Dolls House - robust!!!

[waterbaby]

Any one have any suggestions for a dolls house, for DD's 2nd birthday... would like something that she can play with now (hence title) but also fo a few years - my goddaughter is 6 and still playing with hers. Anything that cuts down my shopping time (with three kids in tow, I'm dreading the toy shops)very greatfully recieved!

Dd got given a Little Peoples dolls house and it's great, both dd and ds play with it (dd is 4 now). It's so robust that they sit on it and it doesn't break. It comes with furniture (2 chairs, 2 beds, a table, a high chair and a cot) plus some figures mommy daddy and baby (if you ask dd). It's lasted 2 years of tough treatment and I'm sure that it will last more.

Ok so it doesn't have lots of rooms but do they need lots of rooms? I love it and so do both of my children. Plus you can add to it by buying the Little Peoples garage (not so sturdy) but you get the idea that there are other parts and videos about them so it can be ongoing if you want it to be.

I haven't got any direct experience of them, but the ELC ones look fairly robust. The furniture sets certainly are, although you might have to remove some of the small bits. You could look in IKEA for furniture, theirs are very sturdy and on a bigger scale than normal.

plan toys do good ones, and will definitely last. You can get the houses and roomsets cheap in TK Maxx at the moment

Thanks all, I will be checking out all suggestions tommorrow morning (and any others that come in...) and have just found a friend to swap kids with (just for the morning) so don't have to drag them around with me

yes, plan toys are v v good and sturdy and really pretty, dd has had hers over 2 years and hasn't tired of it either (nor have I)

Great - we've got a tea set that is the favourite toy at the moment, and I'm sick of having 'cups of tea and plastic chips with funny looking chops' so something I enjoy would be great... I could dress all the dols up so that they looked like mumsnetters - see the How much does your outfit cost? thread...

early learning centre do a great dolls house. i got one for my dd's but they have now adopted my handmade dollshouse as their own. so for now its staying in the 70's design state it is in untill they leave it alone. all the ELC people and furniture have moved into my dollshouse.