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Hey everyone!

A quick bit of my background - I'm in my mid-thirties, and have been miniature wargaming since I was thirteen. Over the years I've collected Battletech, Warhammer and Warhammer 40k, Flames of War, and too many others to mention. I love my hobby and have brought others into it. I have a display case for current projects, and a backlog of kits and bits in the basement to last me for years.

Not too long ago my extended bachelorhood finally drew to a close. My wife and I have been very happy living together, and we've had room enough for our hobbies not to crowd one another. Then, we got that news that our family would soon be expanding, and this fall we are eagerly expecting the birth of our first child, a girl.

I've been so excited and happy this past season, only now have I begun to look around, and realize... holy cow, my house is full of toys! I have shiny Blood Angels and X-wing ships on display behind glass doors that have no lock! I have carrying cases stacked in the corner filled with delicate little toy tanks and pointy little soldiers. Every last one is a choking hazard, and every last one is inappropriate for a child to even touch, much less play with, for the better part of the next seven years. Quite simply, I need to pare down and secure my collection quickly, before it is a hazard to my little girl, or she is a hazard to their resale value.

So, my question is: any other gamer parents out there, with stacks of minatures and kits and sharp little blades and things? How have you kept them apart from your chid? Did they get into everything, or were they even interested in mommy or daddy's little toy men? Any horror or success stories?

I'm eager to hear them all!

Hello,

I am not a parent, but one of my friends is, with both a 1 year old and a 2 year old.

Their solution was simple, they put it all in a spare room, locked at all times.

Claire

I'll be interested in this one too, We have a new gamer arriving in Feb (all things going according to plan)

Wargaming is not inherently child friendly....

It's definitely not Wargaming budget friendly.

You can get affordable locking cabinets at home improvement stores. They don't look like fancy furniture, but they do keep everything out of sight and away from prying hands.

Also, keeping things up high works for the first year or so.

I've got 4 kids from 27 down to 5. One thing I've always stressed with them is "these are not yours. These are daddy's toys and you can get hurt by them." I gladly show them to the kids when they want to see them. I let them hold the models under my supervision. Obviously, what models they can hold depends on how old and dextrous the child is.
I don't hide them. I leave them out in the open. I make them accessible while also setting that limit.
They were always, of course, in their own separate room that was off limits to the kids, but the room was never locked or even had the door kept closed.

With ONE exception ONE time, I've never had a problem. The child that made that exception? She's always (even now, at 27) been the one to push boundaries, so I kind of write that one off.

Eric

 MagickalMemories wrote:
I've got 4 kids from 27 down to 5. One thing I've always stressed with them is "these are not yours. These are daddy's toys and you can get hurt by them." I gladly show them to the kids when they want to see them. I let them hold the models under my supervision. Obviously, what models they can hold depends on how old and dextrous the child is.
I don't hide them. I leave them out in the open. I make them accessible while also setting that limit.
They were always, of course, in their own separate room that was off limits to the kids, but the room was never locked or even had the door kept closed.

With ONE exception ONE time, I've never had a problem. The child that made that exception? She's always (even now, at 27) been the one to push boundaries, so I kind of write that one off.

Eric

This (almost) to the letter. I've only got the one (so far) who is almost three now, but he likes the horsies with wings and hasn't quite figured out how to say genestealer properly yet. Supervision is the key. Don't leave your modelling knife out and you should be ok. He is suprisingly delicate with my models and anything you really don't want to get accidentally snapped you just put out of reach, but as long as it's not completely forbidden, and you spend a bit of time with some older models they are much less likely to try and find/grab/squish/throw in general*.

*I can only speak from my experience though.

What I'd be more worried is about the time factor, period. All of my friends are now with multiple children, and only one of them has been able to continue gaming. The other ones look at their minis every month, thinking "only X more years."

Acrylic paints are children friendly, they'll love to learn using brushes. If you get them started early, they can be quite masterful by a young age.

 Mathieu Raymond wrote:
What I'd be more worried is about the time factor, period. All of my friends are now with multiple children, and only one of them has been able to continue gaming. The other ones look at their minis every month, thinking "only X more years."

Acrylic paints are children friendly, they'll love to learn using brushes. If you get them started early, they can be quite masterful by a young age.

I have two kids, one toddler and one new baby and my gaming time has dwindled away the past year or so. I just simply do not have the time to game at the moment and I consider myself lucky in that I have my own dedicated gaming room. I have become resigned to the fact that my gaming time will be curtailed, at least for perhaps the next year or so.

I don't suffer the kids=no gaming curse. I have been fortunate.
When I lived in VA, I had Wednesdays off. That was the weekday that local players happened to all get together at the FLGS. I got plenty of gaming in during the day.

After moving back home to MO, I met a group that meets every Saturday. I gamed with them every other Sat., and moved to every Saturday about 6 or 7 years ago. I am fortunate to have an understanding wife. It helps that I am willing to drop "game day" any time I'm needed at home, that I let her go out to see the Cardinals play ball whenever she wants to (HER hobby) and the wife and kids get all of my time every Sunday.

If you have an understanding wife, you CAN find a happy medium.


Eric

I have a two year old and a four year old. I have all my minis out on a book case and my paint desk exposed. This is all in my bed room that i never lock. I also collect hotwheels for my four year old and GIjoe toys for my two year old. Plus i have a whole wall in the kids room with nothing but heroclix and there fav super heros. I let the kids go in the room with me and i spend time with them while they look at stuff. I let them grab things but i pay attention to how the do it and give them the " Im watching you look". I explain to them that these are daddy's and not to touch them unless daddy says so. I tell them what they are and love to see there blank face like WTH is he talking about lol. I guess if you let them touch and look and give them the feeling that they are nothing special they leave it alone. Now for a new born soon to be a rug rat. Id pack it all up and move it away from were the baby is going to spend most of there time at.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 MagickalMemories wrote:
I don't suffer the kids=no gaming curse
If you have an understanding wife, you CAN find a happy medium.Eric

Nor have i, It is going to be very hard if you and your wife play 40k. That is unless you set up a are to play at home, My wife hates 40k and thinks its dumb. But she lets me do my thing every other weekend i do it that way so i still get my treats . I could play every weekend but i rather not some times I even get burnt out on it and need a break.

it's a work in progress

initially you will have to keep your toys in solitary confinement, and as your child grows, slowly bring them out. This would be AN AWESOME TIME to start collecting reaper's Bones products (insert shamless plug here: I'm trying to get rid of mine, after I've sorted out the ones I can make a Hnefatafl set with) and try to do your gaming with those as your child grows. They are a soft rubber/plastic, the texture and give is almost the same as what you might find at a dollar store, with the plastic animals, only softer.

Introduce your toys to your child as she grows up, but know this: She will want to play with your toys and paint them as well. There have been horror stories of commissions going sideways at the last stage because little sally found mums pink nail polish and chose to add the finishing touches on those metal grey knights. You will have to accept that some of your toys will come to harm, so the best thing to do is to acknowledge that, know that there are more important things with life, and roll with it, because there is a second side to this.

The side is this: if you get your child interested, the educational possibilities from gaming are limitless. Budgeting money, budgeting game points, how to paint, how to pay attention to detail, how to follow instructions (and how to gleam a simple understanding of engineering out of it. Lego technic should be in every home). How to think about tasking a job, storage and organization, thinking laterally (there's tonnes of products that can do X in a different way), how to abide within by a series of rules, being a good sport, learning how to be handy (building custom terrain can go a fair way to learning how to build simple things...) expanding creativity...... there's a lot to learn here, and it's all in getting them interested....

it's going to be a work in progress, and it's going to be an expensive one, you will lose stuff as they grow, but don't fret over it. You've said it yourself--they are just your toys. My nephew has already broken some of mine, i just went and made sure that what he's playing with was plastic and not metal, and the fewest pointies possible. Nothing is worse than a determined child, for if they want it, they will find a way to get their hands on it, so it's always best to share (hey, and teach the value of sharing since you are already at it too)

Oggthrok wrote:
Hey everyone!

A quick bit of my background - I'm in my mid-thirties, and have been miniature wargaming since I was thirteen. Over the years I've collected Battletech, Warhammer and Warhammer 40k, Flames of War, and too many others to mention. I love my hobby and have brought others into it. I have a display case for current projects, and a backlog of kits and bits in the basement to last me for years.

Not too long ago my extended bachelorhood finally drew to a close. My wife and I have been very happy living together, and we've had room enough for our hobbies not to crowd one another. Then, we got that news that our family would soon be expanding, and this fall we are eagerly expecting the birth of our first child, a girl.

I've been so excited and happy this past season, only now have I begun to look around, and realize... holy cow, my house is full of toys! I have shiny Blood Angels and X-wing ships on display behind glass doors that have no lock! I have carrying cases stacked in the corner filled with delicate little toy tanks and pointy little soldiers. Every last one is a choking hazard, and every last one is inappropriate for a child to even touch, much less play with, for the better part of the next seven years. Quite simply, I need to pare down and secure my collection quickly, before it is a hazard to my little girl, or she is a hazard to their resale value.

So, my question is: any other gamer parents out there, with stacks of minatures and kits and sharp little blades and things? How have you kept them apart from your chid? Did they get into everything, or were they even interested in mommy or daddy's little toy men? Any horror or success stories?

I'm eager to hear them all!

First, you are experiencing very natural new parent jitters. I assure you that by the time your second child arrives (if you plan on having more than one), you'll be like, "pssh, babies be easy...what's that he's chewing on? Oh well, he'll be fine."

I have a three year old and a 6 month old, and I am lucky enough to have a separate room for the nonce. So all I do is leave my ginormous mess in there protected by a slide bolt 6 feet up on the door and a childproof deal on the knob.

However, not everyone is lucky enough to have a room in which to sequester gaming stuff. I recommend that you find somewhere to keep most of your things in a primarily baby-free environment, even if it is just in a corner behind a baby gate. There are some nice cabinets that you can get that have little fold out desk tops. That is also an option for keeping hobby stuff out of little child hands if space is at a premium.

What I do with my 3 year old is in my hobby room I have a shelf for "his" models, which consist of a few old battered Leman Russ tanks. When he wants to come hang out with me in the hobby room, he knows what he is allowed to touch and what he is not allowed to touch (anything on the desk is off limits), and giving him some models that he is allowed to mess with seems to work well. If he gets grabby, he just goes to the shelf and picks up the tanks, but always asks first.

See, he knows they are not his toys, right? They are daddy's toys, but they are daddy's toys that he can handle if he asks to. This way interacting with them is still special, and I use them to teach him how to handle models respectfully. He gets to play with something special, and I get to explain why we do not shake or throw models, how to always put them back on the shelf, and so forth.

You will be fine. And congratulations!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Mathieu Raymond wrote:
What I'd be more worried is about the time factor, period. All of my friends are now with multiple children, and only one of them has been able to continue gaming. The other ones look at their minis every month, thinking "only X more years."

Acrylic paints are children friendly, they'll love to learn using brushes. If you get them started early, they can be quite masterful by a young age.

I love child labor wargaming projects. "Hey, buddy, bring over the kids and we can all paint my sand dunes!"

Edit: In terms of gaming at home with the kids around, I've noticed that it is not too much of a problem if you are loose about it.

I started running a miniatures campaign at my house once a month, and we play for most of the day on Saturdays. Inevitably, my son comes around and wants to participate, and I let him interact as much as possible. There have often been fire engines and Lightning McQueen cameos in my wild west scenarios. One thing that always scares me is dice. He always wants to mess with the dice and I have nightmares about him choking on them. That is the hardest to deal with because I am neurotic about it (which is unhelpful). This makes him want to mess with the dice more, and to do things like grab and run.

So, really, like others have said, the more you normalize the interaction with your gaming things and encourage responsible use, the better it is. Kids learn fast, and they want to be part of what you are doing. You can structure that interaction in a safe, fun, and rewarding way. I have been easing my issues with dice by encouraging him to roll dice when we play board games and such.

My son runs over to my desk and climbs up into my chair nd grabs the first thing he sees and shows it to me and says " Look daddy! Dat cool!!" I have tried to get him to paint something on his own but nothing is as cool as what i am working on so i don't tend to get a lot done. My son is almost 3 btw. My 5 month old daughter though will just sit on my lap and watch as i paint for hours. I just try to keep the really fragile stuff up and out of the way but for the most part my son knows hes not supposed to touch anything on my desk. as they get older and start using more rules in their play i think i will try to introduce them to D&D and then maybe later some 40k or something but right now they are too young to care about how someone else says something should be played with and that is just fine with me.

Im kinda going out on a limb here. Is it fair to introduce your child to wargaiming? Or should it be something they fall into? I mean no offense to every one, But i would much rather have my boys be into something else. I would hate to see them at home all day on summer vacation painting or in the house reading rules and being a hermet. I do not want them to be wild booze drinking party beast either. Wargaming can suck you in and never let you go. And for kids i bet its even harder. IDK. And whay i mean is not buying them minis and showing them how to play. Id leave it up to them i wouldnt force them to come check it out or to play. I would go off of "you ask and ill show" not "hey check this out sit down im going to show you how to play".

 SheSpits wrote:
Im kinda going out on a limb here. Is it fair to introduce your child to wargaiming? Or should it be something they fall into? I mean no offense to every one, But i would much rather have my boys be into something else. I would hate to see them at home all day on summer vacation painting or in the house reading rules and being a hermet. I do not want them to be wild booze drinking party beast either. Wargaming can suck you in and never let you go. And for kids i bet its even harder. IDK. And whay i mean is not buying them minis and showing them how to play. Id leave it up to them i wouldnt force them to come check it out or to play. I would go off of "you ask and ill show" not "hey check this out sit down im going to show you how to play".

unfortunately, all kids go through the stage where they want to pick up dolls/toy soldiers and make "ka-pow-pow-pow-pow-pow, ratatatatatatatatata" noises with them. I'm not disputing your argument, but, when faced with the inevitable, the suggestion to make is "roll with it". If it's not the kids thing, then it's not the kids thing and you move on. And in the grand scheme of things, what's worse, vidya gaymes or tabletop? I'm not disputing your claim, it's better to take them out, but we're just talking about an eventuality here

Ive seen parents drag there kids to FLGS in attempts to shove 40k down there throat. If my kids play with toys thats ok with me they can do that outside to, they are at the age already. Im talking about 10-14 years old. Im going to leave it at that as i can already see the fire this can start.

 SheSpits wrote:
Ive seen parents drag there kids to FLGS in attempts to shove 40k down there throat. If my kids play with toys thats ok with me they can do that outside to, they are at the age already. Im talking about 10-14 years old. Im going to leave it at that as i can already see the fire this can start.

yeah, that's a different bag. Parent's shoving something a game down their kids' throats is too much (I have a different opinion when it comes to music and some dance or sport). I think OP was just concerned about having his toys shredded by the coming and growing child.

You know. .... global overpopulation is the biggest issue of the modern age.

I'd go with abortion or adoption. :-)

No but seriously. It's hardly rocket science. Sell some gak or stick it in storage.

Welcome to adulthood. You gots to make the big decisions and they all suck balls.

Maybe I just never grew up, but nothing beat the teens for me. :-)

It was something that botherd me and this thread seemed to be on the same level. I wanted to see if i was crazy for going up to him and saying somthing. Dragging your 10 YO child to the table and forcing him to move your models. I was pissed and seemed to be the only person there who cared. Sorry to go off topic wanted to see how other parents would react.

Time to board out the loft/attic, and turn it into a gaming room.

Well a little about me im a divorced oart time parent my kids ar 4 and 2. And I have a nephew thats around a lot thats just a couple month younger then my 4 year old. When I was married I was on active duty and my ex was somewhat of supportive of the hobby. (It was the only one I wouldnt let go of) I had started playing 40k right after high school. When my first kid came alomg I kept my models out in the garage and would do my modeling after she went to bed. After I got divorced id spend more time with my nephew and my son was almost a year old. I keep my models up on shelves most of the time and when I pull them down when little ones are around I keep them involved. Like I let my daughter hand me pieces when im building models and I teach them all propper ways to handle my models. My nephew loves my space marine bikers and loves to show my sister what im working on. It fun and I always keep an eye on them making sure they behave themselfs... I read all the rest of the post and must say I agree with what they have said.well for the most part we all have our own experiances and its always nice seeing that im not the only one out there teaching my kids these are daddy's toys and not to touch unless im there and say its ok. I do have to say I cant wait to see if my kids end up intersted in this hobby or something else. Ill never push anything on my kids but if they become interested ill gladly teach them.
Good luck with the little one and congrats on the little one on the way... oh and about the dice let them play with dice and just keep an eye on them so they dont put them in their mouth. As long as you interact with them and teach them more as they get older the less you will have to worry.

 mattyrm wrote:
You know. .... global overpopulation is the biggest issue of the modern age.

I'd go with abortion or adoption. :-)

No but seriously. It's hardly rocket science. Sell some gak or stick it in storage.

Welcome to adulthood. You gots to make the big decisions and they all suck balls.

Maybe I just never grew up, but nothing beat the teens for me. :-)

Aside from not being funny, it is also untrue. Having kids doesn't mean you have to pack up all your things in to boxes or sell them all, it is just an outdated cliche. I have more toys now (video games, cars, actual toys, etc.) since I've had children than I ever did as a bachelor.

OP- when the kids are really small, things on tables and shelves will generally out of reach so you won't have much to worry about with that. When they get to be bigger toddlers (2+), you have to be carefull what they can reach but also reinforce the idea that they are off limits to them. And like some others have said, give some cheap models to them to paint (I gave my four year old daughter some Black Reach marines) and help them paint them up. If your kids end up anything like most other little kids out there, this is all stuff they love: doing arts and crafts, hanging out with near dad, and making something they are proud of.

Scooty i am 34 years old. If you are trying to claim that a family doesn't negatively affect your solo gaming life, you are deluding yourself because it feels nice.

Sure you can have "toys" but it's not the same thing.

And I wasn't trying to be funny. I was only half joking.

We're raising gamer kids.

Both my daughters knew how to say C'thullu before they could walk (helped along by a selection og cthullu plushies and a huge rotund cthullu bean bag.

My oldest daughter (7) has been playing a simplified version of 40K for the last two years, and is now expressing an interest in Warmachine also. She paints way better than i did at 7 also She, unlike daddy, is painting one unit fully before we get another for her....and tells me off for not doing so

My wife collects, paints and once in a great while plays 40k to humiliate me with her luck/skill/other.

My youngest (3) likes daddies toys too, so most of my collection lives on high shelves or in storage when i'm not using it, but it isn't impossible to have gaming stuff and small kids at the same time. You just have to make sure it's securely stored or too high to reach, and impress on their tender minds that they are YOUR toys not theirs.

She does get to borrow my Bones and D and D minis models though (especially the larger, less breakable ones like my Bulette or Earth Elemental) because those things are damn near unbreakable.

Encourage an interest. Getting them painting helps. Get them inspired and then dont whine about how much your wallet cries when they're hooked

My parents totally didn't get my gaming, though they were fairly supportive. It's even cooler when your dad (or Mom) sits down to share your hobby as a kid though. My dad did model airplane kits with me, and scenery for his model trains, which i loved as a kid.

 mattyrm wrote:
Scooty i am 34 years old. If you are trying to claim that a family doesn't negatively affect your solo gaming life, you are deluding yourself because it feels nice.

Sure you can have "toys" but it's not the same thing.

And I wasn't trying to be funny. I was only half joking.

What does how old you are have anything to do with it?
And no, having a family doesn't negatively affect my "gaming life." I'd rather go to the pool with my younger daughter or take my older daughter fishing than play a game of 40K ten times out of ten. If anything, my hobby gets in the way of my family, not the other way around.

 MagickalMemories wrote:
I've got 4 kids from 27 down to 5. One thing I've always stressed with them is "these are not yours. These are daddy's toys and you can get hurt by them." I gladly show them to the kids when they want to see them. I let them hold the models under my supervision. Obviously, what models they can hold depends on how old and dextrous the child is.
I don't hide them. I leave them out in the open. I make them accessible while also setting that limit.
They were always, of course, in their own separate room that was off limits to the kids, but the room was never locked or even had the door kept closed.

With ONE exception ONE time, I've never had a problem. The child that made that exception? She's always (even now, at 27) been the one to push boundaries, so I kind of write that one off.

Eric

I will also echo this nearly to the letter. My boys are 5 and 8 though, and my name is Aaron.

I also play my games with them on Family Game Night. They do quite well with X-Wing and Axis & Allies War at Sea. I see them as Math Games or Spatial Reasoning games. I make them think, do math, read, etc., but they don't realize it because we're "playing games" and it's fun. I also let them paint my spare minis, DV marines and such.

We went to Florida two weeks ago and on the return trip I stopped at Miniature Market on the way back home. The boys got some models and they showed us the warehouse. They were very excited to see the thousands of gaming items stacked nearly to the roof.

I am a gamer and a painter, and so are they.

Funny thing is, my friend's 3 years old son is convinced my name is C'Thulhu. Will not let it go.

The sad thing is, my friends seem to be hitched with girls that are very much into the "girls night out" every week thing, and we barely get to have an evening a month. If that. Except for my minion's father. Like I said, he struck a good balance with his wife.

Being a teacher, I actually gave up on having kids myself, I was too terrified I couldn't handle it.

To those of you who have been able to bring them up into the hobby or at least an awareness of it, kuddos! I don't think having them know about it is forcing it upon them, they'll decide if they want to stick with it or not. But with certain company's prices, it might be that or a college education.

First things first. Congratulations! I'm also lower-mid 30's and have a 4 yr old daughter at home. No need to trip out. Keep in mind that your soon to arrive bundle of beautiful crying, eating, sleeping joy is totally dependent upon you and your significant other. What I mean by that is that for a while she can't even roll over on her own, let alone crawl, walk, get into to trouble, so you have a little more time to figure out what'll work for you and your family. Primarily, you'll see your time spent hobbying being affected more that your hobby supplies. If you spend a ton of time building, painting, and playing that'll get cut down quite a bit. If it doesn't, then, well, you really aren't spending that much time to begin with or you are really really heading on the right path to fail as an involved parent. Don't do that. In my experience with a munchkin around I haven't had much problem. My painting desk was actually in her playroom for the first three years. That way we could play together for a while and she could do her thing and I could do mine. Most of my paints were always packed away in a tackle-box, but that wasn't anything new. I did keep those colors out on the desk with my current project, brushes, water pot, knife, etc.... I was always diligent at keeping the exacto out of reach, just like I did the kitchen cutlery. She wouldn't mess with any of my stuff primarily because I kept it just out of reach of her. Honestly, she only took interest in it if I was working on it. Any other time, she wouldn't bother my desk. That was until she was big enough to crawl up into the chair and want to use the desk for her own coloring projects. The water pot and my brushes was the only real thing she would attempt to work for and if I kept the brushes pushed all the way back and emptied the water, she didn't mess with it. I did work on her early on that they weren't toys. When she began to be old enough to want to paint too, well, I encouraged it. Neither one of us paint well, but I had a couple of crappy models; or something paintable from the craft store ready for her to slap paint on with an old brush. Technically, I had my model, paints, and brushes; and she had hers. Kept teaching her the difference of what was hers to use and what was off-limits. Now, I have a room just finished with a paint bar so I might hobby more often than not. We still have our respective spaces to work too. She still doesn't touch my models or my paints, nor will she mess with my brushes if I put them back up. (And by up I mean in the jar.) If I leave a brush laying down, and leave water in the pot, she play with both at some point in the day when I'm not fully supervising her.

All of this just to give you my experience. The reality is, you have time to figure out what you need to do; and that every experience with a child is a unique experience. Be willing to possibly lose a model or two, a handful of brushes, and possibly your last pot of the good formula of Devlin Mud to the carpet. It's ok. Modify your hobby time a bit to allow space for her to learn to love it too. I'm not saying that you should or need to sacrifice all of your "my time" either. You'll need that time. My willingness to teach her the difference between mine and hers has enabled me to create this great family space for us, including my wife who isn't a nerd like me, to share and do our own things, but be in the same room spending quality family time.

Designinate a gaming room. I've got the furnace room. Go game w/ friends, that will get the children interested(dad can I come?). Just make sure to take the oppertunity when they become interested( 5 years old is when I started gaming w/ my oldest). Find a simble game or dumb down the rules (talisman is a good start).Even if this means not gaming w/ friends. If you are real lucky find gaming friends that have kids around the same age as yours. Free kitchen pass when you take the kids with you. Best of luck.

I have two daughters, a 4yr old and 2yr old. With the missus and i + 2 kids living in a small unit by the beach, gaming/painting space is at a premium. I've got a few minis in cases (and can attest that a 2 yr old jumping up and down on one proves their durability and protection of precious minis inside!) as well as minis on the study desk with paints/utensils etc.

Up until 1-2 there isn't much of an issue, they may have found the cases or some boxes under a bed or desk but nothing further. After 2 it gets a little crazy though, as curiosity rules. I have once walked into the study to find my infinity miniatures on the floor with metal bits snapped off (and lost) but as previous people have said, it can't be helped. The girls know not to touch and it's just a constant reinforcement and they have now got the gist. The 4yr old is also at the stage where she wants to 'help daddy' while he's painting so i generally let her muck around with slapping together terrain It's great to bond on that level with her.

To the OP specifically, would def think about something to keep those glass cabinets closed though. Don't want them cracking their skull on the edges (of anything really, but glass especially) or gaining access to your hard work inside). Everything else I wouldn't be too concerned about until the little grot is reaching 1-2years old. As for gaming time, remember to communicate with your partner (and them with you!) about space to do your own thing, even if it's not as much as you used to...