struggle with my parents assumption that there would be grandkids. Luckily for them there are now but it didn't look promising for a while.

My parents kept Lego, Duplo, brio, playmobil, fisher price sets, Barbies, sylvania family's, picturebooks, stickle bricks, travel cot, high chair..... loads of other things. it was always so nice and easy to visit when the kids were small. They even had toothbrushes for the kids. We could just turn up with some changes of clothes and stay.

My son is a teen now and my old toys were no use to him really. Even old lego doesn't "keep" very well. The main use for old toys is to give the grown up children a walk down memory lane, so keeping a few favourites is helpful.

Books are different. The old children's reading books are absolutely brilliant and definitely worth keeping. The new ones are not as good.

If you have the attic space then keep it! My mum kept a lot of our old toys in the attic and I have loved being able to pass them on to my children to play with. Somethings they have now grown out of and they have been cleaned and re-packed in the attic for the next generation.

We still have a few toys that were my mum's (she's 68) from when she was a little girl that I played with too, and so do my children, and then they will also go up in the attic again. These things are so special and the memories are just priceless.

I have ensured that everything is well cleaned, any damage has been repaired, and then I have put the toys in the tough Really Useful Box plastic boxes so that everything stays clean and dry and safe.

For me personally, I place great value on items with family history. We have pieces of furniture that have been in mine or my husbands family for generations, we have old family books dating back well over 100yeara and old old photos. These sort of things are so important to look after I think.

I wish I'd kept more of the late 1980s Fisher Price toys that my toddlers had. Today's F-P stuff is nowhere near as good. I also wish I'd kept the My Little Ponies, as the chubby little ones back then were so much nicer than today's.
I kept Lego and Playmobil instead, but of course you can still get that, but you can't get the stuff I got rid of. I was absolutely thrilled when I found the FP Shapes and Slides bears on eBay. My second DGD loves it just as her sister did a couple of years ago, and her mum and auntie 30+ years ago.

I kept my kids favourite books, their first dolls and teddy bears, the dolls pram, dolls house and the aforementioned Lego and playmobil.

I would say just keep it very minimal, plan to keep it at your house not dump it on future S/DIL, don’t be sad if they then decide to dump it after you held on to it for 30 years.

edited to add- I am now the child having to get rid of things from my childhood I didn’t think I’d have to worry about and it’s really hard and making me sad

We kept a lot of our children’s toys for Grandchildren ,if I am absolutely honest they are still in the loft and first Grandchild is nearly 4 !! Think the brio train set is the only toy that has been reused!

My daughter's (3) favourite dolly is my mum's (63) Tiny Tears 🤷🏼‍♀️

My DS loves playing with toys at grandparent's houses that were mine and his Dad's. Loves lego, cars, blocks, books, dolls house etc. If you have the space do keep some.

It's knowing when it's time for things to go. We held onto youngest dc baby things for way too long. Pram, highchair and stuff.

Glad it doesn't sound too crazy keeping some toys for grandchildren that we may never have.

I know when relatives got old toys out for my dc they have loved it as it's something different.

Definitely don’t keep any equipment.

My parents kept everything and had to throw it away because after 25-30yrs in the loft it was mouldy and disgusting. Just created work further down the line and everything could have been used by someone 25-30yrs ago so wasteful.

My in laws kept a lot and my kids have been having fun with their borrowed duplo which we will return.

Im not keeping anything - when it’s finished with it can go to someone who will love it now. There’s nothing to say the kids will care when they’re older or even have their own kids. So I’m not keeping just incase. Everytime we grow out of something I pass it on straight away.

Small stuff like Lego, wooden toys, baby blankets, high end moses baskets / teddybears / hardback books - yes. Everything else is better off going to charity where people can use it now.

I think the question you have to ask is , what will this item look like after 20years in whatever conditions you can store it in.
So yes to duplo, lego and brio in solid plastic crates in an Attic.
No to a particle board kitchen that’s going to be stored in a damp shed. No to a plastic shopping trolley or aluminum + plastic + nylon dolls pushchair that will get brittle over time and be a hazard by the time grandkids are old enough to use it.
I’d donate stuff that’s in great shape now but won’t be in 20years. you could try calling playgroups, nurseries or primary schools.

Or just take it to the charity shop