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Original poster

anyone else a wooden toy snob?

32 replies

shrub · 29/12/2005 16:02

i love wooden and vintage toys - prefer the look and feel of wood plus we have just the living room to keep them in. I'm getting really frustrated with dh as he hasn't told his parents so birthdays and xmas we get loads of plastic and electronic toys. he doesn't want to hurt their feelings. I sound really ungrateful but hoping I'm not alone.......?

OP posts:
FrenchKissUnderMistletoeGirl · 29/12/2005 16:04

oops

am like you dh like your dh

ILs like your ILs

it drives me mad!!!

Original poster
shrub · 29/12/2005 16:06

so what do you do with all the plastic - it even smells bad!

OP posts:
FrenchKissUnderMistletoeGirl · 29/12/2005 16:07

mmmm, goes to the charity shop after dd has forgotten about it (am horrid)

Twiglett · 29/12/2005 16:07

bugger what it looks like .. what do your kids like playing with?

hunkermunker · 29/12/2005 16:08

I like wooden toys, we have a fair few. But DS loves a lot of the plastic and electronic ones - I am selective about which ones he has, admittedly and have got nice storage for them.

iota · 29/12/2005 16:10

sincew they haven't invented wooden lego, there's a lot of plastic in our house

puff · 29/12/2005 16:11

Our wooden train set gets played with a lot, but my two ignore other wooden toys.

Last year a relative bought a huge hand crafted wooden ride-on aeroplane - it was beautiful, but gathered dust so I took it to the charity shop.

Original poster
shrub · 29/12/2005 16:12

phew - me too one of these days i'm going to have an embarrassing conversation about the whereabouts of the electronic catapillar/steering wheel/train etc. with inlaws. if only dh could say something....

OP posts:
hativity · 29/12/2005 16:12

wooden toys are nice yes and it's hard to accpet a load of plastic into your house. But thses are TOYS, not ornaments. and it's the kids' house too. And I kind of think that gps - within reason - should enjoy the fun of picking out the things they think their gcs will like without worrying too much about how aesthetically pleasing they are. You're not alone - I could have written your post 4 years ago, but all shreds of non-parent dignity have gone now. And dd2 got a PLASTIC KITCHEN from grandpa this year. It's HUGE but hey, it's not a bad colour....

ladymuck · 29/12/2005 16:12

Out of interest what age and sex are your children?

Janh · 29/12/2005 16:13

Wooden toys do tend to turn into attractive ornaments.

hativity · 29/12/2005 16:14

true janh - wooden pull along croc (dd1) and duck (dd2) have pride of place on their book shelf....god knows when they were last pulled along...but they do look nice!

iota · 29/12/2005 16:15

ds2 (4yr old weapons expert) is very fond of carrying a big stick when we go for a walk in the woods

Gingerbear · 29/12/2005 16:16

DD's doll's house is MDF.
I am a wooden toy snob wannabe.

We have a fair amount of pink plastic in this house too.

Twiglett · 29/12/2005 16:16

i was a wooden toy snob till DS was about 3 (apart from ubiquitous lego) .. now the house is filled with crap .. plastic / wooden / fabric .. I don't care .. I love it .. it looks lived in

boredmarchhare · 29/12/2005 16:16

If the kids really like the toys, stick them in a box (one of those big plastic ones ) and store them away until ILs come round. The kids will then think it great that they have something new to play with and ILs will see them playing with the toys they bought, et viola.

Original poster
shrub · 29/12/2005 16:17

i wouldn't mind the plastic so much if we had somewhere to put it all. very small living room and 3boys! haven't used their bedrooms for toys as sleep would become even more tricky

OP posts:
Janh · 29/12/2005 16:18

excellent idea, bmh!

iota · 29/12/2005 16:19

both my kids bedrooms are stuffed with toys and sleep has never been an issue for us

Original poster
shrub · 29/12/2005 16:20

boredmarchhare - you may have found the answer

OP posts:
Original poster
shrub · 29/12/2005 16:23

ladymuck - all boys 5,2 and 8 months. yes i know i won't be able to get away with this much longer

OP posts:
feastofsteven · 29/12/2005 16:29

yes I love wooden toys - DS seems to like bright coloured plastic

Hulababy · 29/12/2005 16:36

I like the loo of wooden toys but in all honesty DD (3y8m) prefers pink and plastic, and also nosiy if possible.

But we don't keep toys in the living room so I don't particularly care. They go in her bedroom and toy storage under the stairs.

I have given up worrying. The toys weren't bought for me to look at; they are for Dd to play with. I'd far rather DD enjoyed playing with the toys she has, and not worry about what they looked like.

Besides I haven't found a wooden Barbie, Disney Princess or Polly Pocket collection yet

LIZS · 29/12/2005 16:42

We started with good intentions but as soon as anyone bought things for ds the slippery slope began ... and hasn't stopped yet! dd was given some water soluble crayons in a wooden pencil box for Christmas and they do look classy. Playmobil is a pretty good compromise between traditional and plastic though.

iota · 29/12/2005 16:44

just think:-

in years to come, when the oil has run out, plastic toys will be antiques