advice needed..sylvanian families or dolls house?

mrsg26

I need advice from others as going completely round in circles. My 4.5 yr old DD had asked for a dolls house for Xmas. She's never had one or known anyone that has so I dont know how well she'll play with it. Anyway we've been out looking and we seen a wooden dolls house which is a blank canvas so would need to buy all the separate bits and furniture etc..but we have also been looking at sylvanian families and she likes the tree house too and the animals. So I am unsure what to do. Can either buy the house and get the sylvanian furniture or just get a smaller Sylvanian cottage and get the accessories bit by bit. Sorry if its a bit of a ramble but if anyone has any advice it would be welcomed. thanks.

Emma133

At her age personally I would not buy Sylvanian's yet, my 6.5 year old got a house last year and we have a couple of broken bits. I have told her we have to wait until shes a little older for more. She has a wooden house for her barbies etc. and she does nothing but play with it with her 3 year old sister hth.

nonnatus

Ah, but my daughter got a Sylvanian House for her 4th Christmas, partly because I couldn't WAIT any longer!! I had wanted one myself as a child SOOOO badly .

It was beautiful and her reaction to it was priceless. She has regularly collected bits and bobs for it since and it's great to be able to give relatives "hints" about xmas and birthday gifts. We only lost one small table in the early days due to her baby brother grabbing it, other than that it's all very sturdy .

I think it's a great idea that will provide YEARS of pleasure (for you both.....:rotfl:)

amazingfive

I would go for the Sylvanian house! My DD has about 5 houses now and I just ordered her the hotel for xmas(free with my clubcard x2 voucher exchange!) I think you will get years of play out of them.

mrsg26

Thanks for the advice. It's so hard to make a decision. I think the wooden doll houses are beautiful but I'm not a fan of the wooden sets that come with it, it looks rather bland whereas the sylvanian sets have so much detail. I want it be something that she will love playing with and hopefully stimulate her imagination as currently she's an only child so often she plays alone. Grandparents often buy her DVDs etc as they don't know what else to get however if we get sylvanian famililies then we can add to it over the years and hopefully she'll let me play with her too lol! Can anyone recommend a good house to start off with?

amazingfive

Willow Hall is a good starting one
http://www.preschooltoysandgames.org.uk/sylvanian-families-willow-hall/

Or bluebell cottage was only £20 at tesco but OOS now, hopefully it comes back in stock!

Rainey_LB

My daughter is now 7 and still plays with the wooden dolls house we got from ELC for Xmas when she was 3.

Very similar to this one http://www.elc.co.uk/Rosebud-Dolls%27-House/130143,default,pd.html which is still £100 online, but am sure it was heavily reduced instore about a week ago. It was expensive and there are a lot of cheaper alternatives around but it is very well made, has a lot of detail to it (it looks a lot nicer than some of the cheaper ones) and has been played with continuously for the past 4 years and is still in very good condition.

We have a combination of furniture and accessories from ELC & Toys r Us own brand accessories which are cheaper than the ELC, but after Xmas ELC always sell off the rooms sets really cheaply (often down to £3-£5) as the designs change. However, she also uses all other small toys, characters/animals etc to play with it as well.

My niece who is almost 3 has to be torn away from it when she visits now too, one of the best things I have ever bought for her.

mrsg26

Rainey_LB wrote: »

My daughter is now 7 and still plays with the wooden dolls house we got from ELC for Xmas when she was 3.

Very similar to this one http://www.elc.co.uk/Rosebud-Dolls%27-House/130143,default,pd.html which is still £100 online, but am sure it was heavily reduced instore about a week ago. It was expensive and there are a lot of cheaper alternatives around but it is very well made, has a lot of detail to it (it looks a lot nicer than some of the cheaper ones) and has been played with continuously for the past 4 years and is still in very good condition.

We have a combination of furniture and accessories from ELC & Toys r Us own brand accessories which are cheaper than the ELC, but after Xmas ELC always sell off the rooms sets really cheaply (often down to £3-£5) as the designs change. However, she also uses all other small toys, characters/animals etc to play with it as well.

My niece who is almost 3 has to be torn away from it when she visits now too, one of the best things I have ever bought for her.

Thank you for posting this.I was able to purchase the dolls house at £50 so half price. I am really happy with the house but the furniture is very expensive. I would like her to have it set up on Xmas day so will be on the lookout for the cheaper room sets.

For those who posted about Sylvanian families. I took the plunge and bought the rainbow nursery set and the babies that go with it. This was bought before the dolls house so I will leave it there for now but if she loves them will no doubt add to the collection over the years.

thanks for all the advice. cant wait to see my DD's face on Xmas morning