Locked room for breakables when grandkids stay?

Labradora

My ‘tongue in cheek’ post was intended to say I fully realise we all have items that are of great importance and huge sentimental value to us, but after that, often of no interest to anyone else.

Hence why we all seem to have ‘stuff’ we don’t know what to do with, in the fullness of time.

The only item, we move, when our three year ld comes, is the dish of Quality Street or similar, which sits on the Coffee table. 😉

The only thing we move, when our three year old visits, is the dish of Quality Street or similar. 😉

MissAdventure

Yeah, just unlock the door and let the children out when its time to go home 🤭

Love it. 😂

I wrapped up and put all my parents china collection a long time ago
My grandson has no boundaries and would hurl things into the china cabinets while his parents smiled!

Franski

Or lock the dgc up instead

🤣🤣🤣

I would be more worried about what is in the house that can hurt them. Do a liitle walk through of each room. Make it safe. My little ones love looking at my precious treasures with me. They learnt very young that these items are special but we can look at them together and tell stories about the past.

You need to be able to relax and enjoy having them with you without being on edge about breakable, and the children too need to not be treading on eggshells all the time.

Can the really precious items go in a box in the shed or on top of a wardrobe?

imaround

I am going against the grain here it seems, I would lock the door. Or at the very least, set boundaries that the room is off limits. I just don't want to invite more trouble than I want right now, IMO. No sense in it.

I would feel the opposite of it were just a quick visit or even one overnight stay.

Agree.

Calendargirl

Labradora

My ‘tongue in cheek’ post was intended to say I fully realise we all have items that are of great importance and huge sentimental value to us, but after that, often of no interest to anyone else.

Hence why we all seem to have ‘stuff’ we don’t know what to do with, in the fullness of time.

👍😊💐

This thread is taking me back about 50 years to when my in-laws were decorating a huge house in the Scottish countryside in preparation for turning it into a hotel.
DH and I with 2 toddlers had gone to help with decorating for an entire day or possibly the weekend.

It was raining so one of us was stuck in an empty room to entertain the DC while the other helped.
All there was for the children was a box of sticklebricks remember those? which I had brought.
All the DC wanted to do was to join the others. I had to barricade us in. Outside there were ladders, tins of paint and all the things those boys wanted to get their hands on.
For years afterwards the words sticklebricks meant being imprisoned with small children in a bare room.

So my advice is to put everything exciting but not available to the wee ones not only out of reach but out of sight.

Get out things they can play with even if it's pots and pans but I always keep a box of toys for visiting infants.

Lock a room if you have enough rooms. After all it's your house and your treasures.

People who get all sentimental about the little darlings haven't been in your situation recently. 😟😂

I’ve moved a lot of things, including some framed photos, to the top of my wardrobe, and the pens and crayons that the older DGC enjoy are in a high kitchen cupboard so the little visitor can’t help himself!

Never in a million years would I think that things were more valuable than people.
Easy enough to keep the door closed just like a kitchen cupboard. I taught my children when visiting other homes they could look but not touch unless told they could.
Nothing ever was damaged. My DGD is the same.

Lock the door, mine live with me all 3 of them, it’s so despondent when things you paid good money for or have sentimental value get broken.

I recently had my two-year old grandson, Theo, to stay and was prepared to have to move a whole collection of delicate porcelain ceramics from a surface he could reach. I planned to place them temporarily on top of a tall cupboard he wouldn’t be able to reach. In the event he didn’t go anywhere near them because my daughter and son-in-law have clearly taught him not to touch decorative ornaments / ceramics in their own home. I was very impressed by how well behaved he was for the entire visit, especially at meal times. He was absolutely delightful and I miss him dearly.

They can all vary, cant they.

Some grandchildren love the baubles for instance on a christmas tree. While others ignore.

Can you put something in front of the door that your grandson won't be able to move or climb on?
Another alternative, one of the older model stairgate. Not the ones that can open. You can get them that has a rubber on each end, top and bottom that you twist round and they secure to the door frame.

It was visiting children who at times shocked me. I thought Lego was indestructible until I met little M... from across the road. He managed to snap a large, important base piece.

Then I found another child kicking his ball at the bird table in order to destroy it. He also brought a replica machine gun with him once and he was never invited again!

Discussing with DS and DIL whether or not to lock a room with breakables in is surely going to put them on edge about the whole visit. I agree with other posters just move things out of reach of 3 yr old and let everyone relax and enjoy the visit.

My youngest Grandson(now 13) used to take pleasure in pulling out the spines of an ornamental squirrel 🐿️ I’m leaving it to him in my list of wishes when I’m gone. Knowing him he will have a great laugh. 👦

Put a child’s kiddie lock on the inside of the display cabinet, you can’t see them inside from the outside

Once my grandchildren arrived, I permanenty packed away small, breakable and valuable items. I put them in a plastic container in the loft. Surprisingly I didn't miss any of them. The grandchildren proved more precious than any of these ornaments. Now the grandchildren are grown up, I have accesssed this container once again, and have only brought about 2 items back down into the house again. The rest I will either try to sell, or give to a charity shop.

To repeat, if the house is absolutely huge, then this time no harm:

But with 3 delights to come and visit, growing up - how fortunate:

People matter more than things. Yes, box in the attic, and a smaller box on a shelf to get a out a few treasures once they have gone.

The very few meaningful items within child grabbing reach were packed away. We concentrated on safety as much as we could. The marble hearth with very sharp corners had a padded throw folded on it when grandchild number three arrived, a little tornado, it protected their head when they ran and inevitably fell. The plug sockets were protected, anything sharp put out of reach, medicines and cleaning materials in child proofed cupboards. More than that I can’t recall.

It did vary with each child, some were more adventurous than others. Our two and subsequent three grandchildren became very used to me reminding them to look with their eyes not fingers. One loved to repeat it to their mum when she picked up something in a shop. 😊. We found the children’s parents were more concerned than we were, we tried to make it so everyone relaxed. Don’t worry too much karenmfred, put what you’re very attached to out of reach or out of sight, relax and enjoy the visit. These little ones become teenagers in the blink of an eye.

stick them out of harms way. Job done