There was always a box of puzzles and assorted toys in the coat closet at my parent's house, but I have never had one. We have very few child visitors and I can always round up paper and colored pens or pencils if entertainment is needed. I think most people who might visit with children in tow would bring plenty of items to entertain the child. Perhaps there's a generational difference at play?

No, we didn't have one when I was growing up. I had one for my young kids but it sure didn't fit in a closet! Closets are generally small and few in these older houses.

Not growing up.

I have a cloth storage bin in the corner of my living room I keep for the grand kids. It holds a couple of sets of vintage Tupperware Busy Blocks that have little animals inside and a Tupperware Zoo It Yourself set. I also have a bunch of the old fashioned Fisher Price Little People pegs in there. Some FP animals from long ago sets also. The grands love those. They lost interest in the modern day version of little people almost immediately. DD and I no longer purchase them. There is also a Chatter phone in the box, a Rub a Dub Dolly, some board books and a few random small stuffed animals. I recently added Fisher Price Space Station toys to the box. All the toys once belonged to my kids who were born in the 1970s.

I always have crayons, coloring books and sticker books around along with children's books to read.

What a sweet assumption. Once upon a time we moved to a state where there were a lot of extended family we had never met. We spent many many weekends visiting. Most were my parents aunts with grown children so the five of us were BORED TO TEARS through most of these visits. No toys, and loooong before the days of electronics and bringing your own entertainment along. TV was our only saving grace. I have a few things stashed away for "grand kids" if that ever happens and I have a Noah's Ark in my great room, filled with stuffed animals that has been a hit for little visitors but no, never considered a conscious "guest toy box" and do not know anyone who ever has.

My grandparents had them.

We rarely have younger kids here. I've kept the Geotrax, Thomas the Tank Engine wooden train sets, Star Wars gear and American Girl Dolls. Barbie and gear was donated last week. I'm only keeping the sturdiest toys and only the toys my children loved. Everything else goes. IMO, a lot of the kids toys in the last several years are really boring and built as disposables. My kids were given a lot of toys they simply did not find interesting.

Growing up, we just had a few toys, half were stored in the attic and then when Mother thought we were tired of playing with what we had out to play with, they were put in the attic and the others brought down. We probably just had a cardboard box for them. Sadly Mother gave away our few toys and we did not get any of them. The only things I can remember my Grandma having were some very old books and I enjoyed those. Now I have Rubbermaid totes full of toys, some stored away for winter in the pole barn, some put in my garage and some still out. Lots and lots of crayons, and coloring books and an art desk a little folding table and chairs also. Alyssa's favorite things are Mega Blocks and those take up room to store, lots of plastic animals, mostly pretty horses, play doh and coloring, plus books to read. Alex seldom comes over but when he does there are toys.

Sue

My dogs have a toy basket.

I had shelves for my kids' toys, but no toy box.

We have one, for our kitties! It's a cardboard box which they scratch and bite and frequently knock over full of their favorite toys...ping pong balls, feathers, catnip mice, etc. They're great at getting stuff out of there, but if only I could get them to put their toys back!

I asked my Guatemala neighbors with kids to come over, and pick out what they would like, before moving to Florida. But then, I ended up giving them the WHOLE toy box my father in law had made for my oldest daughter. Neither of my daughters wanted to own it... and who knew, how long it would be before they would come to visit.

I am ok with it all gone, as most of the toys in there were for smaller kids... with other words, my grand kids has out grown most.

I will get them something before their next visit... but for now, I am holding off. There really aren't any kids visiting...

Moni

Having 6 grand kids means I have lots of toys at my house! My oldest daughter has the toybox made by her fraternal grandfather but it just sitting in her basement since her two girls are past the "toy" age.

No. I do not get enough children visiting me. I do have a lovely basket full of dog toys. I know what you are talking about though--my grandma had a box like that and so does my Mom. There are some really cool vintage toys in that box.

I have some toys. The ones liked best are the army guys and dinosaurs. They are small and the grands like me to hide them and they go seek. Love it when I say things like "you're so close your bum is on fire." Also have coloring books and an art tote. Lego's and a Strawberry Shortcake house and dolls.

Lots of water toys too for the lake. By 10am they are fed and down at the lake. They love to catch minnows and make "aquariums" for them.

Yep, I have one but it is not in a closet. It is in my basement. My grandkids love to go to the basement and pick out toys to bring upstairs. I've had this toybox long before I had the grandkids. The toys are old but I did pick up a few newer things at a garage sale. The toy that the kids love the most is an old rotary dial toy phone. My granddaughter is quite puzzled by that. She knows how to use it now.

No. I don't have grandchildren and no children ever come visit me....none of my friends have small children. I did keep a couple of toys that belonged to my daughter and some of her favorite books. One has pictures but in sequence that tell a story. She used to love to sit on my lap and we'd "talk" about the pictures. I found it at a thrift shop and it is the same book that the teacher had when I was in first grade. We didn't go to kindergarten, so most kids started in first and couldn't read, and the teacher showed us the pictures and we talked about the story behind the pictures. I also have Green Eggs and Ham....which is the first book she learned to read all by herself. Another is a field guide of birds. I was going to town one day and she was staying at home with daddy. I asked her if she wanted me to bring her something and she said, "A hawk book." (Grandma had evidently pointed out a hawk to her). She wasn't much over two years old. Hard to find a "hawk book" but I found that field guide, and she loved looking at all the pictures of birds. One of the pictures of the hawk has a spot where she touched it so many times, it rubbed the picture off the page.

Our DGS is 11, and DGD is 5. He will still drag out the wooden train set that was his father's. She prefers paper and crayons or markers now. She loved to have a 'parade', using the drum that came with several musical instruments. She wants to play with the jack-in-the-box every time she visits.

The biggest hit is a large purple ball that DGS chose from the seat of my shopping cart at the grocery store when he was two. It's been re-re-re-inflated. DH is always involved in surprise ambushes, bashing or being bashed by The Big Purple Ball.

They have now outgrown all of these toys, but are happy to find them still here when they visit. When I suggest culling some, I get *frowns*.

Hubby likes to tease me about the toy box, saying it's for our grandkids, our oldest is only 9!!

I'm sure grandkids will play with them at some point in the far future but I'm not consciously saving them for grandkids, just for children visitors.

I have a small basket of appropriate play things for kids that are past the "put everything in their mouth" stage. Also a large basket of toys for the granddog. And in the no tv allowed family room is a table with a world globe on it along with a couple small puzzle type mind benders and games for individual play for adults or older kids. In a small basket on a sofa table in that same room there are a few more small hold in one hand type mind bender puzzles. Any repeat visitors know where to find entertainment.

These are the same type "toys" that I grew up having around the house. My personal toy box, so to speak, was a very elaborate doll house that sat on a child sized table to the left of the front door. When the door was open, (there was a storm door also) the messy doll house and table that had all kinds of my treasures stuffed under it was hidden from view. But when the door was closed it was totally exposed for anyone that came in the house to see. Mom was constantly after me to tidy up!

We still have my husband's childhood wooden toy box. We're planning to get it out of the attic to store our oldest grand son's PS2 stuff. We have a big plastic tote of mega blocks and assorted toys and one of those nylon net pop up laundry hampers with more toddler toys. We have 3 two year olds and a 9 year old right now with a new baby due in January. We don't get other children visitors, but we have toys if that happens..

To the OP, if we didn't have grand kids, I don't think we'd have toys here.

We had one of those big blue plastic Little Tykes toyboxes when our two boys were going up. That thing wore like iron. When they got a little older, they "borrowed" the lid to use as a sled and ruined it. I think we may still have the toybox somewhere.

Now we have a plastic rectangular laundry basket under the coffee table holding a few toys for the grandkids, ages 6 and 10 months. (And the granddog.) I suppose we will have it a while.

I don't have an actual toy box right now, but have had for visiting children in the past. I have legos in a plastic bucket, crayons and coloring books, childrens books for reading. I have kind of a soft spot for childrens books myself, if the illustrations are well done, story line with a little imagination, I'll buy and add to my bookshelves

I have great nephew just shy of 2 years old now, so may be time to refresh some toys. What I'm finding when he's here so far is that he wants my wagon that he knows is in my garage. I have a big wheeled wagon with a bed that lifts like a dump truck for my gardening things, I think it was called Gorilla wagon., He wants either to be pulled in it (DH happy to oblige), or he wants to pull it himself - rain or shine ;o(.

I had a cardboard box in my bedroom closet and my dolls,etc. inside it and kept it and then my mother talked me into when I was in my 20's to put it down in the basement as this nice bedroom a card board box is out of place and I did and she got rid of it all. They wouldn't get anything for their two grandsons when they came to visit. But I did keep the games we grew up with and they played those.

I keep a small basket with toys - mostly kids meal toys - at my office for visiting parents with small children. It has kept many children from getting fussy while we took care of business.

Kids in 50s ... no grandkids ... no family/friend visitors with kids tagging along.

Having an ongoing claim to have not arrived at "second childhood" yet ...

... no I don't.

o j