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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder if anyone with small children has carpets downstairs?

76 replies

boringbeigecarpet · 03/04/2022 19:43

Ours is permanently stained with food, despite this DH won’t give way to wooden flooring. He likes carpets. I think he’s mad. Does anyone with little children have carpets in communal areas?

OP posts:
YoYoYoYoSup · 03/04/2022 19:44

No I absolutely do not. Its not his decision completely, if he likes carpets and won't compromise (I.e hard flooring and washable rugs for example) then stop cleaning the carpets - it can be his "job" he'll soon tire of it and agree with you.

NuffSaidSam · 03/04/2022 19:46

Some people prefer carpet.

You just have to make sure the DC don't do stain worthy stuff on it as much as possible.

Shoes off at the door.
No eating except at the table.
Paint/pens/playdough/glue etc. also confined to the kitchen table.

Obviously, there could be a poo or sick incident that you don't see coming, but otherwise fairly easy to mitigate stains I think.

DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 03/04/2022 19:46

We have carpets in hall, living room, dining room but lino in kitchen.

I have a 7&2 yo.

Our floors are not permanently stained with food! What are you letting them do, fgs?! Grin

WlNDMlLL · 03/04/2022 19:48

We got new carpets when we had a 1 year old and now have 2 under 4. We have a hard floor in the kitchen (which I think it the norm) but elsewhere it's carpet and there are not any food stains because I don't let them or their visiting friends (who are in our house a lot) wander around with food. Also only allow them to use felt pens etc when sitting at the table.

Original poster
boringbeigecarpet · 03/04/2022 19:50

Don’t have a table … it’s definitely food / drink stains, not outdoor stains if you like.

Plus even if you’re sitting at a table weaning is messy. Well it was here.

OP posts:
Jellycatrabbit · 03/04/2022 19:51

Carpet everywhere except the kitchen which is tiled. Messy things only allowed in the kitchen- it's a kitchen diner so plenty of space.

Can you use a shower curtain on the floor for particularly messy activities? Obviously not general eating (unless you have under 2s in which case I could be tempted . . .)

Original poster
boringbeigecarpet · 03/04/2022 19:51

@DontBuyANewMumCashmere out baby chucks food everywhere, it could just be us and typical toddlers can be trusted with the household silver but I think it’s reasonably normal.

Also had a couple of escaped incidents with a dirty nappy.

OP posts:
NuffSaidSam · 03/04/2022 19:54

@boringbeigecarpet

Don’t have a table … it’s definitely food / drink stains, not outdoor stains if you like.

Plus even if you’re sitting at a table weaning is messy. Well it was here.

I wouldn't have carpet in the kitchen (or whichever room they eat in).

I wouldn't expect so much food throwing that it can't be contained within one room!

AliceW89 · 03/04/2022 19:55

Hard floor under the dining table would be a must for me. Toddler DC isn’t allowed to eat food anywhere but the table and is out of the throwing phase, but it is still messy. At 6 months it was absolutely horrendous!

BettyOBarley · 03/04/2022 19:56

We have carpet in the living room but wooden floor/tiles in other downstairs areas. Kids are 8&5 now.
We did have a cream carpet which was a nightmare so we changed it for dark grey - can't see anything now 🤣
Could you get one of those huge highchair mats to put under your little one when eating if you always eat in the room?

tigerlilymochalatte · 03/04/2022 19:57

Carpets in the lounge but wood floors in the kitchen where they eat as lots of food has ended up in the floor! No food or painting etc in the lounge and our carpets have survived DS5 and DD2

Thursday37 · 03/04/2022 19:58

We have carpets everywhere apart from kitchen/diner, utility, hall, bathrooms.
They are easy to clean though, bleachable etc so no trouble cleaning up.

We used a big waterproof mat for weaning though and DD still uses it if she eats in the sitting room.

Original poster
boringbeigecarpet · 03/04/2022 19:59

Our kitchen does have hard floor but is too small and you can’t eat in there.

With the best will in the world accidents happen - I remember knocking a couple of drinks over as a kid but they were horrible patterned 80s carpets Grin

OP posts:
ImFree2doasiwant · 03/04/2022 19:59

Carpet in the front room. They don't eat meals in the front room occasioval floor picnic but i put a blanket down for that. Tles in dining room..

Lazypuppy · 03/04/2022 20:00

Carpet in lounge and laminate in kitchen. Couldn't have anything in the lounge apart from carpet.

NelliePig · 03/04/2022 20:01

Light grey carpet throughout. Nice hard-wearing bleachable one. Every single stain has been removed with Dr beckmans. Still looks new. I'm not a fan of babies sitting, rolling, crawling on hard floors and mine didn't stay on the rug so we had our house redone just before the baby arrived.
If there are any oopsies I just Dr beckmans before bet so it dries overnight x

Bagelsandbrie · 03/04/2022 20:01

I wouldn’t not have carpets with young children to be honest. More cushioning if they fall over!

OfstedOffred · 03/04/2022 20:03

Tiled floor in kitchen & bathrooms, wood in hall. Carpet everywhere else. Kitchen is the only place where food or messy stuff is allowed.

DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 03/04/2022 20:04

Yes OK. My best friend couldn't eat in her kitchen either. They used to put down a shower curtain down around their weaning DC.
Otherwise no food other than at the table.

Babies are annoying they chuck it everywhere!

Caspianberg · 03/04/2022 20:06

Carpets are ok in living room, or bedrooms, but I would t have them in a space you eat in. If your kitchen doesn’t have a table in, so table in living room, I definitely would not have carpet. Hard wood throughout.

I would use a wipeable large mat under toddler chair whilst they eat for now.

spotcheck · 03/04/2022 20:06

Where do they eat?

Dejavuvuzella · 03/04/2022 20:07

That's why you wean/feed in the kitchen. Carpets make the house warmer which is so important little ones are on the floor playing, they're more comfortable to. Saves so many injuries when baby learns to sit up, crawl, stand, walk.

This is why we purposefully carpeted throughout our communal areas apart from the kitchen with a colour that hides stains (browny beige).

Owwlie · 03/04/2022 20:08

Carpet all downstairs here. After living in a house with wooden flooring for years I wouldn’t go back to it now, carpet feels so much warmer.

They do get messy but we have a vax carpet cleaner and do them every month or so, or if there’s a sick/wee accident.

Skydreams · 03/04/2022 20:08

We have carpets everywhere except the conservatory, kitchen and bathroom.

We bought a Vax carpet cleaning machine and use that regularly as you’d be shocked at the filthy water that emerges.

toastfiend · 03/04/2022 20:11

Yep. Beige/cream carpet in the living room - 2 dogs and a toddler. The carpet isn't permanently stained and we let DS eat in the living room, only "rule" is shoes off at the door. Hoovered every few days, spot clean any marks as and when they arise, probably get the big carpet cleaner out about twice a year, if that.

I'll be honest, I don't agree that a carpet will definitely be ruined if you have kids. I also don't like hard floors in living rooms or bedrooms.