Do your kids go to the basement?

Ima2

Mon, Jan 25 2016, 11:45 am

Not sure where else to put this question...

We are thinking of buying an apt in Israel. We looked at one that we would have to dig a basement underneath the building and it seems like a really nice option. My question is, since the playroom would be in the basement, would my kids actually play there? Would they just bring the toys upstairs in any event? We are considering another apt with the same amt of bedrooms, but all on 1 floor. so naturally it wouldn't be as big as the 2 floor option but the toys would be on the same floor as everything else. what good would a basement do if they don't go down there to play?

Chayalle

Mon, Jan 25 2016, 12:12 pm

I'm in the US and I have a playroom in the basement. My kids have rarely gone down to play there - only with friends. Otherwise they just brought the toys upstairs.

m in Israel

Mon, Jan 25 2016, 12:19 pm

It really depends on your kids, and also how good you are about enforcing the rules. Smile

IME older kids are more likely to play by themselves on a different floor, while preschoolers are much less likely to do so. You put this under preschoolers, so if that is the age you are asking about I think you have a good chance of them coming up. However I do know people who have successfully kept "toys in the basement" rules even with young kids.

thunderstorm

Mon, Jan 25 2016, 12:24 pm

my playroom is downstairs....and I have the "no toys upstairs rule" , but I do find that my youngest (five year old) does not like to play down there if he is alone...if my other kids are down there he'll gladly go down, but if he is home with me on Shabbos while everyone is in shul he prefers to stay upstairs next to me. So I made a new arrangement where I lock the toy closet and before Shabbos we go down and choose one toy for Friday night and one toy for Shabbos day that he can bring upstairs. That arrangement works well with us.

amother

Khaki

Mon, Jan 25 2016, 3:31 pm

We are also considering now a house where the playroom won't be on the same level than all rooms. It can even be build a very large room. But because the playroom won't be on the main level I am thinking of making the stairs next to a small room calling it a baby playroom or so but keeping all or most toys in the real playroom. Does this make sense? Can this work out. We have young kids and babies who won't be playing alone in the playroom on another level. What else can we do?

amother

Brown

Mon, Jan 25 2016, 4:10 pm

So interesting. I happen to hate basements and my kids stay close to me. I rent a house and originally put all the toys in the basement but of course they only played on the main floor. However, in the last month, my youngest discovered and loves the basement. He is too little to be there by himself so I usually send my others downstairs to keep him company. And now they love playing down there!

nnmom

Mon, Jan 25 2016, 4:20 pm

In the two houses we have had basement playrooms the kids seldom play down there. I have a play space for toys in my kitchen.
Funny enough, on pesach they only play in the basement. That's where the pesach kitchen is.

littleprincess

Mon, Jan 25 2016, 4:41 pm

I live in a house. My playroom is upstairs. I do have a toy box for my toddler on the lower level. He's not gonna play upstairs when I'm busy in the kitchen.
On shabbes the bigger ones take some games down while we nap so the noise doesn't bother. But they do know it all has to go back up when they finish playing.

Rutabaga

Mon, Jan 25 2016, 4:45 pm

In my experience, younger children prefer to play near wherever their parents are but older children like the freedom and privacy of a basement.

If you are looking for a short term apartment, then you would probably be better off with everything on one floor. If this will be a long term arrangement, then a basement and more space probably makes more sense.

vet techy

Mon, Jan 25 2016, 4:55 pm

nnmom wrote:

Sounds like my house. My kids never play downstairs. They bring a selects few toys upstairs to play.
Only Pesach when we are downstairs in our Pesach kitchen do my kids play down there.

Twizzlers

Wed, Jan 27 2016, 8:04 am

My little kids like to play near me, and if I had their toys in the basement, they would never go down to play, or they'd just bring them up.

Now that I have older kids, I INSIST that lego can only be played downstairs. I also have a crawling baby who eats everything and there is no way I will allow those tiny pieces where he can get to them. My 5, 8, and 9 year old completely understand, and happily go down to play.