Prevent chipping of leg chair

[deardia]

How can I prevent the legs on my chair from chipping? They wood (not proper wood, prob mdf) coated in black paint I guess, however they seem to chip very easily, like when kids knock about their toys or the Hoover accidentally hits it. The paint comes off. How can I protect the legs? What can I apply that's clear to make them last longer? They were very expensive