The homework and art projects are going to do way more damage than food and drink spills, OP.

We have a nice DR table that we use for all family meals, even with kids. Still looks great. We have a smaller table that is cheap that we use for games, art, homework. It is a wreck. Glitter, paint, scratches, dings, etched words, you name it.

If you only have one table and it’s nice, use a pad or plastic tablecloth for art and homework.

Get a solid wood, but rustic finish table! We have one from Arhaus. I believe it’s mango wood. It is used every day in the kitchen. We use placemats for hot dishes, but otherwise no covers. It has a couple of natural dings in the finish. Three kids and 8 years later and it still looks like it did on day one.

I'm all about buying and using nice things but just get a plastic coated tablecloth for kid meals. It's so easy, why wouldn't you do this? Spray and wipe. Whip it off for adult time or when you're not eating.

I don’t know the answer to this but just don’t do what we did and get a table from somewhere that’s a little more $$ than IKEA but not actually any nicer or better quality. We spent somewhere between $800–1000 back when our kids were 2 and a baby thinking we were getting something that would last us until we were out of the little kid years (6-8 years maybe?) at which point we’d upgrade to a nicer table. It’s now been only 4 years and our table is in TERRIBLE shape. I guess we should’ve probably just gone for something nice OR something super cheap originally. With other purchases too, we’ve found furniture in the mid-range price wise isn’t a good choice. Either go w IKEA equivalent knowing you’ll replace it every 5 years or get something $$$$ that will really last for good.

If the table can be refinished later I'd do it. If it's an inlay or veneer on top, I wouldn't.

Anonymous wrote:Life is for living. I have some very nice stuff that’s been dinged and scratched by my 3 kids. But I’m not going to wait until I’m elderly to have stuff that’s lovely. Even if it’s lovely only when you look past the dings.

+100

Same attitude with the nice china too!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends on you. I’ve had my Ethan Allen wood table since the kids were toddlers. It’s been scratched and dinged and my attitude is so what. The dining room table has been used by the family. If I was worried about it, I could have purchased dining room pads and used a tablecloth which would protect the table.

This. What will your reaction be when there are scratches and marks? Ones you think could have been avoided if the kids would just listen? Be honest and go from there.

I'm the OP. We can live with dings and scratches. Lots of water rings, though, would probably be too much. We are new to the post-Ikea world of solid wood furniture. Should we expect lots of discoloration from water, spilled milk, etc? Or just lots of scratches?

I agree with PPs that it depends on how much you care about imperfections.

And I want to say I love that so far these are the comments you’re getting and not “there is no excuse for letting toddlers scratch the table. I tell mine not to and they obey me.”

We have a nice dining room table and a used-to-be nice breakfast table that I got for free in college (solid wood, very sturdy, nice design). We have two boys, 5 and 3, who eat 99% of the time at the breakfast table. The side they sit on is a wreck - all of the finish has been taken off. It could be refinished, but at this point I'm not bothering to do anything with it until they're older. YMMV! If I were you I'd get a decent used table.

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends on you. I’ve had my Ethan Allen wood table since the kids were toddlers. It’s been scratched and dinged and my attitude is so what. The dining room table has been used by the family. If I was worried about it, I could have purchased dining room pads and used a tablecloth which would protect the table.

This. What will your reaction be when there are scratches and marks? Ones you think could have been avoided if the kids would just listen? Be honest and go from there.

Life is for living. I have some very nice stuff that’s been dinged and scratched by my 3 kids. But I’m not going to wait until I’m elderly to have stuff that’s lovely. Even if it’s lovely only when you look past the dings.

My home layout sounds similar to yours. We have been happy with this table https://www.roomandboard.com/catalog/dining-and-kitchen/tables/linden-tables" target="_new" rel="nofollow"> https://www.roomandboard.com/catalog/dining-and-kitchen/tables/linden-tables with a quartz top. It cleans up easily. No placemats or coasters required.

I think it depends on you. I’ve had my Ethan Allen wood table since the kids were toddlers. It’s been scratched and dinged and my attitude is so what. The dining room table has been used by the family. If I was worried about it, I could have purchased dining room pads and used a tablecloth which would protect the table.

We were in your position and decided to get a used one off Facebook Marketplace. It wasn't exactly what we wanted, but it also wasn't $2000. We're saving the 2K purchase for when kids are older. Right now, this table serves us well, is in good condition, and the kids can destroy it.

We have two kids (3 and 6 years old). Our house does not have an eat-in-kitchen. As a result, the dining room is the center of family life – meals, homework for the older child, art projects for the younger child, work for the parents, board games, etc. Our old Ikea dining room table is on its last legs (pun intended), and it is time to replace it. We found a solid wood (cherry) table that we absolutely love. At about $2,000 this table is a major purchase for us, but it does not break the bank. It’s beautiful, gives us plenty of room, fits in the room perfectly, and can be expanded to handle lots of guests at holidays. Is it crazy to buy it? We are not interested in keeping it covered with a tablecloth or pads all of the time. We would make an attempt to use place mats and coasters, but, knowing us, we’re not going to be perfect in using them all the time.

Does a solid wood table hold up reasonably well to everyday use? If buying a “nice” table is crazy, what do people do in similar situations? Do we need to stick with Ikea-like particle board until the kids are much older?