To buy a light coloured sofa with a baby on the way?

[Matimama]

Tell me if I’m being ridiculous. I’m a FTM. We are moving house and our old leather sofa isn’t going to fit.

The set I like is this one, colour is ‘greige’, but I don’t know if it’s silly to buy a light coloured one given there will inevitably be sick/nappy explosions 😂

Pic of the one we’re considering- it’s in the sale and can be delivered quickly. The only darker colours they have are black/charcoal which I definitely don’t like.

No pets, planning to be one and done. If either of those things make any difference.

YABU - no don’t be crazy, it will be ruined
YANBU - plenty of people have light sofas, get the one you like and just use protector kits

We have pale fabric sofas in both rooms. They were covered in throws when the DC were tiny, and still are if there's the slightest risk of vomit. They're only allowed eat neat foods on the sofas, but that's a good rule anyway.

They both look fine, never needed them professionally cleaned.

I say go with it, but accept that a house with small DC will never be immaculate anyway.

It's not just the baby
You have at least 10-15 years of food, drink, potty training, feet, shoes, crayons, pens, nail varnish, make up, jumping, den making, slouching and general grime, wear and tear.

Coping with the sofa you already have is one thing. Choosing a light coloured one is baffling. Also look at how cleanable the material is - I read a thing about train seats that said short pile fabrics are found to be much more durable than flat weave. Nothing less for a family.

Obviously the mess is expensive and looks shit on a light coloured sofa BUT for me, it’s what the non stop relentless irritation and focus on trying to prevent them put right the stains and mess.

I was constantly “at” my toddler, “don’t spill that, get your shoes off, crayons away from the sofa, don’t put your juice cup on the sofa, don’t stand on the sofa……” on and on it went.
Even when I wasn’t in the room I was worried about what they were doing near or on the sofa to wreck it.

On reflection… what the actual fuck was I thinking and doing! What a massive waste of our time! I had no reason to introduce such a meaningless stress into our relationship.

Plus, even with throws, the sofa was minging underneath.

Washable covers, wipable and cheap so easily replaced in the first 10 years of my kids life. It made it not really matter as they learn to look after belongings by making mistakes that are ok.

There's a reason those of us with 20yo kids are only just thinking about replacing our Noughties brown leather sofas!

No experience with light colour sofas, but here to warn you that darker ones aren't the great idea you think! We went for very dark navy thinking it would hide the marks but babies make a surprising amount of light colour stains, then add on all the myriad crumbs and such that show too.

I guess find somewhere in the middle, or something with a pattern/texture that makes spots less noticeable.

As long as you're fine with enforcing a no food/drink/crayons/shoes/dirty hands or faces in the living room rule for eternity you'll be fine with sofas like that.

Other than wee accidents and sick/nappy explosions it's not too hard to keep it clean.

Another vote for wipe-clean leather.

Don't do it I had a lovely bargain 2nd hand cream Arigi Bianchi sofa arrive just before DS was born.

He promptly poonami'd on it when he was a week old. Newborn poo stains like nothing else.

Then there was milk spilled, vomit, more poo, wee.....all left water mark type stains that even a professional cleaner couldn't fully get out.

5 years I had to look at that shit stain.

Get a leather sofa again.

Either get a leather sofa, so you can wipe it. Or an Ikea ektorp with washable covers!

IKEA!!! You can throw all the covers in the wash and buy replacement covers too.
There's also companies that make covers for IKEA sofas in whatever colour or pattern you like, so that you can basically have a whole new sofa after 5 years.

I got mine delivered within 7 days.
Absolutely INCREDIBLE.

I will never get sofas from anywhere else.

(I love the Ektorp personally)

It’ll be fine honestly.

I had a pale green sofa when my children were babies (don’t judge it was the fashion back then), it lasted until they were 7&9. Neither of them had a nappy explosion in it, or drew on it or got sudocrem on it. Yes, it was vomited on, but that came out.

I’ve got a pale sofa now and a six month old grandson. He was sick on it last week after having watermelon, but I used the cleaning kit that came with it and it came out straight away. DS2 &DDIL have the one pictured. We’ve both got them insured so if they do get something on them, which we can’t get out, we can call them up and they’ll come out and clean it for us.

Ikea ektorp sofa and Poang chairs
You can get washable covers and often find them on FB marketplace( I have 2 poang chairs bought for £80 here then you can replace when baby is older if you wish

I'd avoid it. I've had a lot of furniture ruined by kids. Food, felt pens and mucky handprints will find their way all over it.

Get an Ikea Ektorp with a spare set of covers. We have a cream one and I have to change and wash the covers at least once a month, sometimes once a week.

In a few years we'll upgrade to the dream sofa but I will never regret getting this one while my kids are young!

Whatever colour you buy kids will fuck it up somehow.

Only if it has removable machine washable covers otherwise no way! Ours is a dark beige in an easy to clean textured velour kind of fabric and all the cushion covers can go in the washing machine

Agree with pp it's all about the washable covers. Ours is pale blue fabric (and is still pale blue 9 years and 2 DC later) but the covers have been through the washing machine a LOT of times!

Get something wipeable. White isn't so bad as long as its wipeable and waterproof. Babies are one thing, toddler and small child sick is another plus my mother who thought it would be a great idea for my toddler to write on my white leather sofa with a dry-ink marker because they can be wiped off the special books.