At what age is it safe for me to buy a nice couch?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At what age will my children stop spilling milk on the couch or having the occasional potty accident? I don’t let her eat there, but I do let her have milk, and it tips over. She’s 4 and still occasionally wets her pants.

At what age do you stop needing to tack bookcases and other furniture to the walls? (So they don’t tip over)

I’m planning a reno and I’m going to do everything after my daughter has passed the furniture-ruining and babyproofing stage. I think we must be within a couple of years?

I realize at least for the milk spilling, I could parent differently to solve this problem, but I’d rather just wait to upgrade so that I’m not stressed about her ruining the nicer couch.

No eating or drinking on the couch and put a waterproof pad on the cushions with a blanket on top.

Always tack the bookcases up as kids can climb or reach for things and it fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop giving milk on the couch, IMO. Also, while I do think it's important to baby proof, a 4 year old should not be climbing on book shelves and if they are, the problem is lack of supervision.

This is OP. Mine has never climbed. But I’m also a single mom, so she is unsupervised sometimes and will always be — when I shower, for example. Or right now, when I’m on a work call after her school hours.

So yes, there will always be times when she’s unsupervised. I try to make our space as safe as possible given that reality. I was hoping there was some age when I could stop attaching furniture to the wall because that makes it hard to rearrange (there’s a large hole when you move the furniture!) but maybe I get a new couch and keep attaching furniture to the walls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From a newborn. We do not allow any food or drink anywhere but at the table. Stop allowing her to drink milk on the couch.

Each of my kids had one pee accident - one on the bathroom floor (SO close!) and one out on the street. If your daughter is regularly having accidents you're not stopping her to go to the bathroom often enough.

Both of these issues are a problem with you, not a problem with your child.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From a newborn. We do not allow any food or drink anywhere but at the table. Stop allowing her to drink milk on the couch.

Each of my kids had one pee accident - one on the bathroom floor (SO close!) and one out on the street. If your daughter is regularly having accidents you're not stopping her to go to the bathroom often enough.

Both of these issues are a problem with you, not a problem with your child.

ONE? You win the gold medal of potty training.Mine peed all over the house because naked on bottom was the only thing that worked.

[Anonymous]

We don't allow any drinks, including water, on the sofas. When my youngest was 3 we got a bunch of very nice leather sofas. The dog also knows she's not allowed to jump on the furniture.

[Anonymous]

We have a nice sofa in our family room. My kids are 3 and 6 and so far, so good. There are plenty of 'clean' snacks you can eat on a sofa and we do limit drinks to water. Honestly your bigger concern is when the friends are over, including adults.

If kids want a messier snack in the family room we set them up on the rug with a blanket and a little table.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly never. You should always anchor tall cabinets. Adults can spill things. You will have guests who have kids.

Get midrange furniture that is comfortable and looks nice, has a good warranty, and can be cleaned. Take care of it (I make my 7 year old eat elsewhere) but feel ok about repairing or replacing it if needed.

x1000 this is the correct answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From a newborn. We do not allow any food or drink anywhere but at the table. Stop allowing her to drink milk on the couch.

Each of my kids had one pee accident - one on the bathroom floor (SO close!) and one out on the street. If your daughter is regularly having accidents you're not stopping her to go to the bathroom often enough.

Both of these issues are a problem with you, not a problem with your child.

ONE? You win the gold medal of potty training.Mine peed all over the house because naked on bottom was the only thing that worked.

I think people want to brag that their kids are toilet trained early so they try to toilet train them at 18 -24 months. I didn't even try to toilet train them until 3-4 months shy of age 3. The girls were fully trained by their third birthday, the boy was fully trained by 4 months past his. If I'd had to let my kid run around naked, they would only be allowed in a very limited part of the house (tile).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly never. You should always anchor tall cabinets. Adults can spill things. You will have guests who have kids.

Get midrange furniture that is comfortable and looks nice, has a good warranty, and can be cleaned. Take care of it (I make my 7 year old eat elsewhere) but feel ok about repairing or replacing it if needed.

x1000 this is the correct answer.

No way. Life is too short not to have the type of home you want. I have three kids and two dogs and still manage to have nice furniture and rugs. (Anchoring tall cabinets is a separate issue.)

[Anonymous]

Leather. I don’t understand why more people haven’t figured this out. Good leather couches hold up so well. They are so, so easy to clean and maintain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
At what age do you stop needing to tack bookcases and other furniture to the walls? (So they don’t tip over)

I recommend tacking bookcases regardless of age. Several years ago one in our bedroom tipped over without any external force. My daughter and our dog were in the room, but luckily just far enough away that they weren't hit with falling books.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
At what age do you stop needing to tack bookcases and other furniture to the walls? (So they don’t tip over)

I recommend tacking bookcases regardless of age. Several years ago one in our bedroom tipped over without any external force. My daughter and our dog were in the room, but luckily just far enough away that they weren't hit with falling books.

+1. It's not just earthquakes but shifting floors, being top-heavy, getting bumped into, etc. Tall furniture should always be anchored.

Now shorter or squat items like a child's dresser, I think you can skip anchoring after, say, age 6. Short dressers are relatively difficult to topple although it can happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From a newborn. We do not allow any food or drink anywhere but at the table. Stop allowing her to drink milk on the couch.

Each of my kids had one pee accident - one on the bathroom floor (SO close!) and one out on the street. If your daughter is regularly having accidents you're not stopping her to go to the bathroom often enough.

Both of these issues are a problem with you, not a problem with your child.

You home sounds cozy and inviting and fun.

And she has weak willed kids. Mine were never ever willing to pee on command. I have one who holds it in out of stubbornness. So, natural consequences meant there were a lot of accidents.

[Anonymous]

We bought a nice navy sectional before my second child was born and the older child was 1.5. It still looks great 5 years later! The kids rarely eat in the living room. The dark color helps a ton with us not having to feel stressed about it being precious if they're coloring or having a snack. We have light colored upholstery on the dining chairs and that's more stressful because they do get dirty. We probably won't replace this sectional with a light one until the kids are at least 10.

[Anonymous]

Maybe once they are 26 or 27.