Do you let your kids climb on furniture?

[Anonymous]

I'm watching old episodes of Super Nanny and one of the (several) things that stands out is how many kids sit or lay on the kitchen table or dining room table, stand on kitchen or dining room chairs, stand on or lay on kitchen counters, stand on the backs of couches, etc. This was definitely not something done in the home I grew up in, and not anything the kids are allowed to do now. Do you allow that in your home?

[Anonymous]

Nothing in the kitchen. They are free to climb the couches and chairs in the living and family room. I don't think sitting on a chair arm and sitting on a kitchen counter are remotely comparable.

[Anonymous]

Perching on a couch arm is as far as it goes. My nephews are like super nanny kids and are pretty feral. It makes me crazy, but it’s none of my business. Unless they’re on my couch.

I was raised by parents who grew up poor and with the mentality that you buy something nice once and take care of it so you can pass it on. My mom always said that if we climbed and pulled on the couch it would wear out. That was a threat that worked because we knew if sneakers or jeans wore out, we had to use shoe glue or patches on them until the next school year.

The kitchen thing is entirely different and about respect for where you eat and cook. Maybe it’s cultural but I am really uptight about how cooking and eating surfaces are treated.

[Anonymous]

No!

[Anonymous]

Couches is fine with me. Our couch wasn't expensive and we don't take particularly good care of it either way. Standing on a table or counter is crazy though.

[Anonymous]

There is a reason they’re on supernanny.

No my kids didn’t climb on furniture. I also didn’t let them jump on the couch or throw the cushions on the floor. It’s a couch not a play structure.

[Anonymous]

Under age 5 we allow climbing and even a bit of jumping on living room furniture upholstered furniture (sofa, armchair, ottoman). Once they are over 5 it's a no, and we explain it's because they are physically bigger and can damage the furniture. Same with jumping on beds -- I used to let them jump on our bed when they were 2 or 3 because they were so small and it didn't do anything to the bed. When they got bigger we cut it off.

We have never let them climb or stand on dining room furniture or any of our wooden furniture.

[Anonymous]

No to any climbing in kitchen or dining room. I allow climbing all over and taking apart couches and chairs in living/family rooms. Basically any surface that’s upholstered they are allowed to climb. It reminds me of middle class houses with plastic wrapped furniture in the 80s to not allow any climbing on any furniture, ever. I hated going to friends’ houses where kids were basically treated like animals and not allowed into certain rooms.

[Anonymous]

Climbing on couches, sure.

[Anonymous]

Couch, yup, ours is old and crappy, have fun kids.

Counters they climb on for practical reasons - to get stuff out of cabinets.

Kitchen table and standing on chairs? No.

[Anonymous]

Of course not. We’re not raising animals. The kids on those shows are the worst of the worst though so I wouldn’t draw any conclusions from them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Couches is fine with me. Our couch wasn't expensive and we don't take particularly good care of it either way. Standing on a table or counter is crazy though.

Do you teach your kids not yo climb and jump on other people’s couches?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Couches is fine with me. Our couch wasn't expensive and we don't take particularly good care of it either way. Standing on a table or counter is crazy though.

Do you teach your kids not yo climb and jump on other people’s couches?

When my kids were little they had friends come over who wanted to throw the couch cushions on the floor and jump on them. I shut that down real quick. My couch is not a trampoline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Couches is fine with me. Our couch wasn't expensive and we don't take particularly good care of it either way. Standing on a table or counter is crazy though.

Do you teach your kids not yo climb and jump on other people’s couches?

I assume other parents will set the rules for their houses and my kid does what she's told to do.

[Anonymous]

When my oldest was under 18 months I let him climb up on the couch. However, he was a climber, so I had to remove chairs and sit on exercise balls for a while until he got it out of his system. I set up an area in the playroom where he could climb safely on play furniture. I made it very clear that was the ONLY place he could do that.
My other kids were not climbers. I do not allow slouching laying or inappropriate use of furniture.