Toddler-Friendly Coffee Table Decor

9 years ago

Hi there! My husband and I recently purchased and remodeled our first home and are finally at the stage where we can put on the finishing touches! We have a 15 month old daughter who is very sweet and curious. In our last place, before she was old enough to move around, our coffee table had a tray with books and a candle next to a glass bowl. None of those things would be appropriate now--obviously candles and glass are dangerous, and the tray with books lasted about 5 minutes before it fell off the table onto the floor and curious little fingers flipped through the books and ripped the pages. Any ideas for some toddler-friendly coffee table decor? Or should we just forget it for now and realize that it will be covered in blocks/crayons/Cheerios/etc. for the next few years no matter how hard we try? ;)

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Michelle
Original Author

9 years ago

Hey everyone, thanks for your input. I should add that my little one is very good at following the limits that are set both in our home and out and about. I feel confident taking her anywhere and she often points to what she's not supposed to touch and she will shake her head and say, "No!" then she smiles proudly because she gets a hi-five for following the rules. We are strict about where she can eat and what she can and can't touch in our home, it's just that our entire home is 900 square feet! Our kitchen, living, and dining area is one small open space--about 300 square feet total--so we would like this to be a space that all three of us can relax and feel comfortable. Right now there is nothing on the table and there is no need to put items out that she can't touch when we can just as easily put out things that we can all enjoy. We are minimalists anyway and don't like a lot of things around, just hoping for some practical suggestions since I am not creative and don't have much time these days to peruse stores looking for items. The ottoman with a tray, sturdy bowl, plastic fruit/her books are all great ideas. Thanks so much!

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Comments (8)

elfin2265
9 years ago
I think a fabric or leather ottoman is a good choice. Soft corners but you can place a tray on top with items that can be removed or added when your toddler is.present. Some type of fabric that is easily cleaned or wiped.
Michelle thanked elfin2265
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BeverlyFLADeziner
9 years ago
You can always try unbreakable objects like an ornamental basket or carved wood objects.
Michelle thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
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JAN MOYER
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
You can not be serious? However......this is a great teaching opportunity up the road as long as no harm may befall the child. Put a few unbreakable "objets" on there. A lightweight bowl of anything she can not choke on, even plastic fruit. When she approaches and touches, utter the NO word, look her in the eye and put a bit of a stern face on.. Expect to be tested and repeat yourself.....and hand her a toy of her own.

Failure to do this fairly early on, results in a kid you can't take anywhere, and decor that is vacant until she goes to kindergarten. : ) Other people have stuff too lol.

For now ?.......yes!! blocks, Cheerios, and torn/shredded magazines are the deal!. This goes on for years if you have multiples of kids.
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
9 years ago
I agree with Jan the whole house does not need to be child friendly and IMO children need to learn respect for other peoples things. We had 3 rowdy boys but they learned early on that my mothers figurines were off limits at her house and my collection of glass paper weights were at out house. Maybe for a bit a bowl of those really realistic fruits and a couple of her books would work during the day and if you have company maybe some more appropriate books then.
mramsey
9 years ago
This stage of childhood passes so quickly and as they grow gentle limits will shape their character. In the meantime, make your life easy, keep her safe and keep things at her height to a minimum. A round coffee table with no sharp edges has served us well through the many waves of small children through our home. Putting things out of reach for awhile is really not that big a deal.

And as for the good old days when children were supposedly perfect, smacking, shaming, spanking and yelling were also perfectly acceptable means of control. And accident rates and childhood injuries etc were a whole lot higher....
Michelle thanked mramsey
CLC
9 years ago
Honestly, the time they are pulling everything off the table is relatively short. I would just keep the table clear to maintain my sanity. When your youngest child is closer to age 3 or so, you can live "normally" again. ;-)

My youngest is 4 and I can pretty much decorate with whatever now, without concerens of it being destroyed or knocked over by a curious little one.
Michelle thanked CLC
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Linda
9 years ago
How about a small set of wooden blocks either painted or natural? The sets with the shape pieces which can be arranged into towns or castles attract adult fingers just as much as the children's hands. Those can be stacked, sorted, lined up, collected, or distributed and still not look like a horrible mess. Wooden animals or Russian doll type wooden boxes have similar uses.