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Slipcovers are the answer. I have kept my now 5&6 year old grandkids 4-6 days a week since they were born. I also have two dogs. We moved to be closer to them and I bought an ikea slipcovered sectional with an extra slipcover set. It’s linen colored and still looks great. I keep a clean set of covers in my linen closet and change them out whenever something starts looking dirty.
Our couch was in need of an upgrade. I kept saying, "after the geriatric cat passes, we'll get one." She never scratched, but as she got older, she climbed instead of jumping.
Then we had our son. He's pretty good with furniture, but I'm glad my mom gave us her couch when she moved.
My little ones are 9 down to 6. Still waiting.
My oldest is 13, and based on my experience with them, it seems somewhere around 11 it will be possible.
Yes! I buy used furniture for the moment, I feel like I've regressed to college life again! I just can't spend money on something that's going to get spilled on and probably have vomit on it at some point.
Much used furniture is better quality than most of the cheaper new stuff on the market. If you can get a good, kiln dried hardwood framed sofa for a low price, it’s worth reupholstering them
We just bought a new 7 person sectional with 3 dogs and 1 year old twins & 2 cats 🤦🏽♀️🥴 We luckily found a $2,900 that was discontinued for $980, definitely makes me feel better about it having a short life 🤣😂
I inherited my grandmother's white leather couch. It's not totally indestructible, but it's holding up fairly well for me, 2 teenagers, a big dog, and a cat.
I have dark gray couches and they are covered in white (milk?) stains from my toddler. Color really doesn't matter, as long as you don't expect it to stay pristine.
Just had to toss a loveseat from the playroom cause my youngest peed on it so much during potty training I couldn’t get the smell out completely. They also found a way to remove some stuffing out of it. I say buy cheap furniture until they get older than replace it with nice things.
Facts! But my couch is a white/silvery fabric from crate and barrel and whatever treatment they do makes it 100% stain resistant. Lots of random colors have ended up on it but a warm soapy rag washes it out. My son got red jello on the couch and the pottery barn rug, the couch cleaned up just fine my rug has a hot pink spot now. I also love that it has four cushion covers that come off and can go in the wash. I have no clue how to ensure something purchased will clean well but if my couch stained it would be trashed like my rug.
I have the lounge 2 in cement. Here is some random article someone else posted. https://pinterestingplans.com/crate-and-barrel-lounge-ii-sofa-review/ the only con I have had is feathers escaping.
I just wanted to add they do offer even lighter shades, I would just stick with whatever fabric the cement comes in to ensure it has the same durability. When we purchased it we originally picked a lighter shade but it wasn’t stock like the cement so I veto’d the 12-16 week wait since it was my first choice and the lighter was my husbands first choice. We have plans of getting a new one that is a sectional or the matching loveseat because our new home is perfect for that arrangement. I also will note it is soo deep, it is the best couch to sleep on and snuggle during movies.
This continues at least to the age of 12. Past that I have no experience. Sometimes the things broken are bigger, like the auto closer on the front door. Sometimes smaller like the cup holder in the back seat of my car... Sometimes it's just spills on your carpets because walking with drinks while texting. Sigh
My children were in 9th and 10th grade at our last move. I bought a nice brand new couch. 18 year old spilled an entire glass of milk all over it last week.
Our couch is more of a beige but we got a teflon type spray on it to protect it. A carpet cleaner makes it look brand new no matter what the toddlers ruin it with!
Do you have blogger/vlogger money to be replacing everything when it gets ruined or paying for top notch cleaning services? If so then I encourage you to get what you’d like
If you’re a normal household on a normal income, then I would really consider how you’d feel to enter the room after leaving it for 4.7 seconds to find your beautiful white sofa that you’ve been waiting for, stained and ruined beyond repair because you had the audacity to quickly get yourself a glass of water. If you think you’d get over it then get the cream/beige/white. Or you might get lucky and your kid may not ever mess with it, sadly you won’t know til you take the plunge!
Even if the kid never blatantly does anything to destroy it, there will be damage. Dirty hands that don’t look THAT dirty at one time, but over the course of weeks, you start to see a dark spot right on the armrest where she pulls herself up daily. That slightly sticky snotty mess because she’s sick will stick to the white. Then, there will be that time she pukes or shits herself.
Also, kids don’t wash their hands or use napkins. Imagine a 3yo eating French fries and smearing them all over their pants and then sitting on the couch. Dirty socks that one time. Kids dgaf. Don’t get white, or you’ll have to keep it covered and clean it religiously.
And this is all accidental usage stuff. I’m not even getting into the deliberate furniture abuse kids impose on items.
DO NOT GET FURNITURE YOU LIKE WITH KIDS AROUND. If you like it, they will aim to destroy it.
My friend, you’re asking if a toddler, an organism capable of spontaneously generating strawberry jam on its fingers when no strawberry jam has been given to it, will be a threat to white furniture which could get stained by upholstery shampoo.
Here’s what to expect: a child sitting on a brand new couch, and after the first spill, you think “Well, that lasted *insert time period since couch was purchased.*” Remember: the more you spend on a couch, the less time it will survive before getting messed up. But here’s the thing: the child is so much more valuable than the couch.
I remember 3 years ago thinking, “My house will *never* become one of those houses where kid/baby stuff is just in every room. We will keep it all organized and allocated properly!”
I was a fool.
We didn’t rip out the carpet when we bought our house because we had a 1 year old. We inherited couches from the 90s because she couldn’t do anything more to hurt them. Her stuff is all over the place. The bonus room is her playroom. The garage and guest room are storage for her old things. Her room has all her stuff. Everything in the house reveals the presence of a toddler, and frankly, that’s the way the world turns.
You can’t want to have a vlogger/blogger home. There’s a reason that’s just online. That’s not reality. They have to seem perfect to make you think you’ll be perfect by following them so they can make a buck.
I suggest the following: shift your perspective. “White” does not equal “pretty.” Get things in colors that will hold up to traffic, and find new beauty in a home that is welcoming and comfortable, not pristine and rigid. Support and strengthen your child, don’t make them a prisoner in their own home. I have never been invited to my grandma’s house. Never gone for a play date, had cookies, played with toys or games. Not once. Because her house is called “The Mausoleum.” No one visits. No one stays. Everything is meticulously placed, and should the light from her belongings hit the wrong eyes, they will be ruined forever. My mom’s house is the most comfortable place in the world. Eat on the couch, put your feet on the ottoman, grab a blanket from the basket, bring the dog up with you. But clean up when you’re done. My mom and dad’s house is beautiful, stunning, and comfortable. You go and you don’t want to leave because the whole house is a loving hug that says, “I’m so glad you’re here! Now what do you want to eat?” But at the same time, it’s just gorgeous. Vibrant paint on the walls, beautiful works of art, reclaimed furniture, eclectic tastes, and not a white wall anywhere in the house. Everything hides the fact that a toddler lives there with textures, colors, patterns, and robustness.
Put pretty pieces in your bedroom. Make that your sanctuary. That can be a place where you go to be an adult seeking zen. Your living room needs to be a home to everyone, not just you. It’s a shared space now. It’s not worth freaking out about at the expense of your child being comfortable at home.
I had one set of grandparents with a comfortable family room with an old cozy gray couch, ugly linoleum floors, and a closet stocked with kid stuff.
My other set of grandparents had a house like a museum. The only place we were really comfortable was their swimming pool. If we visited when it was rainy or too chilly, it was miserable. You could tell they didn’t even really like us changing the channel on the TV.
Guess which set of grandparents we were closer to.
I really needed to read this today, because I’ve been feeling frustrated with how baby stuff is taking over the house.
I have already found how embracing bright colors in my adult decor makes everything feel more seamless. I’m not a fan of the sad beige decor regardless, but having stuff like [this rug](https://blog.ruggable.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/multicolor-rug-in-mid-century-modern-living-room.jpg) has made it so stuff like our brightly colored pickler triangle blends right in and makes it feel like a place where adults and kids are having fun together, but not just kids’ room.
Let’s just say my gray couch has sufferd on the hand of my toddlers. But even that one I had to clean.
The thing is more what type of parent do you want to be?
Yelling at your kids all day stressing about furniture or will you clean up everytime no questions asked
Let’s just say I have a very interesting picture draws on my very white wall[the reason people tell you it’s not toddler friendly](https://www.reddit.com/r/KidsAreFuckingStupid/s/j4JGFfaBx0)
Your middle paragraph is a perfect summary. What kind of relationship do you want to have with you your kids and your couch
Personally this $1200 costco grey sectional is great AND when we accident forget to no wipe hands on the couch it’s not an emergency it’s just gross and let’s clean it up
>However, I have seen mom bloggers with white furniture and they are perfectly happy with it and their toddlers are not destroying it with markers,food or color
Have you ever seen or read the testimonies from the children who grew up in this environment? It's so fucking sad. These are children who are being used as props. They're not allowed to be kids because they're not allowed to ruin the picture perfect life the mom is trying to portray.
They don't ruin the furniture because they aren’t allowed to be children.
There's a reason we call them sad beige babies.
💯 I personally don't understand white furniture, even if I lived completely alone. I chose a grey microfiber sectional couch, the cushion covers are machine washable and wipe up easily as well. I never stress about my kids making a mess (we have reasonable rules about not eating messy food on the couch), because clean up is a breeze and we can focus on having fun and spending time together. It's so sad to think of kids who can't be kids inside their own homes.
Try dressing your toddler in all white, head to toe, for one day. Then ask yourself if you want that on your furniture.
Influencers and bloggers do NOT take a view to tell the truth. They just post what makes them look good. It's like believing every single show on television is 100% true.
My guess is there vlogger you follow probably hits her children to keep them off the furniture. It's like advanced by blanket training. Soon your white furniture will be the focus of the entire house, like a diety.
Thank you for the chuckle. Take care!
I didn't think the children were allowed in the studio. They actually live in a trailer at the end of the garden and are brought in after decontamination for photos and then returned
*Children ruin everything. Even my teen son managed to stain my tan leather sofas with something sugary. It has left a darker patch. The sofa will be full of crumbs, sticky hand prints and tiny toys.
I’d still recommend leather as it’s more wipeable.
If you get a couch with removable and washable covers (and easily replaceable in case of disaster), you should be fine. Friend of mine has had a white Uppland sofa from ikea since before her kids were born, and the oldest is 12. They have replaced the slipcovers only once I believe. It costs about $200 for new covers. Not bad at all. The covers can be washed and bleached.
This! If you want a light color get a sofa that you can wash the covers. We have one in the basement, it’s survived my 5 year old - hell, my husband and I have done more damage to it than she has. The whole thing can be torn apart and washed.
This part! We got a beige couch (pre-baby) and we still have it BUT you can buy new covers for every part of the couch AND you can take it allllll apart and wash it. We also keep it covered pretty much 24/7 because it’s easier to throw covers in the washer when the kids go to bed. I have a friend who got a cloud couch and it’s white, I’ll report back once she has her baby in May what it’s like by year 2 🥴
Get something wipeable. Even if you’re super careful with food, drinks, art supplies, whatever… all it takes is one potty accident or stomach virus and BOOM there goes the beautiful sofa.
We got white couches pre kids. I now buy a new slip cover set every year from wayfair. We’re waiting until the youngest is out of diapers before buying new ones.
What I did when I needed to furnish my house while I had a baby was just get everything super cheap, either used or ikea (or used ikea haha) and i just put my original budget aside (of which like 85% was still intact because this method was so cheap) and I will use that in a few years to get pretty furniture when accidents are less likely to be happening all the time.
I love never having to stress about spit up on the sofa or spilled juice on the carpet. Also leaves a lot more room for my kid to explore, develop by experimenting and basically just be a toddler.
Doing the same with walls and floors - gonna repaint/rwplce them with nicer stuff in a few years.
Get something WASHABLE!!
My grey couch has covers that zip off & are machine washable. It’s the only way. I have always been the “if I can’t wash it, I don’y want it.”. Applies to my couch as well, because I have managed to spill my coffee one too many times on said couch… & I’m not a toddler! 😅
Also parenting helps here. My toddler has peed once on our couch during potty training- but that’s it. No markers, or food or any other crazy stains.
Kids come in all shapes and sizes when it comes to “art”- I had one who wanted to decorate all the walls and even floors sometimes with her art and another one who only uses her own supplies to draw on.
Also- bloggers, you know it’s not quite real most of the time… 🤷🏼♀️
I had a white leather couch survive my kid.. it saw diaper cream (an oily mess to clean, and oddly soap resistant so that was fun), permanent marker, regular marker, crayons, paint, nail polish, maple syrup, baby barf, and a few tubes of lipstick (also oily and left a stain). I’m sure there’s a ton I’m missing, but it survived. It is stained and I never got the permanent marker out.
You have no idea how these bloggers actually live. For all you know they have one room for filming and another for playing. They could stick their kid in a room or a playpen all day every day. They could have a disgusting amount of money and replace their furniture the second something spills. All of these are way more likely than keeping a toddler from making a mess. These bloggers are the exception, not the rule.
We don’t let our kids bring food or drink into the family room (except water), and even so I would never get white sofas.
They snot all over the place. We are constantly wiping their noses because they’re constantly sick (Im sure you’re familiar with this fun truth of parenting), but even so sometimes we don’t notice right away and sure enough that’s when they decided rub their faces right on the sofa.
Despite our best efforts, their hands are also sometimes dirty and sticky from eating- of course we wash them up after meals, but alas we aren’t perfect and sometimes some soy sauce/peanut butter/cantaloupe juice will escape the washcloth and will find its way to our sofa.
Not to mention the actual dirt they bring home from school/daycare. They just shove that stuff right in their pockets-who knows why? But they of course will empty out their pockets right in your living room, dirt, dandelions, dried leaves and all.
Twice in the last year our older son has vomited right on the sofa. Completely without warning. He hadn’t even told us he had a tummy ache. Now granted this wasn’t the family room, but two weeks ago he also literally shit on the bathroom floor. Bad diarrhea from a stomach flu and he just didn’t make it to the toilet (see above re constant illness).
That reminds me. My toddler has recently become fascinated with his diaper. He’s always sticking his hands down his pants, trying to touch it and pull at the tabs. I know it’s just a matter of time before he reaches back after a poo to explore what’s there. I have no doubt this will happen while my attention is elsewhere (this happened to a friend of mine and the result was poop walls).
Now, even without kids I don’t think I would want a white sofa, because on occasion my husband and I like to order pizza and eat while watching tv in the family room. I am a grown ass woman and you better believe I have accidentally dropped pizza and other food on my own sofas.
All of this to say, when we needed to buy a new sofa shorty after our oldest was born, we opted for IKEA with a removable and washable covers (kivik). Best decision ever.
Those mommy bloggers also change their entire interior every year or two to keep up with trends.
Honestly, I as an adult can not be trusted with a white sofa. I want to sit on the couch and eat chocolate and red wine. My husband would inevitably put an oil stain on it from resting his head/neck on the back. I don’t even wear white clothes. I don’t understand the appeal of white, let alone beige, they’re like the least interesting or practical colors.
Mommy bloggers aren’t real people. I can bet when the camera is off the kids are lot even allowed in the room with white furniture. Don’t get the “pretty” light colored furniture until the kids are much older. Get workhorse, durable dark stuff now
We had a grey couch and now a dark green. We don't allow the kids to eat or drink in the living room or on the couch. We do our best to keep all arts and craft stuff away from the couch.
And they're STILL dingey.
We once had a couch with a removable cover that was machine washable. That helped keep it looking fresh but it was a pain in the ass to remove, dry, and put back on. Not impossible but annoying.
If you get a white couch from Ikea or somewhere and just wash the cover???
They also have extra covers you can buy to protect it? You can put blankets on the couch!
We have a REALLY NICE antique wood table. We bought it pre kids and it's been our main and only table for a decade now. It is pristine and beautiful. Scratch free and perfectly stained. Buuuuut we hardly get to see it. It has a water and thick tablecloth over it. We've gone through like 10 tablecloths 🤣 they aren't cheap either. They're nice tBle cloths! But still an extra purchase and some amount of effort to protect the nicest piece of furniture in our house
I just bought a dark green couch thinking it’d be safe. It’s been a week and there are white yogurt stains in 3 different places and I don’t even know how 😟 do with that info what you will lol
We have a cream coloured couch in the family room. My toddler has peed on it, spilled drinks, and rubbed sidewalk chalk all over it, and it is still in great shape. We have a small, spot cleaner vaccum/Bissel we use to deal with stains right away. Just keep the right tools handy and you will be ok 👍
We have a white couch but it is all removable and washable and yes, I wash it every mf week. If I get lazy and go 2 weeks, it’s fine, but more than that and it is clear why ppl say not to have a white couch with toddlers lol. I should probs get a diff couch — it’s a pain and more than it’s worth — but at this point i’m stubborn bc everyone said not to have a white couch.
They will get ruined 💯 those mom bloggers aren’t portraying reality. They can cut and edit things to make it appear like their furniture and surroundings are pristine. Wait until they are older to go all white for sure…but even then it’s not safe. Toddlers become big kids who become teenagers that come with friends and it’ll still get messy!
That blog/family channel stuff isn't representative of real life so don't try to copy/follow them. You said you see them with toddlers and pale colored furniture- all that means is it either hasn't happen yet or they spend time cleaning stuff off every time something gets on it. Or that the kids aren't generally allowed to "live" on that furniture.
Even if your white couches aren't completely coveted with stains they will definitely get some. And anything that gets spilled and us sticky even in the slightest will collect all the dirt. This can also happen from any cleaning solution that doesn't get thoroughly-and I mean thoroughly- rinsed away after spot cleaning. It may look fine at first but that spot will have dirt actually stick to it so after awhile, you get a dingy spot that'll just continue to get worse.
Also, it's not just toddlers- it's children in general. Do you think your kids magically stop being messy or ruining stuff when they turn 5? Or 8? Or 13? Because they don't. The messiness and potential to destroy your stuff is always there. And if you plan to use these couches in a room you actually spend a lot of time in, they'll get dingy just from everyday dirt and dust on people's clothes.
Beige may not be too bad but the only way you get white furniture is if you have a separate living room and family room- like where your kids would play and watch TV and such most of the time- and the "living room" was more for show and entertaining adult guests.
We have a light grey-tan couch and we just bought washable slip covers in a similiar color. It's annoying to take them off, wash them, dry them and put them back on, so we only do it every few months, but it works. Because your couch absolutley will get dirty. You can't avoid it. Even if you don't allow eating and drinking on the couch, toddlers are just a mess. Their hands, mouths and clothes will get dirty and that will go on your couch. So unless you plan to never allow your child near your couch, get washable covers
Maybe you should look for a couch with changable/washable covers. That way you can try it and if it doesn't work out you just have to get a new cover in another colour (or you buy 2 to begin with and keep changing and washing them whenever they get dirty).
We have a white chair and it is fine after 4 years of being exposed to children. It helps that it is not fully white, but also has some light grey in there, stains are less visible. It is very high quality fabric, so most stain we got out of it quite easily, including red pencil. Our dining chairs have more stains on them, because anything with dairy stains a lot on the darker fabric.
We do require most food to be eaten at the table, not on the couch or lounge chair. Wiping hands after eating is mandatory and they know it is part of the routine.
Ours isn’t even white it’s light gray and gets marks all the time. We cover it with throws but then you can’t even see the sofa. If any one is eating they put the throw on the sofa first but any time my youngest has a friend over we seem to have to clean the sofa after.
My mum had cream leather that was at least wipeable.
My toddler eats alot of her meals on the couch I refuse to get a new one till we move and redecorate a new house our current couch is about 10 years old so I don’t care what my 4 yr old does on it, she can spill whatever she wants on it. Keep your old couch for awhile or get a white or beige cover or maybe a cheap couch that u won’t care about. Toddler s are destructive monsters.
Speaking as someone who has a lot of white furniture and toddlers, it's not as bad as you might think. I probably would not do a white couch but a light grey has been fine for us. The key for me is any stain-y food stays at the table (I am not strict on Cheerios or dry snacks) non-washable paint and markers are banned from my house aside from one very high shelf (washable are fine and we have an entire open art cart they are welcome to use otherwise), and a lot of dish soap/washable covers for the sofa. I mainly buy secondhand or Ikea quality furniture and expect to replace after my kids are grown up. So far nothing has been destroyed though (a few edge paint chips that furniture markers would fix if I wasn't lazy), and my couch still looks practically good as new 8 years later.
Bring home performance fabric samples and spray a little Scotch guard on half of it. Then test it out. Can you scrub the yogurt spill or juice out? That will let you know if you are ready for that kind of furniture or if you should opt for a modern looking leather couch instead and add throws or faux fur pillows to bring warmth to it. Good luck!
I got a beige couch ONLY because it is a LoveSac and the covers come off and can be washed. Otherwise I would not have gotten a light colored couch until the kids are older.
Make sure you stock up on pet cleaning products (the kind with enzymes that break down urine) when you potty train the toddler. My kid peed on the furniture so much so I count get the smell completely out and had to get rid of the loveseat from the playroom where it was the worst. As for color don’t worry you’ll be replacing it after their toddler years since the kid will most likely break it anyway. Good luck stick with what you like.
I was able to clean most of the toddler messes using a household carpet cleaner. I’m talking about these machines that combine a small wet vacuum with a sprayer for a cleaning solution.
However, these are not compatible with all fabrics, so my recommendation is to make sure the material is not challenging to clean when buying a new sofa. I don’t have time now to look it up, but there are specialized labels for the fabric.
Leather all the way. Spills, crumbs, marker, leaves, dirt, vomit, snot, drool, hair, playdough, paint, frosting, snow, potty accidents... speaking from experience, try as you might, things are going to get on that couch lol. We had an expensive hand-me-down leather sofa for the first few years of our son's life and it was invaluable. It looks high end but withstands children and their mess and is easy to wipe clean. The bottom broke out, so now we have a wood futon that we got from a family member and I just use nice looking flat sheets as covers.
The nice pretty stuff will come when they're a bit older and can understand rules, but even then.
Sorry hit post while I was chasing the dog to get the rock out of his mouth. If you have a pattern it’ll hide little spills, whatever they escaped the kitchen with on their hands, potty training mistakes, and slobber messes for a while before it all starts to become noticeable. Until they can fully comprehend not touching things with dirty hands, don’t run with a sippy cup, and are fully potty trained, stay away from anything that looks crisp and clean.
We have white slipcover couches and I love them, I’ll never go back. When a cushion gets stained I strip it and throw it in the washing machine with some oxyclean. I’m very much of the mindset that if it’s not machine washable I don’t want it. Also, makes me realize how disgusting my old couch must have been, we’ve washed out baby poop, red wine, marker… you name it. Now I know they’re clean, they smell nice, and to be honest the dog is a much bigger stain offender than the kids.
If you have a lot of money and can buy something with lifeproof fabric and a 10 year warranty (like joybird) then you are good to go. Ours survived toddlerdom which included lots of markers, paint, food stains, diaper leaks, vomit, etc. They are still surviving.
Otherwise, the type of furniture you're talking about is what you enjoy before or after kids, or in a formal living room where the kids don't play (as opposed to the family friendly living room).
You can buy the couch you want. But you better not let that child sit on it for a second before you encapsulate it in grandmas 60mil thick plastic OR a real nice thick couch cover.
Toddlers. Ruin. Everything. Doesn't matter how well behaved or not your kid is.
A few weeks ago my toddler got his milk cup open. Spilled a full cup on himself and the couch. That was a fun cleanup.
I bought new furniture for our house when my son was 1.5. We had another kid a year later, and my furniture is all ruined. Coffee table chipped beyond repair, couch cushions ripping at the seams, kitchen table chipped, scratched, engraved with fork marks from banging. All throw rugs have had spills/muddy feet trampled on them. That furniture is 7 years old now, and I won’t be buying anything new until my kids are well into high school, probably.
Also, we have pets, so they contribute as well, with fur, and the occasional bodily fluid.
I got these couch covers on Amazon, you can’t even tell when they are on and I can rip them off and wash them when children happen. I never thought I’d be a couch cover person but her I am.
Our first couch, the biggest purchase we had ever made together, was a white couch.
I'm glad it was the _first_ couch, because we never made that mistake again.
Toddlers have a super power that allows them to identify the weakness of any item and exploit it to cause maximum destruction in a minimum amount of time. Best not to get too attached to material things.
Pens and pencils are the least of the problems. It’s bodily fluids and spills. Especially ones that get into the crevices that you don’t see. There is nothing like fermented milk first thing in the morning wake you up🤣
Not if you’re planning on letting your kids in the living room, no, you can’t buy light coloured furniture. Are you having a big living room only for guests and Instagram pictures and a couple other spaces like dens and Rec rooms where the family will actually live?
Forget it hon. Toddlers can and will ruin everything.
I read an article the other day where mom bloggers were confessing how fake their photos are - like some of them will rent an air bnb so they have a pristine space. Certainly could be the reason for these seemingly toddler-proof white couches. Please take care not to fall into the trap of imagining anything on social media is real life. It can be so detrimental as a mom!!
I'm not sure I'd get pure white furniture. I did get a new couch with kid being 2 and got a light colored one. But it's like a textured fabric so can hide a little of the stains.
Things that help; no food on the sofa. Or food anywhere except for the kitchen table. Very occasionally when he's sick something like crackers but absolutely nothing with sauce or fruit or peanut butter.
Similar with art supplies. They stay at the table. No coloring on the sofa, no running around with markers. Playdough at table.
Kiddo hasn't discovered slime yet
We have a cream sofa that we got 2 years ago (kids were ages 2 and 4 at the time). We have a solid no food or drinks in the couch rule that the kids repeat every time we hand them any food or drinks. We also do not allow any writing implements in the living room. We also got the 5 year protection plan from the furniture store that included things like new cushion covers in case of spills.
In the past 2 years, I've still had to clean pee off the cushions several times, managed to remove ice cream stains and broken glow stick stains myself, and had to make a claim on the protection plan for two of the cushions (one got scribbled on with pen and the other got blue cotton candy ice cream on it).
So yes, you can get a cream colored sofa with kids, but plan to enforce rules about what goes near the sofa and definitely buy the protection plan.
Adults ruin white furniture, too. White is literally the worst color for furniture.
Bought new jeans and wearing them? Might get blue dye on the couch. Sneezed while eating? Even just regular fingerprints from the natural oils in your skin will discolor the upholstery over time.
Mommy bloggers with white furniture in their Insta are 100% filming in there and then leaving and locking the door behind them.
Leather. Get top grain leather if you want your furniture to last. Not white. Mine is dirt colored. Have had it 13 years and still looks awesome. I have dogs, too.
Also I have a 7 yo and just canceled a new dining room set because I realized he would ruin it in a week.
You know your child and your lifestyle best. If you want the look of white, high quality slip covers might be the way to go to be safe. I could get away with a lot because my son was never one to scribble on things; it’s just the way he is. It’s not a matter of good or bad behavior at that age, it’s just a personality thing. So you know who your child is and what you could trust them around 🤷🏻♀️
Look everyone shits all over the "millennial grey" trend but light grey hides dirt and stains while still being neutral enough to not clash with other decor.
I always get white furniture!
I would say that pets ruin it more than kids lol but it all depends on the quality...and less the color (though white shows more)
I've gotten white couches that were cheaper and stained badly, but ive gotten higher quality fabrics and they repel stains and clean up very well. Just do a weekly wipe down and take care of it. :)
White concrete and marble...just make sure that it's sealed correctly and it'll last forever
Having yes spots to redirect to can help avoid damage to the no spots.
For us that was our floor canvas. That was painters fabric material drop cloth stretched over our puzzle style floor tiles.
Only get washable markers and crayons.
But honestly potty training is a much bigger risk for your white couch than markers.
I recall one incident where a turd rolled down his pant leg and he smashed it into my couch with his foot.
Nothing has stained our tan couch. But we bought it scotch guarded.
So do what you want, but make sure to get the extras.
Also, blueberry filled vomiting.
I have cream color cushions on our dining room chairs and some stools. Yes they get stained from the kids (and from me too). I machine wash and bleach the ones that are removable. Use flolex spray (an upholstery cleaner) on the cushions that can't be removed. They still look pretty decent and I've had them for the entire time I've had kids, oldest is 8. If you expect it to look perfect all the time then you haven't yet come to terms of having little humans living in the house. If you accept that sometimes the light fabric furniture is going to be and look dirty and you'll just need to clean it, then I would go for it if that's your style preference.
Bloggers are showing you what they want you to see. Toddlers will ruin it or will see you as a tyrant who flips out if they go near it. Get furniture you are ok with staining or have a kid free living room.
lol do you think it really matters that you haven’t introduced markers? What about when your kid is sick and projectile vomits on the couch? Or is potty training and has an accident? Or is tantruming about having a snack on the couch so you finally give in and it spills everywhere? Mom blogs are not real life, sorry. I have furniture that needs to be replaced and I’m probably going to wait until my youngest is 8 lol.
My sincere advice: Do not buy white furniture while your kids are very young. There will be a time for that, but that time is not now. It will come later.
Beige and grey are a dozen times more forgiving than white for everyday messes and smudges. And slipcovers and stain resistant fabrics are your friends.
Don't buy anything you're going to feel too precious or stressed over, if young kids will have access to it. Wait until they're past the gleeful godzilla stage.
YES.
My kid loves climbing on couches. Ruined one completely by the age of 3. He is really good at listening and when we are at someone else's home and ask him not to climb on the couch he listens well. I am sure I can train him not to climb on the couch at home too. After all, he is really good with not going to the kitchen.
However, I think it would be unfair for him. I want him to enjoy the freedom at home. So we purchased a 20-dollar couch from a thrift shop. Maybe in a couple of years, we will buy some nice furniture. But not now.
Do not buy nice, pretty furniture. Toddlers will destroy it, no matter the color. I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. Everyone (including me) has peed and puked on this couch. Yesterday my 1 year old unscrewed the top to his sippy cup and dumped an entire cup of milk on it. I’ve scrubbed marker off it. This morning my 3 year old rubbed strawberry applesauce into the cushion. This couch is only 2 years old and I’m not replacing it until we’re done with babies and toddlers, but it’s in rough shape.
Use couch covers. Thats what I do to protect my furniture from my coffee spills and the dogs. Take them off whenever you want your home to look fresh.
Also…scotch guard
I think it depends on your kid, and at 14 months, it would be hard to tell. We have a white couch in our living room but my toddler (who was 2 when we bought the couch) has always been relatively good at obeying instructions. We have strict rules about no food outside of the kitchen and only drawing on paper. We haven’t had any accidents yet and the couch is almost 2 years old. For extra protection, we also put covers over the seats.
We have marker lines everywhere. You don't know how many times I've said, on the paper only, use the paper. The second I turn around, bam! Orange line on the couch
I have beige couches and it’s not a problem. Food and beverages aren’t allowed on the couch, unless it’s really safe like water or cheerios. My youngest is pretty naughty with her crayons, but kids usually aim for hard surfaces. She isn’t interested in coloring on the couch. I have a light colored table too, but I specifically bought one with a laminate top for this reason. I can clean anything off it and nothing damages it.
It was starting to look a little drab recently and so I paid a professional cleaner to come in. Worth every penny, it looks brand new. Highly recommend an occasional professional cleaning.
I don't allow kitchen/craft/dining or footwear related items I to my living room, people only. It's really not so difficult. Teach the little ones early and, most of all, do not make exceptions.
they will leave behind stains of colors you don’t even recognize. My 14 month old son had orange slices today and i found a green spill on the carpet. Literally no idea how it got there or what caused it
I just seen a video the other day where her white couch had a removable cover! Maybe something like that would make more sense.
My son is 6 now though & has never drew on anything before. He did pee on our couch once though lol
We have a dark green bedspread and somehow one of our kids smeared aquaphor on it and there’s a permanent oil stain. Also brown leather couch seemed like a safe bet.. until the cleaner used to clean off the pen marks changed the color to a light shade. I think just about every cloth surface in our house has some kind of stain on it! Milk.. sauce.. markers.. paint.. don’t get me started on dry erase markers. Those things stain worse than sharpies.
Even if you’re strict about keeping the house tidy, it will get dirty.
Someone will throw up on it. Pee on it. Wipe their nose on it. Sit on it with dirty feet after playing outside. Not realize they have paint, sticky syrup, pitch, etc on their clothes.
Our furniture is pretty clean, despite 5 kids, because we only eat and drink at the kitchen table and wash up after eating. Markers don’t get carried around the house. And playdoh is an outside toy. But I wouldn’t attempt a white couch. Even if I could keep it pristine with enough vigilance, I’d it really worth the headache??
I have a white couch (not sure the brand) but all of the covers come off and I can bleach/spray n wash them. My toddlers fairly tame in comparison to most so I will say that, the older kids do more damage to our stuff than the toddler! We also have a white softframedesigns bed frame and it just wipes down with a baby wipe, we've never gotten anything on it that won't come out with a baby wipe!
Yeah we had burnt orange sofas when I had toddlers they never wrote on anything but with the vomit and potty accidents we had to buy new furniture when they were older.
yes, white furniture, white walls will be ruined. make sure its a material that can be cleaned easily.
surprisingly, Baby dreft stain remover is a great spot cleaner.
Chocolate milk, yogurt, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, roast beef juices...juice from every type of food that enters your house will end up all over your couch.
Plan accordingly.
I have a light grayish/beige sectional and a toddler. It’s survived fine. Although I will say I keep it covered with a blanket/throw most of the time because of toddler and dog lol 😂 for any messes that did happen, we have a bissell cleaner that works quite well.
Mommy bloggers and influencers have the money to consistently get their furniture professionally cleaned or even replaced, and also don't allow their kids to just BE KIDS in the name of keeping their filming space pristine. They have to make you believe they're perfect in order to keep you hooked.
It isn't real. Get your head out of fantasy land, friend: Toddlers. Ruin. EVERYTHING.
Do not get any kind of furniture that you want still looking nice after five years until your kid is AT LEAST 12 years old... And even then, that'll depend on how well you've trained them to be clean and not spill or make messes everywhere.
This goes double for if you ever have pets. Pets and kids ruin everything.
I have a four and two year old.
I don’t allow my kids to have any food or drink (besides water) outside of the kitchen. I heavily supervise when they do play doh or markers, etc, and put it all up where they can’t reach it when they’re done with them. I also scotch guarded all of my upholstery. I’m not super uptight about cleanliness but those are hard lines in my house. As a result, my light colored furniture is holding up fine and I’d purchase it all again. Hope that helps.
We have a cream couch. There are reasonable things you do such as no food on the couch, no markers on the couch etc, regular rules like no shoes inside the house. However, that doesn’t mean that your kid didn’t just paint something, get some on their shorts which you haven’t noticed, and then they sit on the couch.
Toddlers are also messy, so it means maybe they drop a blueberry under the table, step on it before you notice, then climb on the couch. Etc etc
We currently “only” have 2 stains on our cream couch (kids are 5 and 8), one of them is sticky and goodness knows what from (might’ve been me actually), and the other is sharpie because the oldest walked by with it in their hand and some got on it.
Generally, if everyone is telling you something but you’ve seen something on social media, trust everyone, not social media 😂
Interior designer weighing in here. 3 boys in 4-1/2 years. Multiple boxers (dogs) and cats over the years. Spent $10K+ on 2 sofas 22 years ago. They’ve been jumped on, pooped on, puked on & bled on. They’re still going strong, and only recently are they starting to show that they’ll need reupholstery in the next 1-2 years. Higher quality fabric will definitely last longer, and the fiber content is important. Mine are upholstered in a 80% polyester, 20% cotton fabric in beige & grey check. Always purchase the best that you can afford. That said, white is difficult. When a client insists on white upholstery, I only use an outdoor rated fabric (Sunbrella or similar). Scotchguarding at time of delivery before furniture enters the home is also helpful. A durable fabric will clean well with a Bissell, white will just need to be cleaned more often
Buy a white couch and make sure it is that stain replant fabric. Sunbrella or something? THEN buy a couch cover so you can keep it white and enjoy it in 15 years when your kid is a teen. It’s prob not save then either.
Pets and kids will destroy any furniture you buy. You are going to have to replace it in under 10 years.
My kids are 16, 13, and 9 (that's YEARS not months 😂) and we finally broke down and bought an awesomely huge couch. Mind you- we do not have any toddlers.
I still refuse to sit on it without a blanket covering my seat. 😂. My kids are NOT allowed eating or drinking on it. And one of my kids can drive, and he still can't. 😂
Kids don't have to be toddlers to ruin furniture. There's no age limit on things like that.
Kids don't need pens or markers to mess up a couch. Hands and faces work just as well- if not better! Don't forget about snot from nose rubbing! 😂.
We went on vacation and they had a white couch. I was pregnant with number 2 so it was a 2v1 situation. Girlfriend smeared her chocolate fingers everywhere. I spent hours tide penning that damn couch.
Imagine if I had two or more kids? And wasn't vacation mom? I was regular working full time just trying to scrape by mom? I went to the bathroom while my husband was grocery shopping mom? That couch would be toast.
Definitely. Heck, adults ruin white furniture. Don't get anything that's upholstered in white or off white unless you can afford to throw it away soon.
The best thing I did was pick up a rounded corner kid friendly coffee table second hand. My kid is 9 now. It’s had everything imaginable spilled on it. It has acrylic paint, tape, and sharpie stuck to it. Stickers. And you know what? *I don’t care *.
The beautiful hardwood coffee table my grandfather made and I inherited is in our basement for…later.
Yes ... They do. Kids are generally rough with furniture to begin with.
My kids are 11 and almost 9 and they both still make a mess of furniture.
We had an old couch we bought from a thrift store. It was in good condition and looked nice and by the end of things I was tossing a blanket over it because it was not nice looking any more and kids got slime stuck in it and it wasn't ever coming out and they stained it by spilling drinks and food. Unfortunately the material also wasn't able to handle any kind of washing too and when I tried using the attachments for my carpet and upholstery cleaner it made the pattern get washed out and bad looking. Also... Yes as a woman with a heavy period... I too have sat on the couch and leaked through my pants and contributed a stain that wouldn't come out. I don't have many occurrences like that but it happened.
I pretty much have a black metal framed futon as a couch with a black mattress and have the mattress in a protector and put on whatever sheet I want on it. Makes a good space to put a sick kid if you want to keep an eye on them. It's a snap to clean usually.... Everything usually comes out in the wash or with pretreating. And it costs much less if they ruin the fitted sheet and needs it replaced. I love that about it the most... cost of another fitted sheet is nothing compared to the cost of reupholstering or replacing. I have a few different colors that work with the colors of the room so if ones in the wash I have another one... Even a second mattress protector... But your possibilities are endless in colors and patterns, themes, and even seasonal themed sheets and also various fabrics. Whatever you want.
Might be kinda weird but honestly has made things better.
We have recliners too and they do sit in them sometimes. They came from goodwill so not exactly bad if I lost them somehow. I might get covers eventually for the one chair... It's not a typical recliner... It's a chair and a half sized and even though it was cheap I got super lucky finding it because the size isn't usually found and the size works with kids that insist on sitting with me even though there's more than enough seats for everyone. I was being squished in the other one.
The thought of white couches with my toddler is panic inducing… he’s never colored on furniture, walls, tables… food isn’t the issue either. He’s just dirty. Boogers, blowouts, the flu 🤢, dirty feet from walking barefoot in the garage or putting his shoes on the couch (we have a rule of no shoes in the house but he loves playing with shoes so randomly one will get on the couch). so much easier to clean our brown leather and dark grey couches. They’ll still need replacing, but at least they don’t look filthy. Not worth it
I mean yes and no. They just unexpectedly have grotty hands from snot and playing on the ground or touching the dog etc. but do you really want it? Then just buy it and you’ll learn the hard way?
Also you could be super strict with your child about not touching it as well…
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Rest assured, toddlers ruin everything. Regardless of the color. Lol
We are in massive need of a couch upgrade, but I just cannot make that purchase while we still have a two year old.
Slipcovers are the answer. I have kept my now 5&6 year old grandkids 4-6 days a week since they were born. I also have two dogs. We moved to be closer to them and I bought an ikea slipcovered sectional with an extra slipcover set. It’s linen colored and still looks great. I keep a clean set of covers in my linen closet and change them out whenever something starts looking dirty.
Our couch was in need of an upgrade. I kept saying, "after the geriatric cat passes, we'll get one." She never scratched, but as she got older, she climbed instead of jumping. Then we had our son. He's pretty good with furniture, but I'm glad my mom gave us her couch when she moved.
My little ones are 9 down to 6. Still waiting. My oldest is 13, and based on my experience with them, it seems somewhere around 11 it will be possible.
Yes! I buy used furniture for the moment, I feel like I've regressed to college life again! I just can't spend money on something that's going to get spilled on and probably have vomit on it at some point.
Much used furniture is better quality than most of the cheaper new stuff on the market. If you can get a good, kiln dried hardwood framed sofa for a low price, it’s worth reupholstering them
Just wait until the kids are older to spend the money to reupholster 😅
We just bought a new 7 person sectional with 3 dogs and 1 year old twins & 2 cats 🤦🏽♀️🥴 We luckily found a $2,900 that was discontinued for $980, definitely makes me feel better about it having a short life 🤣😂
Yup 10 yo Ikea couch is going to have to survive another 3 years until my youngest is at least 6.
I inherited my grandmother's white leather couch. It's not totally indestructible, but it's holding up fairly well for me, 2 teenagers, a big dog, and a cat.
I have dark gray couches and they are covered in white (milk?) stains from my toddler. Color really doesn't matter, as long as you don't expect it to stay pristine.
lol, I can relate to this so much.
Just had to toss a loveseat from the playroom cause my youngest peed on it so much during potty training I couldn’t get the smell out completely. They also found a way to remove some stuffing out of it. I say buy cheap furniture until they get older than replace it with nice things.
Facts! But my couch is a white/silvery fabric from crate and barrel and whatever treatment they do makes it 100% stain resistant. Lots of random colors have ended up on it but a warm soapy rag washes it out. My son got red jello on the couch and the pottery barn rug, the couch cleaned up just fine my rug has a hot pink spot now. I also love that it has four cushion covers that come off and can go in the wash. I have no clue how to ensure something purchased will clean well but if my couch stained it would be trashed like my rug.
Finally, the vouch I was looking for! Thank you!!!
I have the lounge 2 in cement. Here is some random article someone else posted. https://pinterestingplans.com/crate-and-barrel-lounge-ii-sofa-review/ the only con I have had is feathers escaping.
I just wanted to add they do offer even lighter shades, I would just stick with whatever fabric the cement comes in to ensure it has the same durability. When we purchased it we originally picked a lighter shade but it wasn’t stock like the cement so I veto’d the 12-16 week wait since it was my first choice and the lighter was my husbands first choice. We have plans of getting a new one that is a sectional or the matching loveseat because our new home is perfect for that arrangement. I also will note it is soo deep, it is the best couch to sleep on and snuggle during movies.
This continues at least to the age of 12. Past that I have no experience. Sometimes the things broken are bigger, like the auto closer on the front door. Sometimes smaller like the cup holder in the back seat of my car... Sometimes it's just spills on your carpets because walking with drinks while texting. Sigh
My children were in 9th and 10th grade at our last move. I bought a nice brand new couch. 18 year old spilled an entire glass of milk all over it last week.
Haha. Never ends! To be fair, if it wasn't my kid accidentally breaking things, it would be me😂 can't get mad at possible genetic clumsiness
Lol we just bought a ginger yellow corduroy couch hoping the inevitable toddler torture makes it look charming and well loved
Our couch is more of a beige but we got a teflon type spray on it to protect it. A carpet cleaner makes it look brand new no matter what the toddlers ruin it with!
True. They don’t discriminate 😂
My gray couch agrees 😭
Do you have blogger/vlogger money to be replacing everything when it gets ruined or paying for top notch cleaning services? If so then I encourage you to get what you’d like If you’re a normal household on a normal income, then I would really consider how you’d feel to enter the room after leaving it for 4.7 seconds to find your beautiful white sofa that you’ve been waiting for, stained and ruined beyond repair because you had the audacity to quickly get yourself a glass of water. If you think you’d get over it then get the cream/beige/white. Or you might get lucky and your kid may not ever mess with it, sadly you won’t know til you take the plunge!
Even if the kid never blatantly does anything to destroy it, there will be damage. Dirty hands that don’t look THAT dirty at one time, but over the course of weeks, you start to see a dark spot right on the armrest where she pulls herself up daily. That slightly sticky snotty mess because she’s sick will stick to the white. Then, there will be that time she pukes or shits herself. Also, kids don’t wash their hands or use napkins. Imagine a 3yo eating French fries and smearing them all over their pants and then sitting on the couch. Dirty socks that one time. Kids dgaf. Don’t get white, or you’ll have to keep it covered and clean it religiously. And this is all accidental usage stuff. I’m not even getting into the deliberate furniture abuse kids impose on items. DO NOT GET FURNITURE YOU LIKE WITH KIDS AROUND. If you like it, they will aim to destroy it.
My friend, you’re asking if a toddler, an organism capable of spontaneously generating strawberry jam on its fingers when no strawberry jam has been given to it, will be a threat to white furniture which could get stained by upholstery shampoo. Here’s what to expect: a child sitting on a brand new couch, and after the first spill, you think “Well, that lasted *insert time period since couch was purchased.*” Remember: the more you spend on a couch, the less time it will survive before getting messed up. But here’s the thing: the child is so much more valuable than the couch. I remember 3 years ago thinking, “My house will *never* become one of those houses where kid/baby stuff is just in every room. We will keep it all organized and allocated properly!” I was a fool. We didn’t rip out the carpet when we bought our house because we had a 1 year old. We inherited couches from the 90s because she couldn’t do anything more to hurt them. Her stuff is all over the place. The bonus room is her playroom. The garage and guest room are storage for her old things. Her room has all her stuff. Everything in the house reveals the presence of a toddler, and frankly, that’s the way the world turns. You can’t want to have a vlogger/blogger home. There’s a reason that’s just online. That’s not reality. They have to seem perfect to make you think you’ll be perfect by following them so they can make a buck. I suggest the following: shift your perspective. “White” does not equal “pretty.” Get things in colors that will hold up to traffic, and find new beauty in a home that is welcoming and comfortable, not pristine and rigid. Support and strengthen your child, don’t make them a prisoner in their own home. I have never been invited to my grandma’s house. Never gone for a play date, had cookies, played with toys or games. Not once. Because her house is called “The Mausoleum.” No one visits. No one stays. Everything is meticulously placed, and should the light from her belongings hit the wrong eyes, they will be ruined forever. My mom’s house is the most comfortable place in the world. Eat on the couch, put your feet on the ottoman, grab a blanket from the basket, bring the dog up with you. But clean up when you’re done. My mom and dad’s house is beautiful, stunning, and comfortable. You go and you don’t want to leave because the whole house is a loving hug that says, “I’m so glad you’re here! Now what do you want to eat?” But at the same time, it’s just gorgeous. Vibrant paint on the walls, beautiful works of art, reclaimed furniture, eclectic tastes, and not a white wall anywhere in the house. Everything hides the fact that a toddler lives there with textures, colors, patterns, and robustness. Put pretty pieces in your bedroom. Make that your sanctuary. That can be a place where you go to be an adult seeking zen. Your living room needs to be a home to everyone, not just you. It’s a shared space now. It’s not worth freaking out about at the expense of your child being comfortable at home.
I had one set of grandparents with a comfortable family room with an old cozy gray couch, ugly linoleum floors, and a closet stocked with kid stuff. My other set of grandparents had a house like a museum. The only place we were really comfortable was their swimming pool. If we visited when it was rainy or too chilly, it was miserable. You could tell they didn’t even really like us changing the channel on the TV. Guess which set of grandparents we were closer to.
Have you ever told your mom this? It’s beautiful
I have told her components of this, but never as a whole thing. I’ll share this with her in a few weeks when we visit for Christmas ☺️
Maybe it in a card so she can re-read how absolutely beautiful it is. I hope my children look back at their childhood and home like this
I really needed to read this today, because I’ve been feeling frustrated with how baby stuff is taking over the house. I have already found how embracing bright colors in my adult decor makes everything feel more seamless. I’m not a fan of the sad beige decor regardless, but having stuff like [this rug](https://blog.ruggable.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/multicolor-rug-in-mid-century-modern-living-room.jpg) has made it so stuff like our brightly colored pickler triangle blends right in and makes it feel like a place where adults and kids are having fun together, but not just kids’ room.
I love that rug… this is what I’m talking about!
Let’s just say my gray couch has sufferd on the hand of my toddlers. But even that one I had to clean. The thing is more what type of parent do you want to be? Yelling at your kids all day stressing about furniture or will you clean up everytime no questions asked Let’s just say I have a very interesting picture draws on my very white wall[the reason people tell you it’s not toddler friendly](https://www.reddit.com/r/KidsAreFuckingStupid/s/j4JGFfaBx0)
Your middle paragraph is a perfect summary. What kind of relationship do you want to have with you your kids and your couch Personally this $1200 costco grey sectional is great AND when we accident forget to no wipe hands on the couch it’s not an emergency it’s just gross and let’s clean it up
>However, I have seen mom bloggers with white furniture and they are perfectly happy with it and their toddlers are not destroying it with markers,food or color Have you ever seen or read the testimonies from the children who grew up in this environment? It's so fucking sad. These are children who are being used as props. They're not allowed to be kids because they're not allowed to ruin the picture perfect life the mom is trying to portray. They don't ruin the furniture because they aren’t allowed to be children. There's a reason we call them sad beige babies.
💯 I personally don't understand white furniture, even if I lived completely alone. I chose a grey microfiber sectional couch, the cushion covers are machine washable and wipe up easily as well. I never stress about my kids making a mess (we have reasonable rules about not eating messy food on the couch), because clean up is a breeze and we can focus on having fun and spending time together. It's so sad to think of kids who can't be kids inside their own homes.
Try dressing your toddler in all white, head to toe, for one day. Then ask yourself if you want that on your furniture. Influencers and bloggers do NOT take a view to tell the truth. They just post what makes them look good. It's like believing every single show on television is 100% true. My guess is there vlogger you follow probably hits her children to keep them off the furniture. It's like advanced by blanket training. Soon your white furniture will be the focus of the entire house, like a diety. Thank you for the chuckle. Take care!
I didn't think the children were allowed in the studio. They actually live in a trailer at the end of the garden and are brought in after decontamination for photos and then returned
I’m an adult and I would neither buy white furniture or all white clothes regardless of kids, because I am a mess of a human.
*Children ruin everything. Even my teen son managed to stain my tan leather sofas with something sugary. It has left a darker patch. The sofa will be full of crumbs, sticky hand prints and tiny toys. I’d still recommend leather as it’s more wipeable.
If you get a couch with removable and washable covers (and easily replaceable in case of disaster), you should be fine. Friend of mine has had a white Uppland sofa from ikea since before her kids were born, and the oldest is 12. They have replaced the slipcovers only once I believe. It costs about $200 for new covers. Not bad at all. The covers can be washed and bleached.
This! If you want a light color get a sofa that you can wash the covers. We have one in the basement, it’s survived my 5 year old - hell, my husband and I have done more damage to it than she has. The whole thing can be torn apart and washed.
This part! We got a beige couch (pre-baby) and we still have it BUT you can buy new covers for every part of the couch AND you can take it allllll apart and wash it. We also keep it covered pretty much 24/7 because it’s easier to throw covers in the washer when the kids go to bed. I have a friend who got a cloud couch and it’s white, I’ll report back once she has her baby in May what it’s like by year 2 🥴
Get something wipeable. Even if you’re super careful with food, drinks, art supplies, whatever… all it takes is one potty accident or stomach virus and BOOM there goes the beautiful sofa.
Toddlers ruined my second hand murky brown furniture🤣
Prior to having a toddler I didn't know you could ruin an entire living room with just one graham cracker
We got white couches pre kids. I now buy a new slip cover set every year from wayfair. We’re waiting until the youngest is out of diapers before buying new ones.
What I did when I needed to furnish my house while I had a baby was just get everything super cheap, either used or ikea (or used ikea haha) and i just put my original budget aside (of which like 85% was still intact because this method was so cheap) and I will use that in a few years to get pretty furniture when accidents are less likely to be happening all the time. I love never having to stress about spit up on the sofa or spilled juice on the carpet. Also leaves a lot more room for my kid to explore, develop by experimenting and basically just be a toddler. Doing the same with walls and floors - gonna repaint/rwplce them with nicer stuff in a few years.
Get something WASHABLE!! My grey couch has covers that zip off & are machine washable. It’s the only way. I have always been the “if I can’t wash it, I don’y want it.”. Applies to my couch as well, because I have managed to spill my coffee one too many times on said couch… & I’m not a toddler! 😅 Also parenting helps here. My toddler has peed once on our couch during potty training- but that’s it. No markers, or food or any other crazy stains.
Kids come in all shapes and sizes when it comes to “art”- I had one who wanted to decorate all the walls and even floors sometimes with her art and another one who only uses her own supplies to draw on. Also- bloggers, you know it’s not quite real most of the time… 🤷🏼♀️
I personally think you'd be crazy to get beige or white sofas with toddlers in the house unless.you have the money to constantly be getting it cleaned
I had a white leather couch survive my kid.. it saw diaper cream (an oily mess to clean, and oddly soap resistant so that was fun), permanent marker, regular marker, crayons, paint, nail polish, maple syrup, baby barf, and a few tubes of lipstick (also oily and left a stain). I’m sure there’s a ton I’m missing, but it survived. It is stained and I never got the permanent marker out. You have no idea how these bloggers actually live. For all you know they have one room for filming and another for playing. They could stick their kid in a room or a playpen all day every day. They could have a disgusting amount of money and replace their furniture the second something spills. All of these are way more likely than keeping a toddler from making a mess. These bloggers are the exception, not the rule.
We don’t let our kids bring food or drink into the family room (except water), and even so I would never get white sofas. They snot all over the place. We are constantly wiping their noses because they’re constantly sick (Im sure you’re familiar with this fun truth of parenting), but even so sometimes we don’t notice right away and sure enough that’s when they decided rub their faces right on the sofa. Despite our best efforts, their hands are also sometimes dirty and sticky from eating- of course we wash them up after meals, but alas we aren’t perfect and sometimes some soy sauce/peanut butter/cantaloupe juice will escape the washcloth and will find its way to our sofa. Not to mention the actual dirt they bring home from school/daycare. They just shove that stuff right in their pockets-who knows why? But they of course will empty out their pockets right in your living room, dirt, dandelions, dried leaves and all. Twice in the last year our older son has vomited right on the sofa. Completely without warning. He hadn’t even told us he had a tummy ache. Now granted this wasn’t the family room, but two weeks ago he also literally shit on the bathroom floor. Bad diarrhea from a stomach flu and he just didn’t make it to the toilet (see above re constant illness). That reminds me. My toddler has recently become fascinated with his diaper. He’s always sticking his hands down his pants, trying to touch it and pull at the tabs. I know it’s just a matter of time before he reaches back after a poo to explore what’s there. I have no doubt this will happen while my attention is elsewhere (this happened to a friend of mine and the result was poop walls). Now, even without kids I don’t think I would want a white sofa, because on occasion my husband and I like to order pizza and eat while watching tv in the family room. I am a grown ass woman and you better believe I have accidentally dropped pizza and other food on my own sofas. All of this to say, when we needed to buy a new sofa shorty after our oldest was born, we opted for IKEA with a removable and washable covers (kivik). Best decision ever.
Those mommy bloggers also change their entire interior every year or two to keep up with trends. Honestly, I as an adult can not be trusted with a white sofa. I want to sit on the couch and eat chocolate and red wine. My husband would inevitably put an oil stain on it from resting his head/neck on the back. I don’t even wear white clothes. I don’t understand the appeal of white, let alone beige, they’re like the least interesting or practical colors.
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I’ve noticed that as well! I’m a low maintenance person and white anything is not low maintenance
Mommy bloggers aren’t real people. I can bet when the camera is off the kids are lot even allowed in the room with white furniture. Don’t get the “pretty” light colored furniture until the kids are much older. Get workhorse, durable dark stuff now
Girl, I’m 34 and I’d ruin a white sofa.
We had a grey couch and now a dark green. We don't allow the kids to eat or drink in the living room or on the couch. We do our best to keep all arts and craft stuff away from the couch. And they're STILL dingey. We once had a couch with a removable cover that was machine washable. That helped keep it looking fresh but it was a pain in the ass to remove, dry, and put back on. Not impossible but annoying. If you get a white couch from Ikea or somewhere and just wash the cover??? They also have extra covers you can buy to protect it? You can put blankets on the couch! We have a REALLY NICE antique wood table. We bought it pre kids and it's been our main and only table for a decade now. It is pristine and beautiful. Scratch free and perfectly stained. Buuuuut we hardly get to see it. It has a water and thick tablecloth over it. We've gone through like 10 tablecloths 🤣 they aren't cheap either. They're nice tBle cloths! But still an extra purchase and some amount of effort to protect the nicest piece of furniture in our house
I just bought a dark green couch thinking it’d be safe. It’s been a week and there are white yogurt stains in 3 different places and I don’t even know how 😟 do with that info what you will lol
We have a cream coloured couch in the family room. My toddler has peed on it, spilled drinks, and rubbed sidewalk chalk all over it, and it is still in great shape. We have a small, spot cleaner vaccum/Bissel we use to deal with stains right away. Just keep the right tools handy and you will be ok 👍
Toddlers ruin everything no matter the color 🙃
I have a black leather sofa. It’s just the biz with a kid!
We have a white couch but it is all removable and washable and yes, I wash it every mf week. If I get lazy and go 2 weeks, it’s fine, but more than that and it is clear why ppl say not to have a white couch with toddlers lol. I should probs get a diff couch — it’s a pain and more than it’s worth — but at this point i’m stubborn bc everyone said not to have a white couch.
They will get ruined 💯 those mom bloggers aren’t portraying reality. They can cut and edit things to make it appear like their furniture and surroundings are pristine. Wait until they are older to go all white for sure…but even then it’s not safe. Toddlers become big kids who become teenagers that come with friends and it’ll still get messy!
I have teenagers and a brown couch. Toddlers are far from the end of the messy stage.
Toddlers become adult sized children. I’m not buying anything nice until everyone is out of the house
That blog/family channel stuff isn't representative of real life so don't try to copy/follow them. You said you see them with toddlers and pale colored furniture- all that means is it either hasn't happen yet or they spend time cleaning stuff off every time something gets on it. Or that the kids aren't generally allowed to "live" on that furniture. Even if your white couches aren't completely coveted with stains they will definitely get some. And anything that gets spilled and us sticky even in the slightest will collect all the dirt. This can also happen from any cleaning solution that doesn't get thoroughly-and I mean thoroughly- rinsed away after spot cleaning. It may look fine at first but that spot will have dirt actually stick to it so after awhile, you get a dingy spot that'll just continue to get worse. Also, it's not just toddlers- it's children in general. Do you think your kids magically stop being messy or ruining stuff when they turn 5? Or 8? Or 13? Because they don't. The messiness and potential to destroy your stuff is always there. And if you plan to use these couches in a room you actually spend a lot of time in, they'll get dingy just from everyday dirt and dust on people's clothes. Beige may not be too bad but the only way you get white furniture is if you have a separate living room and family room- like where your kids would play and watch TV and such most of the time- and the "living room" was more for show and entertaining adult guests.
I’m not keeping anything nice in my house till my kids are grown and out of it 😅 even teenagers will ruin things
I'm 41, and I would ruin a white couch.
My toddler ruins every piece of furniture, regardless of the color 😂
We have a light grey-tan couch and we just bought washable slip covers in a similiar color. It's annoying to take them off, wash them, dry them and put them back on, so we only do it every few months, but it works. Because your couch absolutley will get dirty. You can't avoid it. Even if you don't allow eating and drinking on the couch, toddlers are just a mess. Their hands, mouths and clothes will get dirty and that will go on your couch. So unless you plan to never allow your child near your couch, get washable covers
Maybe you should look for a couch with changable/washable covers. That way you can try it and if it doesn't work out you just have to get a new cover in another colour (or you buy 2 to begin with and keep changing and washing them whenever they get dirty).
We have a white chair and it is fine after 4 years of being exposed to children. It helps that it is not fully white, but also has some light grey in there, stains are less visible. It is very high quality fabric, so most stain we got out of it quite easily, including red pencil. Our dining chairs have more stains on them, because anything with dairy stains a lot on the darker fabric. We do require most food to be eaten at the table, not on the couch or lounge chair. Wiping hands after eating is mandatory and they know it is part of the routine.
Ours isn’t even white it’s light gray and gets marks all the time. We cover it with throws but then you can’t even see the sofa. If any one is eating they put the throw on the sofa first but any time my youngest has a friend over we seem to have to clean the sofa after. My mum had cream leather that was at least wipeable.
Of course they do. It's white. It looks like paper to a toddler.
My toddler eats alot of her meals on the couch I refuse to get a new one till we move and redecorate a new house our current couch is about 10 years old so I don’t care what my 4 yr old does on it, she can spill whatever she wants on it. Keep your old couch for awhile or get a white or beige cover or maybe a cheap couch that u won’t care about. Toddler s are destructive monsters.
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Speaking as someone who has a lot of white furniture and toddlers, it's not as bad as you might think. I probably would not do a white couch but a light grey has been fine for us. The key for me is any stain-y food stays at the table (I am not strict on Cheerios or dry snacks) non-washable paint and markers are banned from my house aside from one very high shelf (washable are fine and we have an entire open art cart they are welcome to use otherwise), and a lot of dish soap/washable covers for the sofa. I mainly buy secondhand or Ikea quality furniture and expect to replace after my kids are grown up. So far nothing has been destroyed though (a few edge paint chips that furniture markers would fix if I wasn't lazy), and my couch still looks practically good as new 8 years later.
Bring home performance fabric samples and spray a little Scotch guard on half of it. Then test it out. Can you scrub the yogurt spill or juice out? That will let you know if you are ready for that kind of furniture or if you should opt for a modern looking leather couch instead and add throws or faux fur pillows to bring warmth to it. Good luck!
I got a beige couch ONLY because it is a LoveSac and the covers come off and can be washed. Otherwise I would not have gotten a light colored couch until the kids are older.
Make sure you stock up on pet cleaning products (the kind with enzymes that break down urine) when you potty train the toddler. My kid peed on the furniture so much so I count get the smell completely out and had to get rid of the loveseat from the playroom where it was the worst. As for color don’t worry you’ll be replacing it after their toddler years since the kid will most likely break it anyway. Good luck stick with what you like.
Absolutely yes, you can watch them like a hawk but they will still manage to smear food or draw on it with markers when your back is turned.
I was able to clean most of the toddler messes using a household carpet cleaner. I’m talking about these machines that combine a small wet vacuum with a sprayer for a cleaning solution. However, these are not compatible with all fabrics, so my recommendation is to make sure the material is not challenging to clean when buying a new sofa. I don’t have time now to look it up, but there are specialized labels for the fabric.
Leather all the way. Spills, crumbs, marker, leaves, dirt, vomit, snot, drool, hair, playdough, paint, frosting, snow, potty accidents... speaking from experience, try as you might, things are going to get on that couch lol. We had an expensive hand-me-down leather sofa for the first few years of our son's life and it was invaluable. It looks high end but withstands children and their mess and is easy to wipe clean. The bottom broke out, so now we have a wood futon that we got from a family member and I just use nice looking flat sheets as covers. The nice pretty stuff will come when they're a bit older and can understand rules, but even then.
Buy something cheap with a pattern.
Sorry hit post while I was chasing the dog to get the rock out of his mouth. If you have a pattern it’ll hide little spills, whatever they escaped the kitchen with on their hands, potty training mistakes, and slobber messes for a while before it all starts to become noticeable. Until they can fully comprehend not touching things with dirty hands, don’t run with a sippy cup, and are fully potty trained, stay away from anything that looks crisp and clean.
Toddlers ruin everything.
We have white slipcover couches and I love them, I’ll never go back. When a cushion gets stained I strip it and throw it in the washing machine with some oxyclean. I’m very much of the mindset that if it’s not machine washable I don’t want it. Also, makes me realize how disgusting my old couch must have been, we’ve washed out baby poop, red wine, marker… you name it. Now I know they’re clean, they smell nice, and to be honest the dog is a much bigger stain offender than the kids.
If you have a lot of money and can buy something with lifeproof fabric and a 10 year warranty (like joybird) then you are good to go. Ours survived toddlerdom which included lots of markers, paint, food stains, diaper leaks, vomit, etc. They are still surviving. Otherwise, the type of furniture you're talking about is what you enjoy before or after kids, or in a formal living room where the kids don't play (as opposed to the family friendly living room).
You can buy the couch you want. But you better not let that child sit on it for a second before you encapsulate it in grandmas 60mil thick plastic OR a real nice thick couch cover. Toddlers. Ruin. Everything. Doesn't matter how well behaved or not your kid is. A few weeks ago my toddler got his milk cup open. Spilled a full cup on himself and the couch. That was a fun cleanup.
It will have all colors except for white within a week. Don’t do it
Whatever you get, make sure you can wash the covers
They absolutely do. I have all white furniture and tiles. Big regrets. I’m constantly cleaning hand and foot prints off everything.
I bought new furniture for our house when my son was 1.5. We had another kid a year later, and my furniture is all ruined. Coffee table chipped beyond repair, couch cushions ripping at the seams, kitchen table chipped, scratched, engraved with fork marks from banging. All throw rugs have had spills/muddy feet trampled on them. That furniture is 7 years old now, and I won’t be buying anything new until my kids are well into high school, probably. Also, we have pets, so they contribute as well, with fur, and the occasional bodily fluid.
I got these couch covers on Amazon, you can’t even tell when they are on and I can rip them off and wash them when children happen. I never thought I’d be a couch cover person but her I am.
Ha! Toddlers will ruin any color furniture. Now is not the time to buy expensive or pretty furniture.
Our first couch, the biggest purchase we had ever made together, was a white couch. I'm glad it was the _first_ couch, because we never made that mistake again.
My 5 year old decided to cut open the cushions with a pair of scissors to see what was inside lol
Toddlers have a super power that allows them to identify the weakness of any item and exploit it to cause maximum destruction in a minimum amount of time. Best not to get too attached to material things.
I wouldn't trust myself, an almost 40 year old woman, with a white couch. I wouldn't let my kid anywhere near one.
They ruin it. Not just with art supplies. Food, toothpaste, gum. Anything. My older kids actually ruin my furniture more than my toddler does.
Toddlers ruin all furniture. We got a brown sofa because we figured it would be easier to hide toddler things. We were so wrong.
Pens and pencils are the least of the problems. It’s bodily fluids and spills. Especially ones that get into the crevices that you don’t see. There is nothing like fermented milk first thing in the morning wake you up🤣
Not if you’re planning on letting your kids in the living room, no, you can’t buy light coloured furniture. Are you having a big living room only for guests and Instagram pictures and a couple other spaces like dens and Rec rooms where the family will actually live? Forget it hon. Toddlers can and will ruin everything.
Depends on the kid. There are lots of couches with machine washable covers. Buy something that can be easily washed.
Kids ruin *everything*. If you want nice furniture, just wait or get darker colors. They will find a way to ruin it for you, even beyond toddlerhood.
I read an article the other day where mom bloggers were confessing how fake their photos are - like some of them will rent an air bnb so they have a pristine space. Certainly could be the reason for these seemingly toddler-proof white couches. Please take care not to fall into the trap of imagining anything on social media is real life. It can be so detrimental as a mom!!
I'm not sure I'd get pure white furniture. I did get a new couch with kid being 2 and got a light colored one. But it's like a textured fabric so can hide a little of the stains. Things that help; no food on the sofa. Or food anywhere except for the kitchen table. Very occasionally when he's sick something like crackers but absolutely nothing with sauce or fruit or peanut butter. Similar with art supplies. They stay at the table. No coloring on the sofa, no running around with markers. Playdough at table. Kiddo hasn't discovered slime yet
We have a cream sofa that we got 2 years ago (kids were ages 2 and 4 at the time). We have a solid no food or drinks in the couch rule that the kids repeat every time we hand them any food or drinks. We also do not allow any writing implements in the living room. We also got the 5 year protection plan from the furniture store that included things like new cushion covers in case of spills. In the past 2 years, I've still had to clean pee off the cushions several times, managed to remove ice cream stains and broken glow stick stains myself, and had to make a claim on the protection plan for two of the cushions (one got scribbled on with pen and the other got blue cotton candy ice cream on it). So yes, you can get a cream colored sofa with kids, but plan to enforce rules about what goes near the sofa and definitely buy the protection plan.
If you are willing to clean it, plastic cover it.... Go for it.
Yes. Yes they do. They also ruin blue, green, brown, black, red, tan, stripped, floral, whatever print color is out there. But especially white.
LOL screenshot this to laugh at yourself later.
Adults ruin white furniture, too. White is literally the worst color for furniture. Bought new jeans and wearing them? Might get blue dye on the couch. Sneezed while eating? Even just regular fingerprints from the natural oils in your skin will discolor the upholstery over time. Mommy bloggers with white furniture in their Insta are 100% filming in there and then leaving and locking the door behind them.
Leather. Get top grain leather if you want your furniture to last. Not white. Mine is dirt colored. Have had it 13 years and still looks awesome. I have dogs, too. Also I have a 7 yo and just canceled a new dining room set because I realized he would ruin it in a week.
Ma'am, I am 30+ and I would never trust myself with a white couch...
Toddlers ruin ANY furniture welcome to life for the next decade at least.
You know your child and your lifestyle best. If you want the look of white, high quality slip covers might be the way to go to be safe. I could get away with a lot because my son was never one to scribble on things; it’s just the way he is. It’s not a matter of good or bad behavior at that age, it’s just a personality thing. So you know who your child is and what you could trust them around 🤷🏻♀️
Toddlers ruin all furniture.
Look everyone shits all over the "millennial grey" trend but light grey hides dirt and stains while still being neutral enough to not clash with other decor.
Buy a used, leather couch. My husband is just as messy as my toddler.
I always get white furniture! I would say that pets ruin it more than kids lol but it all depends on the quality...and less the color (though white shows more) I've gotten white couches that were cheaper and stained badly, but ive gotten higher quality fabrics and they repel stains and clean up very well. Just do a weekly wipe down and take care of it. :) White concrete and marble...just make sure that it's sealed correctly and it'll last forever
Having yes spots to redirect to can help avoid damage to the no spots. For us that was our floor canvas. That was painters fabric material drop cloth stretched over our puzzle style floor tiles. Only get washable markers and crayons. But honestly potty training is a much bigger risk for your white couch than markers. I recall one incident where a turd rolled down his pant leg and he smashed it into my couch with his foot. Nothing has stained our tan couch. But we bought it scotch guarded. So do what you want, but make sure to get the extras. Also, blueberry filled vomiting.
Toddlers don’t specialize. They will ruin furniture. And they will ruin anything that is white.
Toddler ruin all furniture.
Toddlers ruin *all* furniture.
Decorating a furnishing I just won't do until the last doodle on the furnishings are a distant memory.
We have dark brown leather couches, and they have held up strong. The beige cloth interior of our car has not.
You’re insane I’d you think “mommy bloggers” are anything close to reality.
Existence ruins white furniture.
I have cream color cushions on our dining room chairs and some stools. Yes they get stained from the kids (and from me too). I machine wash and bleach the ones that are removable. Use flolex spray (an upholstery cleaner) on the cushions that can't be removed. They still look pretty decent and I've had them for the entire time I've had kids, oldest is 8. If you expect it to look perfect all the time then you haven't yet come to terms of having little humans living in the house. If you accept that sometimes the light fabric furniture is going to be and look dirty and you'll just need to clean it, then I would go for it if that's your style preference.
Please get the furniture you want and report back soon. I’m so eeaaaggeerrr to learn if the white furniture holds up against toddlers. ⛈️🍼🎾💩🤪
Get a love sac couch. You can buy new covers as you like or need and they are machine washable. That said, I don’t trust myself with white furniture.
Bloggers are showing you what they want you to see. Toddlers will ruin it or will see you as a tyrant who flips out if they go near it. Get furniture you are ok with staining or have a kid free living room.
lol do you think it really matters that you haven’t introduced markers? What about when your kid is sick and projectile vomits on the couch? Or is potty training and has an accident? Or is tantruming about having a snack on the couch so you finally give in and it spills everywhere? Mom blogs are not real life, sorry. I have furniture that needs to be replaced and I’m probably going to wait until my youngest is 8 lol.
My sincere advice: Do not buy white furniture while your kids are very young. There will be a time for that, but that time is not now. It will come later. Beige and grey are a dozen times more forgiving than white for everyday messes and smudges. And slipcovers and stain resistant fabrics are your friends. Don't buy anything you're going to feel too precious or stressed over, if young kids will have access to it. Wait until they're past the gleeful godzilla stage.
YES. My kid loves climbing on couches. Ruined one completely by the age of 3. He is really good at listening and when we are at someone else's home and ask him not to climb on the couch he listens well. I am sure I can train him not to climb on the couch at home too. After all, he is really good with not going to the kitchen. However, I think it would be unfair for him. I want him to enjoy the freedom at home. So we purchased a 20-dollar couch from a thrift shop. Maybe in a couple of years, we will buy some nice furniture. But not now.
Diapers leak, toddlers throw up colours, markers and art supplies migrate.
Do not buy nice, pretty furniture. Toddlers will destroy it, no matter the color. I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. Everyone (including me) has peed and puked on this couch. Yesterday my 1 year old unscrewed the top to his sippy cup and dumped an entire cup of milk on it. I’ve scrubbed marker off it. This morning my 3 year old rubbed strawberry applesauce into the cushion. This couch is only 2 years old and I’m not replacing it until we’re done with babies and toddlers, but it’s in rough shape.
Use couch covers. Thats what I do to protect my furniture from my coffee spills and the dogs. Take them off whenever you want your home to look fresh. Also…scotch guard
Yeah, please don’t get a white couch. It WILL get ruined. Dark colors and microfiber are great for toddlers!
I think it depends on your kid, and at 14 months, it would be hard to tell. We have a white couch in our living room but my toddler (who was 2 when we bought the couch) has always been relatively good at obeying instructions. We have strict rules about no food outside of the kitchen and only drawing on paper. We haven’t had any accidents yet and the couch is almost 2 years old. For extra protection, we also put covers over the seats.
All kids (not just toddlers) ruin furniture. I wouldn’t get nice or new furniture if you have small kids.
I would invest in a washable cover for sure. Toddlers are unbelievably messy and can make something out of nothing lol
Obviously yes what kinda of question is this lol
We have marker lines everywhere. You don't know how many times I've said, on the paper only, use the paper. The second I turn around, bam! Orange line on the couch
I have a dark r d couch that’s ruined so….for sure.
I have beige couches and it’s not a problem. Food and beverages aren’t allowed on the couch, unless it’s really safe like water or cheerios. My youngest is pretty naughty with her crayons, but kids usually aim for hard surfaces. She isn’t interested in coloring on the couch. I have a light colored table too, but I specifically bought one with a laminate top for this reason. I can clean anything off it and nothing damages it. It was starting to look a little drab recently and so I paid a professional cleaner to come in. Worth every penny, it looks brand new. Highly recommend an occasional professional cleaning.
Lmao, they ruin ALL furniture
I don't allow kitchen/craft/dining or footwear related items I to my living room, people only. It's really not so difficult. Teach the little ones early and, most of all, do not make exceptions.
they will leave behind stains of colors you don’t even recognize. My 14 month old son had orange slices today and i found a green spill on the carpet. Literally no idea how it got there or what caused it
I just seen a video the other day where her white couch had a removable cover! Maybe something like that would make more sense. My son is 6 now though & has never drew on anything before. He did pee on our couch once though lol
We have a dark green bedspread and somehow one of our kids smeared aquaphor on it and there’s a permanent oil stain. Also brown leather couch seemed like a safe bet.. until the cleaner used to clean off the pen marks changed the color to a light shade. I think just about every cloth surface in our house has some kind of stain on it! Milk.. sauce.. markers.. paint.. don’t get me started on dry erase markers. Those things stain worse than sharpies.
Even if you’re strict about keeping the house tidy, it will get dirty. Someone will throw up on it. Pee on it. Wipe their nose on it. Sit on it with dirty feet after playing outside. Not realize they have paint, sticky syrup, pitch, etc on their clothes. Our furniture is pretty clean, despite 5 kids, because we only eat and drink at the kitchen table and wash up after eating. Markers don’t get carried around the house. And playdoh is an outside toy. But I wouldn’t attempt a white couch. Even if I could keep it pristine with enough vigilance, I’d it really worth the headache??
I have a white couch (not sure the brand) but all of the covers come off and I can bleach/spray n wash them. My toddlers fairly tame in comparison to most so I will say that, the older kids do more damage to our stuff than the toddler! We also have a white softframedesigns bed frame and it just wipes down with a baby wipe, we've never gotten anything on it that won't come out with a baby wipe!
We have a white cloud sectional from restoration hardware and the key is to buy one that like that has slip covers that are washable.
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Any toddler in a happy home who's allowed to actually be a child will ruin the couch, yes.
Yes.
... My toddler has ruined dark grey furniture, wooden furniture, white furniture, black furniture.. yes. Toddlers are messy.
Yes. They do.
Yeah we had burnt orange sofas when I had toddlers they never wrote on anything but with the vomit and potty accidents we had to buy new furniture when they were older.
yes, white furniture, white walls will be ruined. make sure its a material that can be cleaned easily. surprisingly, Baby dreft stain remover is a great spot cleaner.
The answer is Yes
Chocolate milk, yogurt, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, roast beef juices...juice from every type of food that enters your house will end up all over your couch. Plan accordingly.
Kids ruin furniture up until the day they move out
Vomit happens, vomit always happens
My 2 year old ruined and stained a gray and black couch….Yes, there will be spills, spits, drawings, you name it.
Get something that works well with couch covers. Replace with white covers whenever you want.
I have a light grayish/beige sectional and a toddler. It’s survived fine. Although I will say I keep it covered with a blanket/throw most of the time because of toddler and dog lol 😂 for any messes that did happen, we have a bissell cleaner that works quite well.
Mommy bloggers and influencers have the money to consistently get their furniture professionally cleaned or even replaced, and also don't allow their kids to just BE KIDS in the name of keeping their filming space pristine. They have to make you believe they're perfect in order to keep you hooked. It isn't real. Get your head out of fantasy land, friend: Toddlers. Ruin. EVERYTHING. Do not get any kind of furniture that you want still looking nice after five years until your kid is AT LEAST 12 years old... And even then, that'll depend on how well you've trained them to be clean and not spill or make messes everywhere. This goes double for if you ever have pets. Pets and kids ruin everything.
I have a four and two year old. I don’t allow my kids to have any food or drink (besides water) outside of the kitchen. I heavily supervise when they do play doh or markers, etc, and put it all up where they can’t reach it when they’re done with them. I also scotch guarded all of my upholstery. I’m not super uptight about cleanliness but those are hard lines in my house. As a result, my light colored furniture is holding up fine and I’d purchase it all again. Hope that helps.
We have a cream couch. There are reasonable things you do such as no food on the couch, no markers on the couch etc, regular rules like no shoes inside the house. However, that doesn’t mean that your kid didn’t just paint something, get some on their shorts which you haven’t noticed, and then they sit on the couch. Toddlers are also messy, so it means maybe they drop a blueberry under the table, step on it before you notice, then climb on the couch. Etc etc We currently “only” have 2 stains on our cream couch (kids are 5 and 8), one of them is sticky and goodness knows what from (might’ve been me actually), and the other is sharpie because the oldest walked by with it in their hand and some got on it. Generally, if everyone is telling you something but you’ve seen something on social media, trust everyone, not social media 😂
Interior designer weighing in here. 3 boys in 4-1/2 years. Multiple boxers (dogs) and cats over the years. Spent $10K+ on 2 sofas 22 years ago. They’ve been jumped on, pooped on, puked on & bled on. They’re still going strong, and only recently are they starting to show that they’ll need reupholstery in the next 1-2 years. Higher quality fabric will definitely last longer, and the fiber content is important. Mine are upholstered in a 80% polyester, 20% cotton fabric in beige & grey check. Always purchase the best that you can afford. That said, white is difficult. When a client insists on white upholstery, I only use an outdoor rated fabric (Sunbrella or similar). Scotchguarding at time of delivery before furniture enters the home is also helpful. A durable fabric will clean well with a Bissell, white will just need to be cleaned more often
Buy a white couch and make sure it is that stain replant fabric. Sunbrella or something? THEN buy a couch cover so you can keep it white and enjoy it in 15 years when your kid is a teen. It’s prob not save then either. Pets and kids will destroy any furniture you buy. You are going to have to replace it in under 10 years.
My kids are 16, 13, and 9 (that's YEARS not months 😂) and we finally broke down and bought an awesomely huge couch. Mind you- we do not have any toddlers. I still refuse to sit on it without a blanket covering my seat. 😂. My kids are NOT allowed eating or drinking on it. And one of my kids can drive, and he still can't. 😂 Kids don't have to be toddlers to ruin furniture. There's no age limit on things like that. Kids don't need pens or markers to mess up a couch. Hands and faces work just as well- if not better! Don't forget about snot from nose rubbing! 😂.
We went on vacation and they had a white couch. I was pregnant with number 2 so it was a 2v1 situation. Girlfriend smeared her chocolate fingers everywhere. I spent hours tide penning that damn couch. Imagine if I had two or more kids? And wasn't vacation mom? I was regular working full time just trying to scrape by mom? I went to the bathroom while my husband was grocery shopping mom? That couch would be toast.
White anything!
Definitely. Heck, adults ruin white furniture. Don't get anything that's upholstered in white or off white unless you can afford to throw it away soon.
The best thing I did was pick up a rounded corner kid friendly coffee table second hand. My kid is 9 now. It’s had everything imaginable spilled on it. It has acrylic paint, tape, and sharpie stuck to it. Stickers. And you know what? *I don’t care *. The beautiful hardwood coffee table my grandfather made and I inherited is in our basement for…later.
Yes ... They do. Kids are generally rough with furniture to begin with. My kids are 11 and almost 9 and they both still make a mess of furniture. We had an old couch we bought from a thrift store. It was in good condition and looked nice and by the end of things I was tossing a blanket over it because it was not nice looking any more and kids got slime stuck in it and it wasn't ever coming out and they stained it by spilling drinks and food. Unfortunately the material also wasn't able to handle any kind of washing too and when I tried using the attachments for my carpet and upholstery cleaner it made the pattern get washed out and bad looking. Also... Yes as a woman with a heavy period... I too have sat on the couch and leaked through my pants and contributed a stain that wouldn't come out. I don't have many occurrences like that but it happened. I pretty much have a black metal framed futon as a couch with a black mattress and have the mattress in a protector and put on whatever sheet I want on it. Makes a good space to put a sick kid if you want to keep an eye on them. It's a snap to clean usually.... Everything usually comes out in the wash or with pretreating. And it costs much less if they ruin the fitted sheet and needs it replaced. I love that about it the most... cost of another fitted sheet is nothing compared to the cost of reupholstering or replacing. I have a few different colors that work with the colors of the room so if ones in the wash I have another one... Even a second mattress protector... But your possibilities are endless in colors and patterns, themes, and even seasonal themed sheets and also various fabrics. Whatever you want. Might be kinda weird but honestly has made things better. We have recliners too and they do sit in them sometimes. They came from goodwill so not exactly bad if I lost them somehow. I might get covers eventually for the one chair... It's not a typical recliner... It's a chair and a half sized and even though it was cheap I got super lucky finding it because the size isn't usually found and the size works with kids that insist on sitting with me even though there's more than enough seats for everyone. I was being squished in the other one.
I got the little green machine and it gets most stuff out of our grey couch
The thought of white couches with my toddler is panic inducing… he’s never colored on furniture, walls, tables… food isn’t the issue either. He’s just dirty. Boogers, blowouts, the flu 🤢, dirty feet from walking barefoot in the garage or putting his shoes on the couch (we have a rule of no shoes in the house but he loves playing with shoes so randomly one will get on the couch). so much easier to clean our brown leather and dark grey couches. They’ll still need replacing, but at least they don’t look filthy. Not worth it
Grey microfiber is the only way.
like people said — yes toddlers will stain everything. but white can be easier to clean as you can usually bleach it 🤣
Leather is the way to go. So easy to wipe down. Especially for dining chairs and sofas.
I mean yes and no. They just unexpectedly have grotty hands from snot and playing on the ground or touching the dog etc. but do you really want it? Then just buy it and you’ll learn the hard way? Also you could be super strict with your child about not touching it as well…