Perhaps you will consider a microfiber-covered sofa from a chain like Ashley or Rooms to Go. Microfiber is polyester and is washable & toddlers can destroy a sofa without meaning to.

How dirty your couch will get depends both on your parenting style and your child's personality. It's safer to assume that your couch will be lived on, and even when careful, spills of all kind are inevitable. I would recommend something comfy, not white, with some degree of washability. Try it out before buying.

@BeverlyFLADeziner I was eyeing this sectional on Living Spaces, but there are customer complaints about pilling. I feel like pilling shouldn’t happen to fabric sofas? Is that a concern? Also it says it’s a tweed like material, but polyester?

Or anyone have experience with Joybird? They seem to have stain resistant options

We went with a plushy-feeling chenille, that has, if you look closely, 2 or 3 colors in the fibers. looks like an overall neutral. I cant recall what the name of the fabric was, but it had veeeery high Wyzenbeeck rubs, and was classified as ”W” so cleanable with water based products… It is very stain resistant. I dont care for the microfiber Ive seen, but perhaps it has improved. We dont eat(much) on the sofa but drinks have spilled and the liquid doesnt soak in at all.

I also prefer deep sofas for lounging and watching TV, but we have the space for that.

As your child is still a baby, you won't know just how much they may dish out on the furniture (or not)....our two were not hard on furniture and neither are we, so we have got a lot of mileage (15+ years) out of a very average sofa (fabric covered). It is nothing special and still comfortable to sit on. Some folks value a super well made, high end sofa for the "forever" -- however, folks I've seen coming here to ask about re-upholstering seem to get the advice that unless its a super super high end sofa, it's not worth the cost to re-upholster. I don't know what right answer is and figure it depends on your family, your decor, and how often you'd be wanting a new couch/upholstery. Good luck!

Seeing as how much budget isn’t in the “high end” realm and since I can’t predict the future of messes, is it safe to assume the worst and to go with a more budget friendly option and replace it if the time comes for that?

Justin, I would say yes, go for more budget friendly now. And when the time comes to replace it, you may be ready for something different anyway.

We got an IKEA couch that has removable washable covers (and if any tragedy were to happen they can be replaced for <$100) that we dressed up with replacement legs from PrettyPegs. The chaise section is fantastic for toy storage (we have a rotation) and any time my 2.5 year old spills something or misses her coloring book and draws fat purple crayon lines all over the off-white cover I do not care. :) You know your family style best, but both me and my husband grew up with “nice” furniture that was constantly being policed, and we chose not to go that route.

My son bought slipcovers like this for his leather sofa and love seat. Very soft and nice feeling, and no worries about spills. They have a small home and they and their 2 young children do have snacks etc on the sofa. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B08FXFM38W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Budget friendly - something that you won’t mind replacing in 5-7 years if it gets nasty. Mine is going on 10 years and really needs replacing, but I’m going to live with it for a few more years if I have another kid!

Thanks everyone. Despite some of the negative reviews, I did see some positive ones about Article. It was in our price range and style, plus the cushion covers are removable which is a big plus for cleaning/restuffing. They have a 30 day return policy so we’ll see how it goes!

I'd get Room and Board and a slip cover to go with it Jasper

https://www.roomandboard.com/catalog/living/sofas-and-loveseats/jasper-sofas

Ps .... a nice big quilt tossed over when babies are around works wonders. Nothing survives all of childhood without care. Vacuuming, cushion flips REGULARLY.

If you are on the sofa and burping baby, not good (think projectile).

Don't spend a lot of money on anything until you decide on the style you want, can afford, be able to add accompanying accent furniture, and are in a home you can expect to be in for a few years.

I am a big fan of IKEA for those "growing " years. Your taste will change and so will measurements of future rooms.

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/cat/sofas-10670/

A lot of the Ikea sofas have slipcovers for about $200 so it's easy to wash or swap them out when they get destroyed. And honestly, I think they're comfortable enough for about 7-10 years. I'd recommend choosing a darker neutral to hide stains -- such as charcoal.

The Finnala has a chaise, which is nice for cuddling, and it doubles as extra storage. It comes apart in sections, so you can reverse which side the chaise is on!

The FRIHETEN doesn't have a removable cover (at least I don't think). but it does have the reversible storage chaise, and a pop-up that could turn your couch into a "mega couch", perfect for everyone to put their feet up and watch movies. we're getting something like this for our media room, because it's super easy to deploy the popup, we think we'll wind up using it all the time.

(and it doubles as a bed, although I don't think it's really comfortable enough for two adults to sleep on. perfect as a spare guest bed for younger people though!)

Ikea also has a couch like this that's not a chaise.

DO sit in whatever you're considering buying before purchasing it.

If you truly want a sofa, then consider a sofa with washable cushion covers if it is going to end up being napped on by adult and/or child -- or you might buy a cover for your sofa as you buy the sofa itself.

Also, consider buying each of your children their own soft comfortable "sofa" / seat -- a large bean bag chair, preferably with zipper / washable removable cover for their seats . Depending upon your style -- comfort vs. formality -- you might even consider buying one of the newer styles -- a larger two person seat -- for each adult member of the family instead of a sofa.

Less expensive than either a sofa or a recliner, if you want to replace it several years down the road, it could be more economically practical than tossing a $2k sofa.

This is just the first one that came up when click/searched modern adult bean bag chairs:

https://ultimatesack.com/product/6000-bean-bag-chair/?attribute_pa_fabric=brown-suede&dTribesID=f5901d23437a11cb25de3d00a8157a5f%7Cadtribes%7C917&utm_source=Google%20Shopping&utm_campaign=Ultimate%20Sack%20products%20&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=917&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7uvKmMeO8wIVZAiICR1iPweYEAQYBSABEgLROPD_BwE

Thanks everyone! We did pick something in our style and budget with washable covers. It’s an online company but 30 day return policy with a minimal return fee so we can try it out for a month.

If it doesn’t work out, An IKEA hack is my backup. Also planning on getting one of those kid couches for her eventually lol.

that was fast! it took me weeks to settle on a couch. and it's going to take 8 months for it to get here!

fingers crossed you'll have better luck. what brand did you go with?

@SeattleMCM lol, if it were up to me I would be in this forum for another month. But we’re moving in 2 weeks and my wife wants the place furnished ASAP lol. She’s a woman who knows what she wants lol.

We ended up ordering the Article Timber in Rain Gray. Also ordered a couple of accent loungers from Target. What did you end up getting?

honestly you can drive yourself bananas over thinking a couch. the one you picked is beautiful, and I like that you can give it a try for 30 days. seems worth it.

we went with Room and Board. not thrilled about the price or the long wait, but it ticks all of the boxes. it's meant to be a (somewhat) forever piece hopefully.

PS: we don't have kids but I don't think it matters all that much. you never know who might come over. I need furniture that some of my visiting family (or their dogs) will not mess up, LOL.

Justin, I got the Article Sven Charme sofa. Have you considered doing the leather? I don't know what 'bad' reviews you've read, but I think the sofa, and the chair, are great. I got the black leather, but that gray one you got is also nice.

The Sven doesn't have the 3 cushions.

I got their bench too. The walnut chair shown is similar to your fabric on your Timber sofa.

here's the sven in the fabric, in a mottled gray. see how there are no cushions? I'd go w/that instead of the seperate ones. and this sofa is firm.

the ivory color. I think the leather would hold up a bit better than the fabric, IMHO

@SeattleMCM true to that! I thought about RB but maybe for our forever piece some day. But didn’t want to shell out the extra $$ for a piece that’s not in our forever home and that may get ruined. Also the setup and color I wanted from RB said May 2022 delivery!

Beth, how has the chair held up? How long have you had it? It looks great!

We preferred fabric to give a more casual feeling to our place. We’ve also always had fabric and prefer it, at least for now, but that’s great to know!!

I added two more pics to my comment. see the one w/the baby.

The chair is pretty comfortable. I don't use it daily, but it's on the firm side.

I think the cat gets more use out of it!

From some of the pics I see after a year or two of use, the fabric sofas seem to 'stretch' out a bit. This is why I think getting a solid seat (instead of the 3 cushions) would be better. the ones you sit on are going look more used than one solid seat piece.

the leather cushions are heavy and thick. I was surprised at the quality of it when I opened it.

Thanks Beth. We’ll see when we get it. They offer 1 free exchange so we can always change our minds. Great to hear something positive about them though!