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.

My mum saved a few bits from when I was younger, and my in laws saved basically everything. It's great as it means we don't have to take to toys when we go round 😆. My in laws also look after dd one day a week and often bring a few toys/books with them so she has something different to play with - then take it home again (mostly) so it's not cluttering up our house

I've got grandkids. My kids are mid thirties. I kept their Lego, Sindy dolls, Sylvanians, train set, My Little Ponies, Polly Pockets. They all get played with again. Definitely worth keeping.

My DM kept my old toys in the garage to pass on to my DC and just because she wanted some as a keepsake

The garage flooded and they all got ruined

We were a bit sad for a bit then soon got over it.

I don't think I even realised she'd kept them

I think she'd wanted to surprise me years down the line once there were DGC to pass them on to

I was quite touched she'd kept them

We're keeping some cool stuff for my DGC once I have any

Things like Lego, sylvanians a large Fisher price castle I hunted down for my DS they'd stopped making so definitely keeping that

There definitely seems to be a theme of Lego/duplo going on - shows how well
made and enduringly interesting to children they both are!
I re bought from eBay the rare fisher price ferry boat for my grandchildren and they’ve had as much fun with it as my children did back in the 80’s. Something I should have kept! But most things can be found on eBay. The original I had was second hand for my children. The newer fisher price toys don’t seem to be so robust

My DD was born when I was in my late 40s and I'm dressing her in some really cute dungarees that I found clearing out my parents loft that were mine/my siblings.

They never got to meet her and so I love being able to connect her to them and my childhood.

My arse of a sister had kids 10 years before me (that bit is not why she is a thoughtless arse) and took all the Lego etc that my DM had kept in the loft.
Then sold/donated it before I had my DD (I was planning & working towards having a child & my sis knew this, but my sis obviously didn't think it was worth the punt!)
The annoying thing is my parents home was still available to us and I have to clear out the crap that my sis left, and I missed out on all the nostalgic stuff so I'm 100% team keep!

You could probably find some of your nostalgic bits on eBay - I have done this. I did it with the FP garage because my DM gave ours to the doctors surgery (and frequently tells me that she regretted it!). It’s not ours but it makes me smile.

We have amassed quite a collection of vintage wooden toys (Grimms, Holztiger etc) which would be near impossible to find again without significant effort and expense so I will hold on to them and hope they store and age ok.

We do have some lovely clothes too that I could hold on to, but I think it's such a personal thing deciding how you want to dress your child, that whilst it might help cost wise, it could be quite overwhelming to have the style dictated once past babygrow stage.

I kept my Son’s Brio’s train set & trains, which was worth hundreds and kept some Lego as well.
My grandchildren love playing with it, in fact I wish that I’d saved more toys now, like Mutant Hero Turtles & similar action figures as they’ve made a recent comeback.

My Nan kept a few play sets from her children. It's lovely to see her Great grandchildren playing with them.

I don't think she intentionally kept them, just there has been a constant stream of babies in the family since her children were teenagers.

It's amazing to see how long the old toys have lasted compared to toys bought today !

I gave some much loved toys of mine to my niece, I'd always kept them very well as a child so they were still in great condition. She was at the same age I had played with them and loved them. Although she seemed happy to have them she never really played with them because by seven she was done with toys and more into fashion, make up, tiktoks, dancing and so on. So by all means save some select toys for future grandchildren but perhaps give them to the child as young as possible depending on suitability as kids seem to grow out of toys fast these days.

We just quietly put the lego ,action men and train set away in a box in the attic .Our grandson has had such fun playing with his Daddy's toys .

Totally depends on what you keep.

Lego yes. It is expensive, it lasts well for decades.

Some other toys don't stand the test of time. Someone said Sylvanian Families?.... the fur doesn't last...... they look like they have rabies 😅

Based on all the replies I'm obviously a complete anomaly but honestly I'm completely baffled at people keeping toys for people who may not ever exist or if they do might not be for another 20 years 🤷 if you did have grandkids in the future you could easily spend a hundred quid on some second hand toys(or get a load for free based on our local Facebook free page)and have plenty. But as I say I'm obviously the anomaly and DH always says I don't have a sentimental bone in my body.

I think it's that the things people say they're keeping are actually well made, solid, popular, and probably increasing in value, so a kind of investment.

I don't think anyone will be keeping cheap plastic crap!

Things like Lego and model trains increase in value quite well over time, as do some "dolls" like Cindy and Action Man. It's not just sentimentality, it's also the fact that in 20 years time, such once popular "toys" will be rare and will cost and arm and a leg if you wanted to buy them second hand.

When my son was very young, he had a substantial Hornby Thomas the Tank Engine layout with probably a dozen engines. We've kept a few of the engines and some which originally cost £30-£40 are now selling on Ebay for £150-£200. We bought a Thomas Flying Scotsman for £65, and sold it a few years later on Ebay for £150, which we were pleased with, but looking on Ebay more recently, identical items have sold for around £500! Luckily, we didn't sell it all, still got a few "special" ones, that well packed/stored in "as new" condition, which are appreciating in value. If son doesn't have kids, at least he can sell them, probably at a good profit. Same with a huge trunk of Brio trains we have. But we've been very selective in what we've kept - no "junk" or cheap plastic tat.

My mother in law kept some of DH's toys (nothing much, just a small box), and our son absolutely loved playing with them when he went to her house - nothing particularly expensive, but all good condition, well made stuff, mostly wooden.

@ladyborchester

give them to the child as young as possible depending on suitability as kids seem to grow out of toys fast these days.

Yep, we found that with our DS, very quickly grew out of "toys". But, yes, we gave him them very early on, he got his first "Brio" train set around 18 months and played with it constantly for weeks. Also got him Hornby electric train sets far sooner than the "recommended" age. Glad we did, because he was soon into "electronic" games, i.e. "first" games consoles, my ipod, computer games, etc from a very young age and very quickly lost interest in "manual" things!