None. I hate clutter and tend to donate/throw out things as they're no longer needed. Both my mom & MIL have given us crap from our childhoods that we promptly discarded.

Wooden trains, blocks, legos, little people, a few books. My kids loved playing with our toys..the classics.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a "hope chest" for future grandchildren. Classic toys, or ones I particularly like. I know there is a risk they may not be appreciated, as I didn't understand when my mother saved things for my children. I will control the volume. I will decide on a size of container, that to me seems reasonable to keep track of, and that will decide how much I save.

You sound really annoying. I guess your DIL's should bow down to you and thank you profusely for this crap?

What an overblown reaction to a sweet sentiment.

+1. That seems like a very reasonable, thoughtful approach. I would love to see what my MIL thought were the most special, especially if she didn't have any expectations that we'd save and treasure them forever. Don't listen to the negative Nancy, pp, sounds like a great plan.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a "hope chest" for future grandchildren. Classic toys, or ones I particularly like. I know there is a risk they may not be appreciated, as I didn't understand when my mother saved things for my children. I will control the volume. I will decide on a size of container, that to me seems reasonable to keep track of, and that will decide how much I save.

You sound really annoying. I guess your DIL's should bow down to you and thank you profusely for this crap?

What an overblown reaction to a sweet sentiment.

My DH is older (56) and his parents have many of the toys he and sibs had growing up and my kids love to play with. These are Fisher Price but made of wood! I will have our huge Thomas the Tank engine set and maybe my little ponies, amybe favorite books that mean something to ME (less my kids) but pretty much everything else I pass onto others.

Anonymous wrote:I have a "hope chest" for future grandchildren. Classic toys, or ones I particularly like. I know there is a risk they may not be appreciated, as I didn't understand when my mother saved things for my children. I will control the volume. I will decide on a size of container, that to me seems reasonable to keep track of, and that will decide how much I save.

You sound really annoying. I guess your DIL's should bow down to you and thank you profusely for this crap?

Anonymous wrote:Books may be really gross by the time your grandchildren are around. My mom just moved and basically threw out all the books from our childhood that she was saving because when she opened them, they smelled.

I'm the PP at 7:52 that saved books, and that is a very good point. I am leaning toward finding a place or person to donate the books. It is a bit hard because I have such great memories of reading them to my kids...but the thought of another parent making those same type of memories is pretty special too.

Books may be really gross by the time your grandchildren are around. My mom just moved and basically threw out all the books from our childhood that she was saving because when she opened them, they smelled.

Anonymous wrote:I'm ok with saving books, but IMO saving toys for another generation is a waste of space for a really long time. If my kids are very sentimentally attached to something I hold on to it for them, otherwise it goes.

Both my mother and MIL saved toys for a generation for their grandkids, but none of those toys have been played with much, if at all.

+1

I have a "hope chest" for future grandchildren. Classic toys, or ones I particularly like. I know there is a risk they may not be appreciated, as I didn't understand when my mother saved things for my children. I will control the volume. I will decide on a size of container, that to me seems reasonable to keep track of, and that will decide how much I save.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None - no one wants old crap.

This. My MIL keeps sending us boxes of old toys that go right in the trash.

Are you my DH?

Save very very select things, that will probably stand the test of time (and physically hold up as well). Legos and brio trains (thanks, MIL) have been the only successful hand me downs so far. Both stand storage well, are well made to start with, and (this might be harder to predict) are still popular enough that you can find matching/coordinating new pieces. So we now have DH's old brio trains, plus some Thomas and Chuggington pieces, and some newer track. The kids love it.
However, the piles of mildewed books and old clothes... thanks mom... those go right into the trunk of my car, destined for trash or recycling or SA dropoff, whatever's appropriate. However, my mom got rid of all the Legos. That kind of kills us

Saving toys is nostalgic and heartwarming...for the parents only! Saving a pottery barn kitchen is fine, but know you are doing it for yourself-- not your kid.

Because some day when she has her own kids you are going to drive this 50lb kitchen to her house and beam with pride as you "give" it to her. But she, who won't remember using it at all, will turn right around and post on DCUM about her mother who keeps unloading all this old crap on her.

Save a few favorite books and some art work. Donate everything else.

Not a thing. I get excited every time my kids outgrow a toy so it can be out of my house forever. Sold, given away or donated the minute they're done with it. I hate clutter.

My MIL does the same thing. "I was out in the garage and found a stuffed animal that was yours when you were 3! I'll ship it to you!" Tried telling her politely a couple of times, she didn't listen, stuff goes straight to trash as soon as it gets here.

Anonymous wrote:None - no one wants old crap.

My son's favourite toy is the old Fisher-Price garage.

The only things I'm keeping are books that were inscribed with a personal message to the kids form various people. Maybe 10 books each in total? Otherwise, it all gets donated as soon as both kids are beyond the stage of using whatever it is. And I intend to turn those over as soon as they have their own places to live, I'm only keeping them because a grandparent wrote a special message that they may appreciate having when the grandparents are no longer around.

They can choose when they are older to keep their favorite stuffed animals and such.