To buy this sofa with young kids in the house?

[Lycidas]

DP thinks I'm ridiculous for considering buying this sofa for our new house. Apparently leather is a must and anything else will get trashed by grubby little mits (we have a one year old and another on the way).

I've had a look at leather sofas and they look/feel very bulky. Our living room isn't big so I'd like a sofa that you can see/vacuum underneath...just feels more spacious to me.

Thoughts?

@Bluetrews25 Yes that seems sensible tbh. I might look for a very similar style but with fully washable covers. That’s probably the balance.

My in laws have brown leather sofas and in my mind they’re associated with plumping up cushions on them and watching them limply slide down again. Argh!

DH is the worst for eating snacks outside the kitchen...

leather sofa with little children is bonkers, unless u put cover on it.
We had leather sofa it got scratched a lot, peed on , food and drinks spilled. so not easy to clean as you need use special cleaner just for sofa.
As with fabric, you can remove the cushion and clean them with anything and dry them..
But I would suggest fabric sofa with sort of pattern, as on plain one all marks are easy to be seen.

Personally I wouldn’t buy anything from DFS but the sofa itself is really nice. I agree with getting the IKEA one or something similar with washable covers. I hate sofa throws with small children; or maybe it was just that mine couldn’t bloody sit still and I was always straightening them, tucking them in and picking them up off the floor.

Consider applying that defensive and uptight (and odd!) re your sofa perhaps!

Why not @gingersausage?

This is very similar in style and colour to our sofa. We’ve had it 3 years now as still looks good as new and that’s with 2 young children, a clumsy OH and pets!

Even though the DC are young they no they aren’t to eat or have drinks (without lids) on the sofa or no messing about and jumping around on it. Having children doesn’t mean you can’t still have nice things

Yeah right, im the odd one for defending myself against your snidey little comment about discipline, not you for assuming the only reason a stranger on the Internet covers their sofa is because they aren’t strict enough. Why not tell every poster here that they should be more strict?

You might need a cover too, your unkindness is showing.

That sofa is lovely. But YABVVVU to buy anything from DFS. I've had very bad experiences with both the quality of their sofas.

I don't think you'll have too much trouble with staining on one that colour. I prefer fabric too, and our currently one is cream. Now, that really was a mistake. I'm going to start ignoring DH's opinions on the subject of sofas!

I feel for you, I genuinely do!

I’m strict but that doesn’t stop a baby being sick on your sofa, wtf!

I like my DFS sofa, they were much nicer than Sofology.

You can get plain waterproof covers if it's really a worry, we're going to have one in our playroom when we get a new sofa, yes it's naff but currently our five year old sofa in there is ruined.

I’ve got a lighter one. The kids have tried their best to fuck it up.... Really sad because it could be any sofa under there.

I simply said seems a shame and perhaps adapt more stricter policy re respect for furniture

And you’ve blown a fuse!

dh chose leather sofa - they stain & you have get special stuff to clean them & they crack & wear & look dead scruffy - my old textile one lasted much longer -next one is not going to be leather!!!!

If I had a pound for the amount of times I’ve had ours cleaned due to juice spillages - washable covers a must. My cats have scratched mine to junk yard status anyway

Why not just teach babies and animals to have more respect for your home, peanutbutter.

I also had a nice dfs experience by the way. The delivery guys were lovely.

I hate leather sofas too. We have a grey fabric sofa from John Lewis that doesn’t have removable covers, so can’t be washed, and it’s survived DD with no problems at all. And I’ve spilt things on it several times.

I'm not trying to be 'that' mum or anything but why do people automatically think that young children will damage furniture? I have three and my fabric sofa was pristine when I sold it years later. It was used all day long every day for years even with toddlers. No pen marks, no spills or pee stains or food smears. I don't even keep that clean a house! In fact that Hinch woman scares the bejesus outta me. No way could I devote that much time or effort to cleaning.
But what you like and wipe kids hands.

*I simply said seems a shame and perhaps adapt more stricter policy re respect for furniture

And you’ve blown a fuse!*

And that’s exactly how someone makes it your fault for calling them out on an underhand dig that they can make seem innocent by the “it’s a shame” part of the statement. It’s snide, and if you didn’t mean it like that then perhaps work on your delivery of simple statements so they don’t sound like you’re blaming a baby being sick or a child spilling a drink on lack of discipline.

OP, enjoy your sofa. And if your baby/cat/mil makes a mess on it, simply speak to Bringringbring about how she’s mastered pets and infants.

Bawbags agree 100%.

Talk about seeing shadows!

I've never had a leather sofa and in ten years it never got trashed by kids.

All sorts of washable fabric options available.

Leather is actually more delicate IMO and ribena will stain it just the same.

You did imply that it’s a discipline issue Bringringbring and it isn’t always. My mum makes a terrible mess wherever she goes. It’s not always to do with being strict.

Bawbags my first child was like that, never spilled a thing. My second, wow! If I wanted everything as clean as hinch has it, he’d be living in the garden.

@Mymycherrypie

the poster said her kids had done their best to mess it up. So fairly safe interpretation

And I didn’t say discipline. I said encourage respect for the home?

Never mind puke and scribbles, you’ll lose a fuck tonne of toys and shit under that sofa.