Toys That I'll Consider Saving for My Grandchildren

We have six kids, ages 13 down to 6 months and through the years we have had a TON of toys. Many, many duplicates. Several that were ignored by all kids who wanted to play with them, and a select few that have been played with by every single child (who is old enough to do so).

No, I'm not getting paid for any of this. Just sharing the love for other parents who may want to sort the junk out from the great toys.

1. Fisher Price Little People Lil Kingdom Castle & Farm

   

   

   Rows 1 and 2 the Gates and the Horses are forever toys for us.

   - The Castle isn't made anymore, so when I needed one for a birthday party I grabbed a friend one from Ebay. In our family, every kid has played with this except Danielle who is only 6 months old. The accessories aren't that important to my kids, except for the horses and the fences. The horses are amazing because the little people can ride them, with the exception of a couple who have really bulky clothes. The fences have been absolutely everything from farm fences to a castle moat, to gates around a racetrack. The kids love them with or without the castle, and, bonus they connect with the fences from other little people sets.

   
   

   

   - The Farm is similarly loved because of its animal theme. Ours came second hand and didn't come with animals but we bought them. Honestly it's the building that is the most played with from our kids. The silo has great storage for kid stuff and the kids use it to carry around other toys which is apparently a big bonus.

   
   

2. Little Tikes Sit and Stand Skyway

   

   
   

   This big, bulky thing has been in our living room for 10+ years. Our friends had something similar at their home and we picked one up off of marketplace for $10 or so for Henry when he was still tiny. While I hate the bulk, every kid that has come through my house, not only my kids, have loved this toy. That includes kids visiting my photography studio.

   

   This toy charms all the kids. Our kids just use Hot Wheels cars on it (or really anything that rolls).

   
   

3. Melissa and Doug Floor Puzzles

   

   These puzzles are huge, they have great big pieces and they're engaging for my kids until they're about 9 or 10 years old. Even still, the older kids will do them with the younger kids. To be honest, they're the only puzzles I allow my kids to have because the pieces are giant and less likely to get lost. They still end up in our lost game pieces box from time to time, but they're super easy to locate in there when the kids get to piece 47 and realize one is still missing. These are simple enough to do in one sitting, but still somewhat challenging. They are much more likely to get completed and then we take a photo with the kid and puzzle in question before putting everything back in the box. The amount of fun my kids have had with these 25-100 piece puzzles makes me want to hold on to them for years to come.

   
   

4. Cocomelon Ride on Bus (and similar)

   

   We've had a number of these ride on toys come through our house in different designs and they weren't all that popular until we got hard floors. Now, these things are ridden on every day by my 2 year old and 5 year old. My 8 year old sneaks a ride in from time to time and my 13 year old would if my husband hadn't banned him for being too heavy for it.

   This one is one I love to hate, it's noisy, but by far the favorite due to its storage compartment. Will I keep this particular toy forever? Probably not, but it is something I'll repurchase in a different design for my grandkids.

   
   

5. Megabloks

   

   For whatever reason my kids seem to like these more than Lego Duplos, but then they go strait into traditional legos. Even the baby loves to chew on these things. As the kids get older, I'll likely get rid of the duplos and keep a few of these around for the grandkids' baby days.

   
   

6. Radio Flier Horse

   

   This one carries with it a bit of sentiment in our home, which is honestly the main reason I hung onto it between child one and two. My in-laws bought it for Henry right before my Father-In-Law passed away and I can remember him sitting on the couch with my husband putting it together.

   However, even without the memories this has been ridden excessively by all of my kids and it still looks mostly brand new. This is one I'll keep around long enough to give to my oldest kiddo when he has kids, because he knows it is the last gift Pawpaw picked out for him too.

   The only down side is that it is huge and takes up a ton of room wherever we put it. Right now it is in our office so that it is community property for our kids, and I know Pawpaw is smiling knowing that even the kiddos he didn't get to meet ride on it and have an absolute blast.

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Kristian is a mom of six, Program Manager by day, active Professional Photographer by trade, and a big believer in finding beauty in the everyday chaos.

Life in our house is loud, messy and full of literally everything. Love, noise, laundry, laughter, and definitely could use a bit more grace. I'm happily married to my best friend, grounded in my Catholic faith, and fueled by five to six hours of sleep per night and adrenaline.

I try to find joy in the everyday — even when it's wild, because without the little bit of joy, this life would be unbearable. This space is for the moms in the middle of it all: the ones juggling family, faith, work, and wonder. The ones that need someone else's messy life to make their own seem better or somewhat normal. You're not alone, and you're doing better than you think.

Welcome to Six Sweet Smiles — where we celebrate the mess, the miracles, and everything in between.