Leather Couches with Little Ones?

I would suggest microfiber if you're going to spend that kind of $. Leather has a lot of maintenance needed and could be ripped a lot easier, with boys jumping on it at all. Microfiber usually has a warrenty for stains and I've had so much spit up and spills on mine, but with a spot remover it is removed immediately. Hope this helped and GOOD LUCK!

I am so glad you asked this question, because i have had both microfiber, and that fabric that just holds the smell of everything and dog hairs too(what is it-just cloth or something) and i was wanting leather. I have 2 girls, and 3 dogs, and i was thinking it may hold up better. I hate having stanley steemer come every 2 months and spending over $100 just to get them to smell good!!! I am going out to buy leather!!thanks!

Hey C., I def recommend leather sofas. I have 2 black leather Ashley sofas and I have had them for 4yrs now and they still look good as new. I have pets, which is why I origionally had gotten them (the fur just wipes off) but now that I have a little one, its really a blessing!. I just buy leather cleaner to spiff them up once in awhile. You can get that at any grocery/dept store in the cleaning isle. Plus, I think after awhile, regualr sofas can obtain a smell when you have animals, especially when they refuse to stay off the sofas. These will never hold a smell. Hope this helps..........

I definitely wouldnt do leather. I have a 2 yr old little boy and have a micro fiber couch. Looks like suede and cleans SO easy. I love it and highly recommend it! I bought mine at City Furniture and you can buy a cleaning kit for it for like $40.

I have had leather couches with my children. They hold up beautifully and you can wipe off all spills and accidents, unlike in fabric couches. Suede couches, or microfiber, or fabric, would be detroyed easier by any spills or accidents. Oh when my husband is sticky from being outside, he lays on a blanket on the couch (until he stops sweating). HTH

We bought leather couches because they were easier to deal with with cat hair, but now that we have two liitle ones, they have worked out great. Whether it's spit-up or food or whatever, a clorox clean-up gets it right off. However, one thing to consider is that you get what you pay for...so you should invest in good quality leather rather than cheapie leather that might not clean-up as well. Hope this helps!

My parents have leather furniture and with 6 grandchildren under 8, you can imagine the messes they've had to clean up. My mom loves the look and feel of leather and was hesitant at first too. But, after four years, she's pleased with her decision. Leather can be cleaned, my mom even got black permanent marker off hers (after my nephew woke up in the middle of the night and drew everywhere). The big concern would be scratches. Just make sure they're not wearing anything that can scratch it, like buckles on shoes.

We purchased a Bernhardt leather sectional and it is the best furniture investment we have ever made (and we have made many!) It is chocolate brown and very durable. Good luck!

I have had both a cloth and a leather couch and I definitely recommend leather. Much easier to keep clean, you just wipe it clean with either the cleaning stuff they give you or I use the Clorox wipes.

dear C.,
word to the wise, I had leather couches and my son was 4 at the time, I ended up trading it in for a Kevin Charles micofiber sofa from City furniture, not only does it last longer (my son ripped holes with his firetrucks on the leather) but its also stain resistant and the cleaner they give you when you purchase the sofa it lsst forever , plus i opted to get sleeper couch for those nights i have to make the hubby sleep there just kidding =)but it has a serta mattress so its reallu comfy, if your abled to get them down for a nao .

hope this helps

Sincerely;
J. G

Hello C. L,
I just wanted to let you know, that I too went through the same thing. I was confused on if I should get leather or not. My husband talked me into leather and we have had the same leather couches for almost 8 years and they do stand up to everything. We have 2 girls, 6 and 2 months, and have had plenty of dogs on them too. I guess you have to make sure you get a good leather and one that doesn't leave marks. Good luck.
BTW, what do you do from home??

J.

I happen to have just recently purchased leather couches after owning couches that were made out of cotton material something like that. Let me tell you what a mess with that cotton couch. Milk all over it stains everywhere and my love seat my poor love seat had my 8 1/2 months pregnant sister in laws water break on it. So I decided to switch to leather. Its a dark brown sections and I LOVE IT!!! So much claner than the other couch. I bought a disinfecting pledge spray for leathers I wipe it down twice a week and its super clean. I have no complaints . LEATHER ROCKS . And I have a 2 year old girl and a 4 year old boy . So we have been putting that cough to the test .

As a former nanny of two littles (boys) I can honestly say there wasn't a problem. I think rips, if I recall correctly (mom had a leather couch in our toddler years...yeah we were pretty awful to it...lasted quite a while) were not hard to fix. I was just watching a designer show, and thought this was a good idea, the designer got worn leather. Not yucky, but weathered a bit. It's hard to describe other than it would wear well with the families children. I have learned the hard way that anything other than dirt color on microfiber is just a waste of money. My wonderful artist has proven this for a year now. I will try something my mom suggested, dry cleaning the covers, but I really need to check the cost of that. Good luck!!! Jen

I have 2 boys and a leather couch that we have had for 7 years! As long as you purchase a good quality leather you should be OK. I don't let them eat and drink on them. We leave eating and drinking to the kitchen.

It will last way longer than fabric!

K. L.
www.abbabyboutique.com

I have to agree with the other responses. We had an old cloth couch up until October of 06 and I felt like it was never clean, the spots where I frequently scrubbed rubbed threadbare and it looked bad. I tried slipcovers, but that didn't look all that good on the shape of my sofa. We bought leather sofa and chairs and it is so easy to clean, no scrubbing, just wiping. I love it! It's worth the investment.

Have you looked at Ashley Durapella sofas?
they are incredibly durable, and clean up all messes with a warm sponge...really bad spots might need a little neutrogena liquid soap mixed with water...ballpoint pen would need rubbing alcohol..

I just boght a microfiber couch. I am regretting it. I bought a cleaning warranty with it, so the sompany will clean it, but it has been marked up already and I have only had it for two months. I have had leather in the past, and while I like the feel of cloth over leather. Leather is wonderful. You can wipe almost anything off it and it lasts forever. Very durable. Also I have a dog and the hair sticks to the cloth sofa. Good luck I hope this helps

i don't have leather - but i do have microfiber and it is absolutely wonderful w/ kids! everything comes right out - even an entire glass of red wine!

Leather is the bomb. I have an 8 year old boy and a beagle named Sparky. Leather has held up very well. Easy to clean off boy messes and dog hair. Go for it. You'll be glad you did.

C. and all the other women,

I've wanted leather couches since I can remember, but my fiance says that they stick to you?? He says that it's really hot around here and if you come in sweaty or just get out of the shower or something, that they stick to your skin. Don't ask me why he'd be sitting on my couch fresh from the shower and still wet, or why he thinks it's oka to come in sweaty and not take a shower...those are his ISSUES! But I envy all of you!!! I think a leather couch is not only classy but it's bold, rich in color/texture, and they just make a room look so elegant. I hope that you decided to get one, especially after reading all the good things everyone has said about them!!

I think leather couches are worth the money. We had both a cloth and leather couch. We have 2 golden retreivers, his 10 year old daughter, and our 10 month old daughter. As you may know already, the cloth couches just don't clean up well with messes. You can actually use Pledge to keep it clean. Which is why we evently had to get rid of the cloth couch. The leather is easy to clean and I know the mess hasn't seeped into the material. I am considering buying some slip covers. This way I can kind of keep the leather as protected as possible. I won't care if the dogs are on the couch and I will be able to just swap out the covers and wash them to keep everything clean for my 10 month old. It is a big investment up front but the couch should survive 2 young energetic boys. If you make the investment make sure the couch is made of quality leather, otherwise it might not last. Good Luck :0)

Leather is great! I have leather couches (from Ashley furniture) and they've had formula spilled all over it, food dropped on it, baby drool...sap from my dogs paws after being outdoors...drinks...and everything has wiped right off with no problem! (That sounds like we're messsy people, ha!) There's been countless times that I've said "thank god these couches are not fabric" because they'd be horribly stained by now. I rarely use the conditioner/cleaner that the furniture store gave us because the couches have remained looking new. They are black, so it's possible that the black-ness has helped to hide some of the spills.

C.- my sister has two little boys, ages 4 and 1, she has a big wraparound leather sectional with a fold-out bed. It wipes clean really well, even with spilled milk and other messes. I love it so much that I want to get one, too (I also have two little boys, ages 22 months and 3 months). We have cloth couches and they are completely ruined, not only from my older son but also from our two cats! I wish I could wipe them clean. I hope to get the leather ones, too.