Considering a brand new sofa with a pre-schooler in the house...insane?

[RoseHipNovember]

Hello,

Just canvassing opinion of this idea. Straight from the gate, I think I am being unreasonable but just wondered what other people thought.
I've had a quote for a new sofa, and we're looking at just over £2,000. So definitely not cheap.

Technically it's not a full sofa - more of a very nice chaise lounge. It would replace the decrepit one we currently have in our living room/open-plan kitchen (the extension on our Victorian ground-floor flat). The existing one was bought around 2011, wasn't a particularly good brand to begin with, and is now really on its last legs. It's looking pretty grim.

The new one would really suit the room. It's a lovely design and incredibly comfortable.

The bigger issue, though, is that we have an almost-three-year-old son. He's a typical little boy - messy, energetic and very physical. We also have my 14-year-old DSD here some of the time, but she's lovely and poses absolutely no threat to a brand-new sofa!

Am I mad for even considering it? My DP thinks I am, and I can see his point.

The thing is, I'm not convinced our current chaise has much life left in it. We do also have a decent full-sized sofa that we bought second-hand on eBay (BoConcept), which we've had for about three years and is still doing the job perfectly well.

My hesitation isn't just the risk of spills, stains and general toddler wear and tear. We also have a long list of other jobs that need doing. We need new decking in the garden, the front fence and gate need replacing, the hedge needs sorting out, and in the next couple of years we're planning to replace the dark laminate flooring with engineered wood (we have underfloor heating in the extension and bathroom). We're waiting until our son is a bit older before tackling the floors.

Given all that, I'm wondering whether a new chaise lounge is just wishful thinking and whether I should simply put up with the current one for another couple of years as we also need to invest in other important areas of the household.

Has anyone invested in nice furniture while their children were still toddlers? Did you regret it, or was it worth it?

TY.

Oh forgot to say. I've been on the look out for a similar second hand chaise lounge, haven't seen anything that's suitable yet. But will keep looking.

I am really struggling to see the issue. My sofa is totally fine, I have 2 boys ages 5 and 2. Put a blanket over it, don't allow them to eat or drink on it, and enforce hand washing for dirty hands. Pretty common sense?

Whilst I would tailor my choices (nothing white for example!) I just think you can wait forever for kids to be the right age etc.

Just get it - ultimately it's just a sofa, it's meant to be used and nothing you will ever own will remain pristine forever!

Life is happening now - we're always waiting for "one day" but then it's passing us by!

We got our new fairly expensive sofa when our oldest was about 1.5, he’s now just over 3. It’s been fine. Just teach boundaries, so if you don’t want food on it then just enforce that as a rule.
We’ve had spills and food and even a little bit of pen on ours so I just take the covers off and wash them and they’ve always turned out perfect again. So maybe check how washable the material is first!
But I don’t see why having a child means you shouldn’t have a nice sofa. Perhaps just keep pens and food out of reach if you’re not in the room so you can monitor.

Depends on the child. My DC have ADHD and everything is ruined within minutes. We can say all the things, put all the consequences in we like but it's still covered in accidental spills, rips, pen marks etc. One day (when they are 55?) we might be able to have nice things.

Wait until he’s potty trained if not already. Otherwise go for it. Personally, I’d string it out longer.

IKEA washable covers.
Personally I think it's selfish to buy and fill homes with items that children will naturally damage and become a blight to their childhood

Two options : but sofa ,hopefully with washable covers and make a personal pledge to never make the child suffer because of it with marks and wear and wear and tear

2: buy a cheaper midway compromise with ...washable covers and again let the child be the child and accept wear and tear.

When said child is older buy the ideal expensive sofa but again on the undertsnding it's a house with children.

Can’t you put the sofa you have into the kitchen and the new chaise longue in the living room?

What other type of sofa is there if it’s not new? Most people buy new furniture unless
they get it from family or something?

If you need a new sofa then get one and cover it with throws if you think he will wreck it.

I have bought a new sofa recently with a toddler but I've kept it covered with a blanket!

Until my kids are older, the only new sofas I get are from Ikea with fully washable covers! 😂

@sweatybettytoday the first brand new sofa we ever had DD drew on it and sadly it didn't come out. I certainly didn't tell her off it's my fault for getting a new sofa ! I did gently say we don't draw on the sofa ...but it was on me for getting a new sofa

I remember an NCT mum got a new sofa and they were at that climbing stage and the tension when a small 2 year old pulled themselves up on it ! It was awful the glares and stares and tension I wouldnt want to live like that over a sofa and what could an extremely feather light child do anyway ! Their body weight probably equals one of my butt cheeks !

We got our current sofa as a brand new one when my DC were 4 and 2. It's been totally fine. However: all cushions covers come off and can be machine washed, it's dark grey, and we don't generally allow food in the room it's in. My worry with a chaise lounge would be that there is a lot of surface area that isn't covered by a washable thing. I would also choose the colour carefully. Some friends have a white sofa from before kids and it is always covered in throws, so they definitely don't have the sofa they bought on display.

What colour is it? Cream then no - a dark colour then go for it. My daughter almost ruined our yellow sofa by dropping chocolate on it that then melted, she tried to wipe it and you can imagine the result. She was 15 at the time…. In my experience older kids/teens are actually worse as they are more freeform with meals/snacks…so you might be waiting quite a while. Luckily a professional shampooing person got it out, so that’s always an option!

No don't do it!

My DC were fine and didn't make it too mucky but their friends were not and ended up eating in there, drawing on it etc. theumy did love leaping onto and off it though.
Bought a new sofa when youngest DC was 9, they jumped on it and split the cushion zip within weeks!

It depends on how easy it is to clean and what your lifestyle is like

I'm not strict with my kids generally but we never eat on the sofa, just not what we do so we did buy a new sofa and it's in reasonable condition. We do get it cleaned every few months tho

We bought a brand new three piece suite in cream when first DD was 6 months old. I thought it was mad but we had it until both DDs were late teens and any spills used to wipe off easy with baby wipes. My top three tips are: 1) have it treated before it's used with a good stain guard, 2) buy something with a cushion that can be turned over, and 3) don't allow anyone to use nail varnish while sitting on it. That was the downfall in the end - pink nail varnish does NOT come out!

Hello, didn't mean to post and then not respond. Life got a bit on top of me.

Anyway, thank you all for all the brilliant responses. I can see it does divide a opinion slightly, but I think it's leaning more towards the positive side.

To answer a few questions - the colour we are looking at is a light grey with light grey stitching. The material would be 100% wool. Based on a bit of online research I have found that the covers are not designed to be machine washable, and in most cases they are not intended to be removed by the owner. The maker's care instructions focus on vacuuming, prompt spot cleaning and professional upholstery cleaning rather than removing the covers.

Regarding the fabric specifically: its a premium 100% wool upholstery fabric and I suppose fortunately wool is naturally dirt-resistant, and stain-resistant to an extent. Also liquids tend to bead up briefly if dealt with immediately.

So that's about the long and short of it. Maybe in a worst case scenario we can call in a professional to sort out any disasters.

Still though it's in the open plan living room / kitchen, which is where my little one plays a lot (sometimes with play doh), there is food and drink around and sometimes some pens floating around. So it's a mixed bag. No nail varnish though, thankfully. DSD diss her nails but only seems to do stick on things, and only ever in her room.