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.

So glad you said this 😂 My MIL kept everything (toys, clothes, books) and is constantly trying to offload them and it's rather stressful as I hate clutter/acquiring too many things. It feels like she wants to feel vindicated that it was worth hanging onto that stuff for 40 years but unfortunately a lot of stuff just doesn't age very well (attic musty clothes and rusting toys, just as an example...). So yes, if you want to keep things be prepared to have them at your house only!

I thought the same. My eldest married at 19 and has had two kids within quick succession. I'd only thrown out all my baby stuff about 4 years prior!

PIL kept loads of toys. The vast majority had perished or gone mouldy. Ideas of what is safe also change. It would have been much better if they had passed the things on to someone else at the time who could have made use of them. It’s also easy to pick up secondhand toys quite cheaply. The Lego had survived well though!

My Mum asked me when I was about 8 or 9 if there were any special toys I would like to save for my future children. I picked out quite a lot and have stored them since.

I'm in my late 30s now and it's broke my heart that I never had those children and probably never will now given the fact that 40 is pretty much round the corner. And if I'm honest, I'm angry that from being little it was pretty much assumed that I'd get to be a mum and make my parents grandparents. I'm at a point where I am realising I have to part with the toys and accept I'll never be a mum but giving them up seems so final and painful. It's so silly to be so upset over old toys but I guess grief, even if it's only for a dream, is a complicated emotion.

So that's a long way of saying if you DO keep any, don't let the kids know you've kept them and make sure you can handle the emotions you might experience if for whatever reason you don't have grandchildren to give them to. But hopefully you will!

We kept loads of stuff from our DC's and every so often DH head up into the loft to bring down a few things for dogs to play with. Dgs loves play with toys that belonged to his daddy and uncle when they were children. Things that have lasted were Lego/Duplo, Early Learning Centre toys from the 1980's and 90'd, some Tomy bricks from the same era and of course, some cuddly toys. I am so glad we kept them when I see the pleasure it brings to dgs as well as the memories it sparks of times when my own DC's played with them.

My dad kept my dolls house and large wooden train set and I now love playing with them with my daughter (3yo). Good quality stuff never ages!

We’ve got stuff in the loft - wooden railway, Bob the Builder, etc.

some stuff already got rid off.

i’m in the ‘keep’ camp. Dh is in the ‘get rid’ camp.

Keeping some things is great. I love that my dc have played with their grandmother's old lego which I also played with as a child.

So lego, playmobil, sylvanians etc is good to keep I think. Not not necessarily everything. My dc have so much lego I won't keep it all but will keep things like a train set, cars, decent amount of basic bricks. Play stuff.

Books wise I've kept a very few, some that I was given as a child and things like the proper versions of Dahl and Enid Blyton before the language was cleaned up! We have a bit of a book hoarding problem in our house so I'm afraid small child books that we don't need do get passed on. Our local school has done well from us. I can't see us passing many more books on now though.

My daughter plays with wooden blocks that were originally my grandma's from the 1930s. I love that they're on their fourth generation of kids!

My parents kept the sylvanians, playmobil and lots of books and jigsaws. Makes me v happy seeing my DD play with them and she loves the range of toys at her gps house.

I have spent an absolute small fortune on brio Thomas tank for one of my sons and those German nice make animals for the other - they’ve had loads of toys but these were their favourite and are classic toys. I’d get good resale value but the joy I’d get in the future telling them I bought these for your daddy to a grandchild won’t come close so I’m keeping them as we have a big garage. When my parents died I cleared the house and didn’t think I’d have another child so got rid of my toys - had a little girl a few years later and I’m gutted now! I adored having my mums toys which were at my grandmothers house.

It's clear you're not going to foist these on your adult children/in laws, so I say, go for it!

My mum kept lots of books, and it's wonderful. There are books that are now out of print, which my DD has absolutely loved. She finds it really special to explore Grannie's books.

Mum also kept some board games, and it's lovely to have them at her house - but also, some of the images are so much more charming. There's a board game I loved: the 80s version has lovely, evocative graphics. I bought the new version for DD, and it's all done in a rather crude, cartoon style. DD much prefers the original.

I think children often love the idea of discovering something. I definitely remember enjoying exploring books at my grandparents' house, knowing they'd belonged to my mum when she was a child.

I’ve done the same, OP, and it does feel a bit weird tbh as my youngest is only 16! But I’ve got a few boxes of lovely Playmobil and other bits I just can’t get rid of because I can see my own kids playing with them and really hope I can share them with grandchildren one day. I’ve kept it very contained though, as it’s the sort of sentimental hoarding DH has zero patience for, esp as we’re trying to declutter a shitload of stuff atm.

I just know how much all my and my sister’s kids loved playing with the old toys my mum kept at her house. They were very different to the stuff they had at home, so just that little bit more special, and they all have memories of sitting on the floor playing with her, which are even more precious now she’s gone.

So yeah, definitely sentimental hoarding but I also like to think of it as a form of optimism - looking forward to what the future may bring. And if not, then it’s just a couple of extra boxes 🤷‍♀️.

My son loves to play with my childhood doll. It’s 28 now and still in great condition.
we also have all the books from my childhood too.

My parents are currently redecorating the dolls house my grandad made for me almost 40 years ago so my daughter can have it next year when she is a bit older.
I think my parents had pretty much given up on me ever having kids but they still took it with them every time they moved.
I'm grateful they did and will love playing with it with her.

Also can I just say - its worth thinking about this stuff as being for "future visiting children" rather than specifically grandchildren. My DD is far from the only child to play with my old stuff at my parents house. Various younger cousins, children/grandchildren of my parents friends, neighbours, have all had turns to rummage in the toy box over the years. It certainly means I never felt some weird pressure to have children of my own.

An awful lot of it deteriorates over time.

Just before I gave birth to my twins my parents in law brought down a whole car worth of toys that they'd kept for 20 years.

A lot of the plastic was really brittle and broke as soon as you looked at it.

The only stuff that really was safe to use eventually was the Lego, and we had to store that until our kids were old enough to use it safely.

Once ours had outgrown the toys we offered them around the family, but strangely the other siblings didn't want a load of bulky old toys with bits that broke off incredibly easily.

My son is 13 and was holding on some fisher price and playmobil but after seeing it in the attic this year I realised it was starting to discolour, so decided so sell some / pass to charity.
when / if I have grandchildren can buy second hand toys like the ones i was holding onto very cheaply, and they are not sentimental to me. Glad for a few less boxes in the attic!

Absolutely this too! It’s always good to have a box of toys for when people visit with children

I found this quite difficult but I think I'm probably an anomaly.

I never wanted children and was sure from a young age I wouldn't have children.

My mum saved everything and is very sentimental about my childhood.

She now has a loft full and I'm 39. She's still waiting. I don't want to be mean to her but I've been telling her for 20 years to not hang onto things. She's now becoming annoyed with me for "clogging up" her house.

I have only kept:

Duplo
A few Barbies
Barbie Campervan
Books (absolute favourites)
Baby Alive and clothes
American Girl Dolls

I kept some of my DC's toys in boxes in the loft for over 20 years.
My grandchildren have enjoyed (and still do enjoy) playing with their parents' old toys - Duplo, cars, farm set, dolls house, Sindy & Barbie etc.

My parents did this, they are now cleaning out the attic and have found it all. DD3 has really enjoyed playing with it all at their house and I've also enjoyed my Duplo house again haha x

Love a retro family toy, and carefully stored clothes. My DD has been in cardis knitted by her great, great grandmother.
Don't imagine I'll hang onto the bits of hers that's George at Asda though... Might keep the odd toy and classic books, but only plan on 1 child so don't want any pressure on her for grandkids.

A friends parents made a big deal of miserably giving away the toys stored for grandchildren when they announced they would be childfree. It felt a lot of pressure.

my mum kept the duplo and favourite books and a few good quality toys with all the pieces. she got rid of anything broken / missing pieces etc.

but one mistake - after taking the duplo out of storage, we put it in the dishwasher and the heat made the plastic brittle so it breaks more easily. don't do that!

Blocks from the 1930s sounds sweet except I would have freaked if someone brought those out for my baby/toddler to play with because of the possibility they were painted with lead paint or similar. I’d be less worried for older children past the stage of putting everything in their mouths.