ok so our house has 3 bedroom. our masterbed our 11 month old sons room and an extra bed room that currently holds my fiances tv, some video games...holds storage...an old couch tools...lol u get the idea...however im kinda sick of all the toys my son has been collecting all over my living room. ( i like things organized and in a place) i would like this extra room to be made into my sons wreck room. then he throw toys wherever he would like and not have to be tidy. but my man is having a hard time giving up the space in the house that he is used to using...so leave the toys in living room and dining room or keep asking for bedroom???
also we are in the living A LOT. and i also feel like if i make that toy room...ill be in there and not spending the time in the lr like always and dont want my son to feel left out??
You could make that room the play/man room... Two walls could be for man room stuff and then you could have some storage solutions for holding the toys, etc... a train table, etc.......... They could compromise and perhaps spend more time together.
I bet if you make it into a toy room the toys will STILL be in the living room! We have a humongous basement yet the kids still want to play in the LR. They want to be around us. And also-think about you cooking dinner or doing whatever in the LR...is it going to be OK for your child to be upstairs alone playing??
Do the extra room into an all purpose comfortable TV room-NOT a dedicated "man" room. This way you all will be able to enjoy it. You could even have a small toy box in there. We have a TV room in our master and we all watch tv in there much more than in the media room or family room-its just more cozy for us I think.
You stated you have 3 bedrooms...I assume one bedrm is yours, one is your son's and the last room is your fiance's space. If your son has his own room the toys should be in there unless the room has space issues and this is the reason why toys are all over the house. However, men do need a place to call their own but allowing some toys in the room for the child play is fine. That way your fiance can have his mancave but share it with his son; put a sign on the door that says "boys only" it might be nice for him to have a space to bond with his son. It's all in how you sale it to him.
We have our toddler toys all over the house except in the living room and in our teen's room. Our toddler has her own room used as a playroom due to our master is downstairs so we keep our toddler downstairs and have toys in the master too. Toys are in our family room, exercise room, and even in my husband's media room. As a parent you just have to accept your house is a daycare until they get older. We love having toys all over because in each room they have a space. It's compromise and keeping your child happy.
I had the 'what if my sons feel isolated and we never see them' concern too. Rest assured, whatever you decide, your son will not feel left out. I have a toy room downstairs. The boys also have toys in their rooms. My living room is STILL the messiest when it comes to toys. They still collect in the LR. Once a week, we make the boys take all the toys that have collected in the 'toy bin' in the living room back to their rooms and toy room to be put away properly!
The plus to a toy room for us is during the winter (like now!!) we throw all the toys in the closet and put a smaller bouncy house in the room for them to burn off energy when they can't go outside!
Good Luck!!!
They could share the space! If it is well-organized, both "men" can have a play room. Make sure to have plenty of shelving and "bins" for your son's toys and a media cabinet for your fiance's! You could put in some comfy seating and an art easel and be all set.
i have my kids toys in their bedrooms. honestly the rooms aren't very big and since they were little my in-laws went crazy buying for them and my husband won't get rid of anything so the rooms are very crowded. i want to close in a room for a playroom for them and my husband wants a room for himself. i think that i'll give him his way because as long as the toys are in the bedrooms (the kids) and not all over the place and they stay picked up (i've always made the kids put the toys away when they are done playing with them in the living room) then i don't have a problem with the man room. i can benefit from it too when he's sleeping or working :)
I would make that bedroom into both media and toys by purchasing shelving and storage items and still have storage in the livingroom for a few toys.
Aren't all man caves toy rooms? :-) Sorry, I couldn't resist.
A friend of mine who never had children of his own, had a girlfriend with 3 children move in with him. He smokes but didn't want to smoke in the house because of the kids, so he made his man cave in the garage. He has a couple of chairs, a TV, a small heater, and carpeting, yes he still parks in the garage. She and the kids moved out over 2 years ago but he still uses his garage as his man cave.
We don't have a playroom for toys. Our kids keep their toys in their rooms. We have a drawer in the kitchen for small toys for our youngest to play with when I'm cooking. We have a chest of toys in the livingroom and there are other random toys stored in the entertainment center. Not too many so it is easy to clean up and have a presentable livingroom again! In our last house we had 3 bedrooms and one child and our 3rd bedroom was the office/guest bedroom/studio. We had bookshelves in there with all our books as well. I personally would not use your 3rd bedroom for toys!! I'd leave them in your son's room and just bring into he livingroom what he currently wants to play with (if he wants to be out there with you). good luck deciding!
In my experience, the kids will bring the toys to where ever you are because they want to interact with you while they are playing (you have years of 'look at this mom, look at this' coming). So even if you make the 3rd bedroom a toy room, you son will probably bring the toys to the LR (not yet, at 11 months, but as soon as he can walk and carry things). And your living room will be a play room whether you want it to be or not.
My solution was to get a nice bookshelf and pretty cloth bins that fit on the shelves and the toys are all stored in there. There are times when the LR is a wreck with toys - but it's easy and quick to clean up when everything has a place.
Unless you many kids don't make it a toy room. Keep the man cave. I suggest 20 gallon totes with toys in them and only 1 tote out each week. Rotate more often if needed. Less toys and if you have 5 totes they are always new! If you need to lock up get the 40 gallon locking ones. Don't like them as much but we have storage. Lowe here is having a sale on 20 gallons totes. 3 dollars each.
Hi, A.:
OMG!
Make the extra room a man and woman room to relax in.
If your child has too many things, down size and give to those
children who have nothing.
Just a thought.
D.
I'm coming from a different perspective...be Happy that you child wants to be with you!! There will come a day, when he won't want to. It is very normal for him to want to be with you. Pretty much the day you decided to have a child, you also need to give up the idea of having a "tidy" home. That does not mean that you don't teach them to pick up after themselves though. I have four children, the oldest being 29...the youngest is 16...quite honestly, I miss tripping over those toys!! Try to relax a little, and enjoy your child...he will be gone before you know it!
