As an interior design- or DIY-loving parent, you might be sick of your kids tearing up your living room couch with spills, stains — or worse — fort-building. Indeed, nothing wears down a $3,000 sectional faster than a couple of sleepovers and some imaginative children with nothing to do on a rainy day.
Enter Nugget, the company behind the first so-called "play couch" on the market. In an attempt at creating a better futon, one that was easy to set up and move around, the geniuses behind this beloved brand inadvertently created a modular sofa that worked amazingly for curious toddlers, eager to climb, play, and lay on their parents' seating. The foam triangle pillows, base, and cushion, all of which are wrapped in a washable corduroy, microsuede, or double-brushed microsuede (your choice), are lightweight, soft, and infinitely reconfigurable — so your little adventurer can dream big (and build forts) all day long. If the reviews are any indication, it's one of the best sofas when it comes to young kids.
Now, you still might not display the Nugget (or a similar child-friendly modular sofa) front and center in your living room, but it would work excellently in a nursery, playroom, or basement, where function tends to dominate form when it comes to children's furniture. As a sofa expert myself, I wanted to take a dive into the specs to learn just how kid-friendly the Nugget really is. Spoiler alert: These people thought of everything.
Price: $249
Ages: 1+
Colors: 19
There obviously isn't a traditional frame or seating suspension here, so to be honest, my spec deep dive wasn't all that deep. But what I was really curious about was the fabric and foam, considering this is a sofa meant for young kids. Surely parents will be concerned about flame retardants and off-gassing (for more on both, visit the "Sustainability and Wellness" and "Flame Retardants" sections of my best sofas guide). Well, Nugget got ahead of it all.
This sofa does not use flame-retardant chemicals, and it is filled with Certi-Pur-US-approved foam, a voluntary certification that ensures the foam in your sofa is made without formaldehyde, emits less than 0.5 parts per million of Volatile Organic Compounds, and has been screened for relevant chemicals believed potentially harmful to human health. The upholstery, meanwhile, is certified Greenguard Gold, which means it was also certified for low chemical emissions. While it is not necessary to purchase a sofa that is flame retardant-free or one with low VOC emissions (you won't grow a third arm), many families with young children choose this option.
Kid-Friendly Modular Sofas On Sale from Amazon and Walmart
If you like the modular look and value of the Nugget and are after something similar, now is a great time to strike. If you didn't already know, there is both an Amazon sale (Amazon's Big Deal Days) and a Walmart sale (the October Deals Event) to shop right now — the former running from October 8 to 9, and the latter running from October 8 to October 13. You can expect markdowns on things like home decor, home tech, and furniture, which is where we'll be focusing our efforts for the next 300 words.
Both retailers stock their own range of modular foam kids' couches. While Walmart's range of Nugget-inspired sofas aren't all on sale, we've found one that is (listed below — we'll try to update if more become available). But where you should really focus your efforts, though, is on Amazon's modular kids couch range, where a number of styles have already been heavily discounted for Prime Day.
We've pulled out some of our favorites below, noting the markdown (which, of course, will be subject to change throughout the sale) and the selling points of each. These sales will be the last big home deals at either retailer until Black Friday, so be sure to shop while you can!
Price: $168.99
Was: $198.99
In terms of style, this modular kids' couch is probably as aesthetic as they come. I weirdly feel like I wouldn't even mind this in the main living room...in fact, I wish it came in a full-size and could be my actual couch. While this mustard yellow colorway is oozing with that 70s style that seems to be everywhere right now, it also comes in a blueberry, rose red, ice-snow blue, vibrant purple color and a chic gray.
With 4.7/5 stars after 400 worldwide reviews, removable and washable velvet covers, and reportedly "unlimited" ways to reconfigure the 10 foam pieces, it's also available in a number of different sizes depending on your space and number of kids.
Price: $129.99
Clouds and corduroy are a match made in heaven in this imaginative modular foam kids' couch. Consisting of 8 pieces made of high density foam, removable smooth zippers and no sharp corners, it's another great alternative to the Nugget couch.
In terms of reviews, one customer commented that the "the covers are soft to touch, but ribbed, giving them some traction against sliding around on hardwood floors" while another noted that while the cushions aren't as firm as the Nugget, they can comfortably support a 3-year-old without collapsing.
Price: $149.56
To be honest, the first thing that caught my attention with this modular kids' couch was the color. How chic is that sage green? The corduroy covers are luxurious, soft on skin, and designed to be resistant to shrinking, fading, and shedding. Like many of these couches, it comes compressed in a box, but this listing warns to allow two full days for the design to fully expand to its desired form (worth noting before you share with excited kids.)
It's also available in three different sizes, but one thing I noticed immediately was that the zipper appears to be exposed and not safely tucked away safely like in other designs. Someone who has purchased both this sofa and the Nugget provided a good comparison in the reviews. Major points included that the foam wasn't quite as firm (although they didn't notice much off-gassing), but that the shape of pieces was more varied, fostering more imaginative play.
Price: $129.99
This bright pink set (also available in gray for $119.99) comes with 8 pieces rather than 11, but looks like the fun is still there. What I'm not seeing is detailed specs information, which could present a problem if you're looking for Certi-Pur foam or something of the like. As a result, I jumped straight to the reviews; there are only seven available as of this writing, but they are all five stars, with just two featuring any additional text.
"This has been a great buy for our kid. They love coming up with new configurations to make with it. It was easy to set up, too," wrote one buyer. "My toddler loves it!" added another.
Price: $129.99
This 11-piece option might have just eight customer ratings, but they're all four or five-star — and that's not nothing! (Note: All 8 reviews were provided as part of Amazon's Vine program, an "invitation-only program which selects the most insightful reviewers in the Amazon store to ... order items free of charge and share their product experiences" with other consumers.) The faux suede covers are removable and machine washable in cold water, as well as OEKO-TEX Standard 100-certified, yet another (voluntary) label that certifies a textile has been tested for and is free of more than 1,000 substances deemed harmful to human health. The foam is also Certi-PUR foam, per the product description.
The one thing I'll flag? The description mentions its best to let the couch expand for 72 hours after opening, to give the foam/sponge its time to expand and regain its original shape.
Price: $179.99
This two-tone modular foam sofa is terribly on-trend. A particular stand out with this design has to be its scallop-edged pieces, which could easily be reimagined as wheels or flowers alike. It's currently part of Amazon's Prime Big Deal sale, and with 4.4/5 star rating from over 120 reviews, it feels like a solid choice. As for the specs, it's OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 certified, meaning it hasn't been made with any harsh chemicals, it's resistant to shrinking, fading and shedding, and the high-density foam purportedly lasts for years.
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