Does your child play/keep toys in their bedroom?

[LetsPlayBamboozled]

I have a 4 year old and almost all her toys are in one room downstairs, we have a through-lounge so tv and sofa in the other room. Some days she is busy in the 'play room' on her own, others she wants a lot more input from me/brings toys into the main lounge room or I go where the toys are kept to play shop or whatever.

She's recently had a couple of playdates and I noticed all kids seem to be keen to nosey upstairs! I had thought when she started school I would move most of her toys to her room as it's mainly because she's been home with me (less so now at nursery in the morning) that I have it all downstairs. Mind, also cos there is tonnes of the stuff! It won't all fit in her room.

I just wondered what others do / have experienced because I am pondering, as she gets older, and parents no longer stay for playdates, will they want to be away from us and in her room? We do have another room upstairs that could be a toy room as her bedroom is not that big.. But then, maybe as she doesn't have siblings, she will want her toys downstairs so she can be near us even if she is playing alone.

Obviously I have too much time on my hands mulling this over! But I'd be interested to hear where your child spends their time, and if it's changed a lot with age.

I moved my DC's toys away from our living area when they were about 3 or 4 OP.

They were just always THERE and pissed me off to look at them. Obviously I allowed them to bring them down if they wanted to...but only one thing. So if DD had her dolls house down, she couldn't leave it there and then bring down four board games.

4 is still smallish though....so I wouldn't want them closeted off in the bedroom either. It's a fine balance really.

I found most of the "trouble" happened when my DD's had their mates in their room at this age. Nail polish application and spills on the bed....things getting pulled out and not put back.

By about 7, I found it was safer to let them go off upstairs.

If the toys don't bother you, I'd leave them or maybe take some up to heer room....the things which don't have lots of parts. That way visiting children won't tip them out on her bedroom floor!

My dd will be 4 in a few months, all her toys except board games and play doh live in her bedroom. There's usually a few dolls, books and random toys downstairs by the end of the day but they just get gathered up and returned to her room. It's kept the house looking much tidier.

Eek to nailpolish spills Ajas!! Great tip about things with less parts, thank you.

Thanks BigRed that sounds very civil.

When she plays on her own it can get quite elaborate eg involve the firestation and the paw patrol pups and the dolls house and the play food, it hurts my head to think about how I might divide them up between floors without curbing her imagination!

Yes you wouldn't believe what some children get up to in other people's homes! We're not that fussy as a household but I've had 5 year olds scribble on eiderdowns. Because mine weren't the type to do that I remember being so surprised...but for some kids its normal. They're not bad as such ....just impulsive.

Oh my life I have so much to learn!

We're fortunate to have s small playroom downstairs and toy boxes for storage in the lounge that hide everything, so other than cuddly toys and books, all toys are downstairs. Works well for us with a 2 and 4 year old. I do wonder if that's why we've been incredibly lucky with both of them settling well in bed, never getting out of bed or causing havoc in the room etc. As they get older I guess it'll change, but I dong feel the need to alter it now.

It’s a gradual process.

Originally all our DC’s toys were downstairs because that’s where they played. As they got older it became half and half.

They are ten now and all their toys are in their rooms. But then the toys change too.

Don’t worry too much about it. There’s no right answer.

DS had some toys upstairs but always played downstairs when he was little. As he got older there was more playing upstairs then he was about 8 or 9 he had a couple of friends round and they all jumped on the bed resulting in broken slats and having to buy a new bed. So then we said stick to playing downstairs or in the garden, but we got rid of the dining room (only used at xmas really)and made it a second living room.

Impulsive indeed! Broken bed too oh no!! Yeah I can see that a big garden is a good plan. We might need to move when she's older then!

I'm not worried as such just very much want to facilitate playdates as she doesn't have siblings to charge about the house with.

Yes I think our bedtimes are helped by that too Plug

It makes sense that there's a progression with age, thanks.

My ds is 4 and he has some toys upstairs and some downstairs. I have a corner sofa so the toys downstairs get tidied away (chucked behind 🤫) there at night. He tends to play in both depending on if he wants us to play. He hasn't got any siblings either but when his cousins come to play they tend to play upstairs. I'm not bothered either way as long as he's happy 😁

Wish we had space for a play room. My DS and DD share a room so no room left for anything else. All their toys are in the living room. Think if we didn't live at home with my MIL I would corner off half of the living room just for the kids (living room is quite big). But not my house so can't over take it anymore then what I already have :/

My little boy used to. But the problem was he would get out of bed and play instead of going to sleep. So we took them out again.
I prefer him playing downstairs anyway. Much nicer.

All the toys are in DC’s bedroom, apart from a small selection that are kept in a cupboard downstairs and regularly rotated. But even the ones in the bedroom are put away out of sight unless currently being played with.

It hadn’t occurred to me that other people’s kids would wreck the house! When mine is old enough for play dates they certainly won’t be playing upstairs.