Just be honest about how you'll use the room. We have one kid and a dog and don't worry too much about some of our nicer things - they live pretty lightly in the house and we haven't had damage from them. But the carpet in the room where friends come and play is a wreck; it's much harder to supervise 3-5 kids on a playdate than just your own, and crayons can get smushed, food can travel, etc. If it's really a living room that will be off-limits to kids - yours and guests - then go for it.

If it is cheap, then no. You can just throw it out and buy again. If it is expensive and hard to clean, then it is stupid.

Yes.

I think it would be fine, especially since it's polypropylene, not wool. We have a different Safavieh ivory rug (bought from overstock three years ago) and it's survived three years of infants and toddlers spitting up on it, etc. It still looks fine. Stuff wipes right up with a little baking soda and seltzer. If you want to hedge your bets, maybe try to find one with a few different tones of ivory/beige in the strands. I think that could help camouflage minor stains.

You can also get a nice quality rug cut/bound to your exact size from carpet places. We got a rug similar to this and used a thick pad and kids love to play on it. Cost was about $150.

Not shag, but super soft and would eliminate the ability to lose small toys:
http://www.target.com/p/threshold-arden-fleece-rug/-/A-15285915#prodSlot=medium_1_4&term=fleece+rug

About to try in my 2-kid, 1-dog household, so will see how it goes.

I get $100 rugs at Target or Home Depot and replace them once a year or so. I did this with a cute shag rug for our family room and it was fine.

We had a white shag, with two kids and a dog. We don't eat in the living room and we don't wear shoes in the house so it stayed fairly clean.

My only problem was the kids wanted to play on it with their toys and everyday I would step on a hero or small Barbie part that would get lost in it. I finally got a thin rug that they could play with their toys and roll their cars around on and moved my white shag in our bedroom! LOVE!

Yes, it is crazy.

As long as you go into it knowing that you will need to replace it in a couple of years, go for it!

Read the one star reviews. Frightening.

Crazy is correct.

Do they eat in that room? If so, be prepared to replace it every 3-5 years.

I'm a fan of the Target machine washable one, after it's done shedding.

Our living area is small. There is a gray sectional (Ikea Karlstad) and the floors are a brazilian cherry wood. I just love the idea of a big, fluffy shag rug in there. I don't want dark colors or lots of patterns. I'm looking at this one: We have two young kids and a dog.

http://www.amazon.com/Safavieh-California-Collection-SG151-1313-Beige/dp/B0051HEDMI

Crazy idea? Kids don't eat or drink in there. Does someone have one of these that can weigh in?