To say MIL not sleeping on new sofa when it arrives?

Yanbu fold up single bed or high air bed.

Just get some stretcy covers for it. They seem to be advertised everywhere. Pop them on when mil due for the dog.
We recently got a new sofa for our kitchen. We have taken turns to sleep on it! No impact despite dh being 6 2 and 14 stone.

Put a sheet on it.

I'm amazed she's travelling 5 hours and you're asking her to sleep on the sofa.
You could sleep on the put up bed and she could have your bed.

I don't think I've slept on a sofa since I was a student

Get a quilt cover or something put it over the sofa or just say to her or get your partner to say about not wanting the dog on the couch , so it comes from them and not you.

Sorry but I would not have a dog or mil sleeping on my new sofa. Surely everyone wants to preserve and enjoy the “newness” of the sofa in the first months of ownership. What is wrong with the pop up bed?

I would 100% say air bed moving forwards Get one of those double height double ones and tell her it is there or she is welcome to find and pay for herself and her dog at a local hotel/air bnb.

I too dont like people sleeping on my sofas, it definitely isn't good for sofas and 100% would not want a dog all over the sofa.

Nobody is allowed to sleep in our living room full stop. We used to allow it but the room would feel so grubby afterwards, we once walked in to air it out and clean up after someone slept on the sofa and the smell of stale fart hit me in the face 😂

Absolutely no way would I have anyone now Nevermind on a new sofa with a dog.

If you have the space @Starry4321 , could you look into a fold-out bed in an ottoman with a nice topper? Such as this footstool bed. There are a few versions of this available on the market, including one from daals where I think you can order fabric samples, so you can try to find something that goes with your new sofa. Your MIL will hopefully find that more comfortable than sleeping on a sofa, and having it out with the bed made up all nicely when she arrives will mean that there are no arguments about just prefering to sleep on the sofa when someone mentions blowing up the air bed.

I’ll be honest as soon as we got our new sofa a few years ago the first thing I did was buy a massive similar coloured blanket to go over it. I only take it off if we have guests but for the most part it stays on. Sticky fingers/ crumbs/cats etc- seemed silly to ruin our nice sofa and we wanted to preserve it longer. Just do that before your MiL arrives and wash after she leaves and put back on.

…should have got a Sofa Bed.

Anyone who buys an expensive pale sofa when they have a two year old is crazy. Come back in a couple of years and let us know how it’s gone @Starry4321. I don’t understand why you haven’t brought a sofa bed when you know it’s going to be slept on.

Depending how heavy she is and how often she stays, sagging may well be an issue. I had an ex years ago who snored. Inevitably he'd be kicked out of bed and end up on the sofa. It wrecked the sofa! He was a bit overweight though. But when we broke up I ended up buying a new sofa because the sagging was so bad.

I was in two minds but the dog swung it for me

She said she couldn't stop the dog sleeping on it if the mother in law was sleeping there. A mattress protector will, well, protect the soda.

If it was my MIL, I'd prefer her dog to stay.

I think if I knew that a family member was regularly making the effort of a 5 hour trip to see us and staying over on the sofa, I'd have bought a sofa bed to make sure she was as comfortable as possible. I also wouldn't have bought a light sofa if I knew it was going to be around a toddler plus slept on by a person and a dog!

Is there any chance you can cancel the sofa order and buy something a bit more appropriate for your family circumstances/needs? It doesn't seem like you've made a very sensible choice under the circumstances.

But OP does not want the bloody dog sleeping on her sofa!

Sleeping on the sofa isn't going to damage it - as a pp pointed out, the weight is more widely spread. This sofa may not be as comfortable to sleep on as your old one - did you not think about getting a sofa bed?

MIL may feel that you don't want her staying over, if you're prioritising your new sofa over her comfort - it does sound like you are to be honest. I differ from most PPs in that I'm a dog on the sofa person - you can get a throw to cover it when MIL and dog visit.

My DS was much harder on my sofa than my dog. My dog never had an 'accident' on my sofa, a number of toilet training kids have!

You're setting yourself up for a lot of crying over spilt milk. It's a sofa, it should be comfortable to sit on, and look OK.

Light coloured sofa with a toddler? You’re gonna regret that choice, It’ll be ruined in 12 months .

Just put a mattress protector on it. Maybe put one over the back too, and tuck it in. Then a sheet on top and the dog will be fine.

Lying on a sofa won't harm the cushions I wouldn't have thought.

Buy a decent waterproof mattress protector fro somewhere like The White Company, more expensive but definitely worth it. This will prevent staining and smells if your DH isn't going to back you up on this.

Sofas are meant to be slept on, just as they're meant to be sat on. If your MIL is more comfortable on a sofa than a flimsy makeshift bed, I wouldn't be quick to deny it to her. Older people often require better sleeping accommodations than younger ones do. I would not risk making her feel unwelcome or that you value keeping a piece of furniture in pristine condition (which you can't do anyway) over her comfort in your home.

I advise just putting a bedsheet over the sofa and let it go without making a fuss about it. It soon won't be new anymore and you won't care anymore.

>> For the first time in almost a decade we have a new sofa arriving Saturday.

I'm interested that you think almost a decade is a long time to go between replacing sofas. How often do most people replace their sofas? We bought our sofas two decades ago and it wouldn't occur to us to replace them. Tbh they are a bit old and scruffy at this point, so I think you might be on to something.

You can buy really cheap sofa covers op just make sure there’s something nice and thick under where they’re lying and it should be fine. Give all the bedding a good hot wash after she’s gone
Or if your child is in a full-size bed let your child make a camp bed, they’ll love it, and granny could have their bed.
These things really are easily solved with a bit of thought, for peace and harmony, just let her enjoy her stay.