Ideas for keeping toys intack/new looking

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: ..
well I realise I may be expecting too much :blush: .. but I have spent A LOT of Money on toys and resources over the last year and have a beautiful selection of multicultural/disability toys, dressing up toys, regular toys, role play .. etc.. but I find that as the children *****mind are all under 5 they are sometimes very heavy handed.. and some toys which are only 2 months old and cost £20+ are beginning to buckle under the pressure of the 2 year old etc...

I find myself beginning to get stressed when new toys get broken, thrown and can I say disrespected??!! Now I realise that I need to remind all of the house rules but I do sometimes feel like my own LOs know to treat the toys well and the mindees see me as a type of nursery setting where maybe being heavy handed with toys is okay...

On top of this when the mindees are in the garden they are constantly sitting on the balls (which seems to deflate them).. or throwing toys over the fence.. I seem to have lost around 20 small cars and balls... Now of course there are times in the day when I preparing snack, lunch, or dinner or doing toileting routines so I can't be observing them all the time .. but some of these cars cost £3 each and this sort of annoys me....

I'm just wondering how does everyone else keep their resources in good nic, how do you stop things getting thrown over the fence.. I'm thinking of getting the child to sit on our 'thinking spot' when I see them throwing things over as they really don't seem to care when the toys they are losing don't belong to them...

sorry for the long post but thanks a lot for reading..xx:)

big nets on top of the fence :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: like for golf. sorry I don't help but i have same problem with MY 1yr old!!

I find it we are in the house and they constantly disrespect a toy I remove it... they soon learn if they dont play with it nicely (ie throw it) then they dont play with it at all.... obviously if I have a thrower then I tend to go the route of giving them toys they can throw.. but outside with me watching :laughing:

I make it clear to the children that they are my toys and I get upset if my toys aren't looked after and they are taken away.

I do let them sit on the balls though, they have a pump with ball adaptor in Tesco for £1 so you can reflate when needed.

i only get a few toys out at once, they get to choose but i find that if loads are out then they are not played with properly and end up getting broken! I don't believe in free access to toys in the way that children can help themselves, i have one toy box with a mixture of toys in at their level that they can get out when they want but sets of things like duplo and train sets etc they have to ask for. Any toy that is not used properly is taken away and particular 'fragile' ones are only got out when i am sat with them.

dont get any out:laughing: :laughing:

sorry not much help, but i know how you feel

I have looked after very destructive children over the years and it's hard when things cost a lot.

I tend to say they can only play with certain things when I am with them - there are plenty of other things around for other times :D

I've stood in shops before pulling at bits on toys to see how well I think they'd last! I do try to buy things that aren't going to get broken easily as I don't see the point of having lots of things that I don't want the children to play with :laughing:

I think you get to know the children & how they will treat the toys. One of my little mindees loves the Fifi dolls house and will play for ages with it. She has it out when one of the others isn't here as he is just too rough with it. He doesn't do it on purpose, but things he touches do tend to end up in pieces.

I've never had a problem with things being thrown over the fence, my mindees have just never done anything like that. Your's must find it fun, so could you set up a throwing game that they can do? If they're going to throw cars over, then don't give them cars to play with. Get something like a big cardboard box & give them something to throw in it (crumpleded up newspaper, rolled up socks). It needn't cost anything and will give them something to throw.

I try to buy toys second hand so that the ncost is minimal - i also have some lovely parents who keep handing me stuff that their child has grown out of.

Some toys do seem much more durable than others though - i have some tonker toys style trucks which i have had for ten years and they are as good as new - after about 50 children playing with them!

I find more traditional toys tend to be a bit more robust - all these new ones with batteries and little bits seem to fall apart as soon as they come out of the box. Plus you can usually pick them up second-hand so less annoying/expensive if they do get broken.

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Originally Posted by Penny Cartledge

I try to buy toys second hand so that the ncost is minimal - i also have some lovely parents who keep handing me stuff that their child has grown out of.

Some toys do seem much more durable than others though - i have some tonker toys style trucks which i have had for ten years and they are as good as new - after about 50 children playing with them!

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I do the same. I buy from charity shops, boot sales etc and ask friends to consider me before they throw stuff out or sell it. Otherwise, I get things down as a special treat and supervise closely. If there are any arguments or being too rough with something then I put it away.

Little Tikes things seem to go on forever. Fisher Price Little People sets seem quite sturdy and robust.

I think it depends on the nature of the toy ie if it has to have lots of moving parts this makes it more vulnerble to breaking and also the nature of the children. If you have children that are particularly destructive, then maybe have out just certain toys that you know are robust enough.

The only things that go over next doors fence here are my DDs footballs!!!:blush:

Like Mouse, before buying toys I check them over for strength and durability- if they are for LO's, by giving them a pull or wobble!!
I am also careful as to what I get out with what children. For instance, I have a LO who puts everything in their mouths so when they are asleep the other ones can have the marble tower, beads out. The children hopefully learn to respect the toys and space.
I also buy from charity shops but again test the toys before I buy!
I have not yet experienced children throwing things over the fence. My own children have never done this and the LO's I have are not tall enough yet!!
I think I would use the art of distraction. I have removed toys and books from a child because of misuse, explained why and informed them that if they look after it they can have it back!

I get really upset about books getting mistreated:( :(
I'm not so bad about toys, as I try to buy sturdy ones, but i cannot abide children abusing books!!

My own children(now grown) learned to respect books and reading is important to us all.

I have some books which only come out for "Margi reading to you and don't try to grab" time!

some of my toys are my own childrens that they have grown out off and some are charity shops/ boot sale purchases, some are new.
if they dont respect them then they get taken away put i am a bit cruel really cause i put them on the side in the kitchen where they can see them but cant reach them and when they ask for them i say no you didnt look after it properly today so you cant have it back till tommoro. i also find a big sharp NO does wonders and a short spell on the bottom stair too, just depends on the situation, obviously i cant take the toy away if another child is also playing nicely with it.