Coffee tables and small children can be tricky. The right coffee table can become a favorite prop for cruising, a snacking spot or a train depot, while coffee tables chosen in simpler, child-free days can seem like an accident waiting to happen.
A recent article in the New York Times that runs down the potential perils of coffee tables left me thinking about my own coffee table history. I don't remember what ever happened to the table from my first real apartment, a round Danish modern beauty purchased for pennies at a yard sale. Our current coffee table worked perfectly in our last place, but it was acquired long before children were on the event horizon and it shows. Sharp corners and glass make our living room a decidedly child-unfriendly space, but we are sticking with it for now.
Next time will be different. As much as I love the classic design, I'll be saying no to Noguchi; I cringe when I think of Matchbox car races etched into the glass surface and teetering toddlers putting their weight onto the balanced top. Odds are we'll go for pre-loved, so there won't be any worries about the first among many scratches that will be inevitable with three young children. There will be no sharp corners, artful balancing acts, metal, stone or glass. It will be kinder and gentler than its predecessor.
Does your coffee table get along with your kids?
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We bought a beautiful teak coffee table on craigslist pre-kid and it is truly our favorite piece in the house. Once my son was about 5 months old, I knew we needed another solution or I would go bald from the stress of trying to keep him away from it. In comes the $20 Lane coffee table, solid wood from craigslist with a gash across the top. It totally matches our decor and my son has bitten, added "artistic" dents, spilled water and much more to it. We figure once the kids are done with it, sand it , patch it , and paint it and throw it downstairs for use in the basement. It was one of the best $20 I have spent so far. It is the perfect height for my son to walk around it, I don't care if it gets abused and it will last for a long time!
After my son was born I thought I was being really smart when I bought a big wicker basket/trunk to serve as a coffee table (doubling as toy storage). Not too long after I brought it home my toddler fell and horribly scratched his face on the wicker.
Out went the wicker trunk... IN came a big, soft storage ottoman ($80 at Target). We toss a pretty old quilt over it to protect the upholstery, and we LOVE it.
We did away with our coffee table after our son fell and got a huge knot on his cheek. We had nothing for a while then we got a soft storage bench from Target. It has held up pretty well and it's great for a quick clean up of the living room toys.
we just duct-taped pipe insulation all around our coffee table to protect our pulling-up baby. We'll keep the table we have for now (already has plenty of gashes from my daughter) and upgrade when the kids are older.
I didn't even think of the potential safety hazards of having a coffee table. We took out our coffee table but only so the baby has room to crawl and play. I like the idea of buying a sturdy but soft ottoman once she starts cruising though.
We have two PBKids "My First" tables next to each other. We have a teensy living room, and these can be easily moved to lay the baby down on a blanket, and the older ones can pull the little chairs out to sit. I think it makes for a very practical and cool design aesthetic. Maybe.
My mother-in-law has this beautiful but dangerous (sharp decorative moulding around it) coffee table. Every grandchild has a scar on their body from the bloody thing.
I really like the idea of a leather storage coffee table. I kept looking but didn't see one I liked. Instead we picked up this http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40103794 Ikea table. I like the square shape which gives lots of playing room and the storage offered with the shelf underneath. My 4 year old like the table top room and I don't worry about my 7 month old with cruising/walking soon since the edges of the table are rounded.
Ours went in the basement as soon as the little guy started crawling and pulling up. It creates a much bigger play area for him and my husband and I settled for each getting a "Dave" laptop table at Ikea to keep near our favorite couch spots. Works great.
We got a big leather storage ottoman from overstock and it's been fantastic. It's safe for our kids and other kids when then visit, super easy to wipe clean, and it's great when you want to quickly clean up all those toys when "grown-up" guests come over. It's been four years so far and it's held up beautifully. At least two of our friends and one cousin with infants/toddlers have bought similar ottomans after seeing ours. I highly recommend finding an upholstered storage ottoman that works with the decor in your home if you're looking for a coffee table alternative that's child safe.
We were using an ikea lack coffee table left from my previous apartment, but the sharp corners made me so nervous with a baby so we bought a cheap fake leather storage ottoman before my little guy started cruising. Its taken a beating on the corners though and im so ready for something else, but we have a 7mth old baby girl who will be cruising soon. I'm having a hard time finding something else.
In my pre-kid life we had an amazing red metal coffee table from DWR. But the edges were so sharp, if I grazed past it while wearing a skirt, it could draw blood. I put bumpers on it when kid#1 was a baby, but by kid #2, I just couldn't be on constant watch around it, so got this ROUND coffee table from tar-jay and actually really love it
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/175-2881744-1090826?asin=B002RLWADA&AFID=Froogle_df&LNM=|B002RLWADA&CPNG=furniture&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B002RLWADA&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001
but my red johnny lim table is in the attic for someday...
Can anyone tell me where to find a couch like that?
we have a lovely long rectangular midcentury coffee table and matching two-tier end tables that were my grandparents'. unfortunately our dog destroyed one of the legs and scratched things up a bit long before our son arrived, so by the time he came along we knew that we'd have to get the tables fixed/refinished anyways. now we're trying our best to prevent further damage, but we're also more relaxed than we would have been had they been pristine when he was born. we're moving soon and will have multiple rooms calling for coffee tables, so fingers crossed we can get these finished and put in a more 'formal' space--then we'll get used or more kid-friendly tables in the family/play room.
We have a microfiber type storage ottoman, and while it is nice and safe, it looks awful with little round stains all over it thanks to all of the drool and snot that has been rubbed in. Any idea on how to get the water spots off? The same thing has happened to our couches!
We purposely bought a large, round-cornered coffee table, figuring that it would be perfect for our kids. I didn't realize that banging toys would leave horrible gashes in the finish! We have resigned ourselves to living with a rather beat-up piece of furniture while the kids are small, dreaming of the day when everyone in our house understands the word 'gentle'...
aha! and i thought i was crazy for imposing our "domestic experiment: a year without a coffee table" as i like to call it so that people won't think i am paranoid and/or delirious after finding out there is no coffee table in our living room. bigger space to play, check. less worry, check. pain-in-the-ass when company comes over, check. however, i have 2 alvar alto stools that work pretty well in place of coffee table and are easily moved around the place. i am, however, looking forward to once again having an dedicated coffee table - maybe one without sharp edges...... sigh....
wow, it's like ohdeedoh is reading my mind. This post AND the post on the forward facing bookshelves in one day.
We have a beat up Ikea Lack table that needs replacing and my husband wants to get the same one but I keep telling him that the now 2 month old will be walking before we know it and he and I have both nailed ourselves against that table so we need a table with rounded edges. That Ikea stockholm table with the round edges may work, thanks!
also interested in that couch! anyone know where to get one like it?
We have no coffee table, just wide, flat, padded arms on our couches which have coasters on them for drinks, small laptops.
I converted a small, round, white lacquer top, cafe size, wood table to a coffee table by finding an old ugly side table at a second hand store with nice mid-century legs, and put the legs onto the round table top. So far, it's incredibly baby friendly, and easy to clean.