Sylvanian families- any good?

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DD aged 3.5 wants some for Christmas. Any recommendations, is it tat??

We were teetering on the cusp of sylvanian families but (thankfully) went down the route of playmobil instead. Both dds adore animals so the Forest Realm in playmobil has quenched their thirst for small plastic creatures.

I think there is more scope for further years of play with playmobil rather than the v cutsey SFs, but I'm sure there are gazillions of little girls around who love it v much.

They are lovely. Very cute and quite well made.
You will want some yourself!

I played with Sylvanians from about 5yo to 11yo. I LOVED them. I would spend HOURS in my room on my own playing with the families, setting them in the right order, changing their clothes, putting on plays.

Thanks for this, keep it coming. Anything in particular any good? I quite fancy the schoolhouse, bakery, hospital, wedding chapel . This might get expensive over the years ahead.

It is expensive and annoying when your dd grows out of it after1 year!

My advice would be buy second hand. I sold it on again for the same as I had bought it!

Try ebay

problem is HOW small they are

I love them but dd never plays with hers (rarely)

my dd3 aged 3.10 loves it. Her older sisters weren't very interested.

DD loved them - we had loads - I still have a lot of it in the loft for possible grandchildren. I bought most of ours from car boot sales, but some were Christmas/birthday presents. DD's favourite was the canal boat, which her GPs gave her for Christmas, and the windmill. She had a whole street of the basic houses, in a row under her cabin bed - they all came from boot sales at about 50p each.

So far they have lasted from the age of 2.5 to 10 and they are still loved. I can't tell you how many lie-ins they have bought us over the years.

And they're definitely not tat. They're very sturdy, doors and drawers on furniture always fit, as do clothes and shoes.

I shall miss them when they're packed away, and they will be packed away as she's always insisted they must be saved for her children.

Her cousin liked playing with them too but didn't get any of his own because his parents didn't feel they were appropriate for a boy. Nitwits.

Wow, I am definitely convinced they are not tat. Thanks everyone. Think we'll get the schoolhouse / library and ask grandparents to get the hospital and accessories. Personally LOVE the Grand hotel , maybe we'll upgrade to that when she's a year older.

Can't believe they've lasted 7.5 years of play Mymblemummy!! Sounds like you will miss them more than your dc's

Oh yes, I'll probably be a bit damp-eyed when they go because it really will feel like the end of an era.

I shall console myself with the thought it will be a darn sight easier to clean the DD's room, which is pretty much a Sylvanian museum with a bed in it.

And the DS shows signs of liking them himself. He just can't be trusted not to eat them at the moment.

Couple of tips for you D11 (how do you remember that nickname!), dusty Sylvanians come up quite nicely with an old toothbrush, but don't brush too hard or you'll take the flock off.

I have also handwashed dirty ones acquired secondhand very successfully, although the makers don't recommend it. So long as you are gentle they do look brand new after a scrub, though they take a couple of days to dry out.

You can get spare clothes for naked beasties from the Sylvanian Families shop in north London (they do mail order) and also handmade clothes for them from some sellers on Ebay.

Have fun, both of you!

oooh i loved syvanian families as a child. hours of fun.

my 4 year old has a couple of bits and likes them, but it did make me a bit nervous at first (when she was younger) just how tiny some of the accessories are and i worried about her putting them in her mouth.