and controlling about toddler furniture choices?

[thesurgeonsmate]

I thought it might be nice for dd (18m) to have a table and chair. I suppose I thought it would be handy for drawing and so on as she got older. DH thinks it would be nice for her to have a little armchair. I just thought this was clutter. She climbed into an armchair yesterday to "read" a book. Don't know if this shows it would be nice for her, or shows that it's totally unnecessary because she can use an adult armchair. Since I'm the shopper, I need to know, am I being unreasonable to just ignore his cherished toddler furniture ideas? He's been talking about it for months! Money not a factor here really, happy to indulge this if it's the reasonable thing to do.

While we're here, it's the IKEA table and chair I get, isn't it? Would I need to look elsewhere for an armchair?

Sounds lovely if you have the space and money. My DD had a table and two chairs - she was queen of Bangkok.
She still (10.6) hankers after an armchair of some sort and tries to squeeze her bony arse into any she sees in shops.
Your money, your house, your choice. I would though.

A friend bought the Ikea Poang chair for DD the other week. We'd never have bothered ourselves, but she loves it as do my mindees (so they're all getting one for Christmas)

The child size Ikea Poang only costs £10 so if she's not interested in it, you've not wasted much. The Lack table is good (think that's £5.00).

FWIW, pretty much everyone I know has a child-sized table/chair set. I've seen some nice second-hand ones on eBay.

I would get more than one chair for when she has friends over. If you don't want clutter, there are some child-sized folding chairs you can get - my 3yo DD has a Peppa Pig one she loves.

My personal opinion is that an armchair is not necessary and I don't know anyone who has one. My DD is 3yo and is perfectly happy on the big sofa.

If you must, Ikea do some child-sized wicker chairs quite cheaply, and GLTC do armchairs (don't forget the Mumsnet discount). But a beanbag might be better and will last her longer.

My DS has the mini ikea poang, he spends an awful lot of time in it! Did have a mini table and chair but it virtually never got used, has been got rid of now and DS does his colouring etc at the kitchen table instead.

I would have liked a little armchair when I was small, sounds snug and cute. What about a mini beanbag type seat as a compromise? Though if it means a lot to your DH, you have the space and money, I'd go for the proper chair.

DS likes to sit on the settee with the grown ups. I doubt if he'd ever use a toddler armchair. A friend of mine has 4 DCs and a couple of armchairs and I've never seen them use them. They're always on the sofa.

A small table and chair/s is invaluable though. I've one upstairs in DS' room, and a wooden set downstairs. He uses it to sit and colour, read etc, and when it's just us we sit there together to eat. The chairs are surprisingly comfortable and will take an adult heffalump like me.

DS was given DH's toddler armchair by my MIL. It is sitting in our sitting room covered in toys. He has never sat in it. He sits in the big armchair and snuggles up into the cushions and is quite happy there. He is 6 and we've had the armchair since he was 1 year old. I would get rid of it, but quite like the fact that when MIL comes round it is there in plain sight and evidently never used. I hate it!!!!

We have both and use both- armchair is used for reading, watching postman pat and also for car/tractor/train track. My 13 month old loves putting his feet up on the footstool at the end of a hectic day and gives a huge sigh; don't know who he been watching

We have table and chairs- they end up outside in the summer and barely used for craft/ colouring as DS1 2.5 year old likes to sit at the dining room table as more space and no fighting over crayons with his younger brother. I still think they were worth the money though.

Thanks for these, think it has been unreasonable to dismiss armchair out of hand as patent nonsense and so I will honour DH's wishes, and in particular check out the Poang.

We have a mini armchair it is such a hit that the child, dog and 2 cats all fight over it.

We have a table and chairs for the dds. have never bothered getting armchairs, although they like to sit in the kids' Poang chair when we go to Ikea

There is a shop on ebay called (I think) Little Cherubs - I've just bought the adult sized armchair from there and it is quite small and would be okay for a child too (altho they do child-sized ones as well). They are nice and not expensive, although not Ikea-cheap. There are tons of fabrics too, and you can get matching footstools.

We've got a mini-armchair - my granddad made it when I was a toddler, and I sat in it until I outgrew it. Now visiting nieces and nephews sit in it.

Table and Chairs are very useful. Good to have enough for a friend too. We got the Ikea Kritter table and chairs for our two and they are very good quality and wipe clean easily after being used for art. We got white but they come in a range of colours too.

An armchair is not something I would have thought of for a small child. What about a chair that could turn into a bed for when you have other children to stay?

My DS had a table and chair set, and a miniature armchair in the living room. He loved both of them and used them until he was far too big for them.

A bit like this

I still have my childhood armchair an treasure it. In fact my mum is bringing it over as soon as the nursery is done for my baby I'm more excited for the chair than the child at this point lol

Good thread! Does anyone know if that Poang is any goodfor a child of 3? What an I get my 7 year old? beanbags aren't chairs are they...

If a child has his/her own armchair it means that when you have visitors they still have a chair to sit in :) I am biased however as I had my own armchair as a child ( covered in the same material as the big sofa) and my Ds now has his own armchair ( leater to match our sofa) xxx

DD1 had an armchair bought by MIL, think she paid about £80 for it DD1 hated it and it's now in the loft. Was round at a friend's last week and they pointed out the mini armchair for their DS and said it was a very expensive cat bed!

I'd go for the Poang.

Get the best quality little table and chairs you can afford as we are still using our table as an extra coffee table (it was wooden) and both wooden little chairs are still in use as bathroom chairs some twelve years after anyone played on them! Option to an armchair is a bean bag which, again, older kids will use too.

We have a mini armchair that folds out into a bed - bought for dd1, now in dd2's room, she loves it for reading stories and uses it as a den with her toys, I sit in it to read her bedtime story and numerous children have slept over on it. It wasn't cheap though. We also had a small table and chairs which tbh didn't get used but we don't have a playroom and there was never really space for it in either of the dds rooms.

Yes, the Ikea chair and table are great. And yes again, the armchair is a waste of space.

Bonsoir why is an armchair for a child a waste of space if they like it and use it?

Surely children have as much right to have a seat in their own home as anyone else?

We have a cheap ikea table and chairs - most definitely worth the money.

We also have an armchair that we bought for DS1. Hasn't been used as much as the table and chairs but just got it out of the loft for DS4 (20mths) and the delight on his face was lovely !! So probably less of an essential but still lovely - space would be the only issue.