Is The Nugget Couch Worth The Hype?
Nov 15, 2019, Updated Mar 06, 2023
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*This review is NOT sponsored by Nugget Comfort.*
One of my very favorite kids’ toys, our Nugget couch, just happens to be something I resisted for far too long- which makes for an interesting Nugget Comfort Review. I swore we weren’t going to get a kids’ couch- but now it has been 4 years of loving the Nugget!
What The Heck Is A Nugget Couch?
Below are my thoughts and 4 Nugget alternatives if you’re stuck on the waitlist.
The Nugget was originally a play couch designed to be made as a small untraditional sofa for college kids. Younger kids quickly took a liking to it, and the company realized they had a different audience than expected- this was more of a toddler couch than a dorm room sofa. The company switched tactics and turned it into a kids’ play couch!
The Nugget couch is made up of four pieces. It has two supportive pillows shaped like large triangles, one thinner soft seat cushion, and a thicker sturdy base. The two larger pieces fold together and have large handles. It is somewhat lightweight – my kids can drag it around, and the fact that it folds up makes it easy to set aside.
For so long I doubted the hype and the possibilities. How could this funny kids’ couch possibly live up to all the talk? I didn’t know if the kids would really play with the Nugget that much after the novelty wore off. After all, it was a couch!
But before I get to my own personal opinion…
Nugget Comfort Facts You Need To Know
(If you have a Montessori baby you might be interested in my own personal experience with our rainbow Pikler Triangle– it is my other Montessori toy I swear by)
The Cost of The Nugget
The Nugget will cost you $229 and ships free within the 48 US states. Certainly not a cheap kids’ couch, and sadly they do not run big sales. However, considering this is around the cost of a lot of gaming systems many of us end up buying our kids, this is a much better use of your money (in my opinion!).
We haven’t needed to even wash our cover yet, but if it were to get destroyed or you want a change the color out, they do sell the cover separately. A new Nugget cover will cost you $99. That made me feel okay about buying pink! If I want to go neutral I can shell out $99 in 5 years or so. I feel confident my kids will love our Nugget just as much at that time.
Per their website, they do take money off multiple orders in a cart – you save $25 on a 2-pack, $50 on a 3-pack, etc.
Scroll down to Nugget Alternatives down below!
Nugget Couch Colors- Piglet and More
We picked out Piglet; a light soft pink they no longer sell. If you’re wondering how my boys feel about the pink- because we do get that question – they have never brought it up. (In general, we don’t encourage pink being a girls’ color only, so that helps.)
Many of the brand new colors quickly go out of stock when released. Get on the waitlist, and pay attention to announcements.
Their communication with customers is great about expectations and future plans for releasing colors!
If you like mine, take a peek at Sweatpea. This is the closest color to Piglet- but with more blush tones.
4 Nugget Couch Alternatives
With all of these toddler couches not shipping right away, there must be something similar out there right? Some kind of Nugget couch alternative, right?? What is a mom to do?
Well, I can’t vouch for any of these Nugget couch alternatives from experience, but I did take a peek at the reviews and they all seem pretty great option for a toddler couch.
- Pottery Barn Kids has what they call a Foamnasium Blocksy Kids Couch. Shop it here.
- This guy is the best look alike on Amazon (vinyl cushions? Interesting!)
- This kids’ modular loveseat also on Amazon looks very cool and has reviews that back it up. I like all the neat configurations and colors! The reviews have images of kids building themselves fun little forts!
- Depending on what exactly you are looking for, this folding sofa and play mat look fun! This is a great nugget couch alternative. It’s also washable, and bonus- it has different sizes! I love that! It doesn’t look like the Nugget couch, but I can see how kids could really get into this. It’s self described as a “launch pad for indoor mischief.”
When you’re a mom stuck at home with kids going nuts right now (hi, me), you just sadly may not have time to sit around and wait. No shame in grabbing that kids couch from Amazon!
Nugget Comfort Delivery
The big orange box arrives within 10 days or so. Be aware these details could change if it is back-ordered. If this is a surprise, be aware it is not supposed to be stored too long in the box. The foam is compressed too tightly to be stored in a box for long periods of time! Ours was a Christmas present, so we stashed it outside of the box in my parents’ attic.
This Kids’ Couch Care
The material of this kids’ couch is a durable microsuede. The seams and zippers are heavy duty, the fabric on ours is in great condition. No pilling. Like I said, we haven’t needed to wash ours even though it’s been a year. You are encouraged to wash it in the washing machine on cold, and hang it to dry. Of course, you wouldn’t want the cover to shrink in the dryer!
How I Came To Love Our Nugget Couch
We have a history, this Nugget couch and I, as it originally was made right here in my town. Long before my blogging days, the people behind the Nugget were looking for website/marketing photos. They needed a few kids and a home with natural lighting, two things I happen to have a lot of. We spent a fun morning getting to know the Nugget, all the configurations and the fun colors.
My kids immediately thought I should buy them one. My answer was a quick “nope”- we have enough stuff!
Over the course of a full year (I resisted!) I saw first hand how this toddler couch could be the best thing to ever happen to my kids’ playroom!
A lot of our friends are Nugget owners. One evening our family was visiting our friends’ home for dinner. They have two toddlers, who of course need two toddler couches – so they own two Nuggets. How excessive, right?
Well, all our kids of various ages were deep into fort building and pretending all evening with these two Nuggets. They literally played on and around them all night. We were clearly missing out!
Despite all the various ages and interests, our kids were finding different ways to play with this toy. On the ride home my husband looked over and smugly said “Admit it- you’re thinking we should get the kids a Nugget for Christmas.” At that point, I happily got on board.
My Review After Owning Our Nugget Couch For A Year+
Come see our playroom refresh, complete with hanging chairs!
For this review, I wanted to photograph typical play. I told the kids to just come play with the Nugget and do their thing, as I would be standing in the corner taking some quick pictures.
Obviously, a kids couch is not usually a “sit still” toy. Especially if you have little ones – because it is essentially a perfect toddler couch. Lots of sliding, jumping off, climbing, houses, tunnels, and their favorite – forts of course.
They drag our babysitter up here and involve her, making her get out all the blankets and drape them over it. (She loves the Nugget now too, which is hilarious.) This photo of our Nugget covered up with blankets actually made it into the local Durham Magazine:
Although it is mostly used for action and imaginative playing, the kids do some lounging on the Nugget as well. We just didn’t get any images of them relaxing (HA).
My neighbor, who has a special needs child, told me that the Nugget offers her son a better option than a bed. Rather than sleeping on a traditional bed that poses problems for some kids, the Nugget provides a soft spot low to the ground for safe sleeping. (Not actual medical advice, of course!)
Get The Look:
Our blue plaid wallpaper (it’s peel and stick!)
My Hesitations Put To Rest
I mentioned that my one fear before we bought the Nugget was that the novelty would wear off after a few weeks. But here we are over a year later, and it’s still played with weekly. The Nugget appeals to all their friends of all genders and interests. <em>I think it comes down to the simple fact that it is an oversized object in the simplest form that creates endless opportunities for imaginative and active play.
Just 4 pieces of foam. No batteries, no light up parts or beeping or movement. A Nugget couch.
Because kids don’t get tired of using their imagination when they can create anything they want (until they grow up, that is!).
My other fear was that my kids would destroy it. My kids play rough and there are 4 of them! (They ruined a certain popular and very loved company’s “Everywhere Chair” in a matter of weeks.) But the Nugget couch has retained its’ shape. The foam inside is solid.
Get The Look:
My Other Favorite Montessori Toy:
Although Nugget is a Montessori toy, we’re more “Montessori Light” kind of people. I love the ideas and adhere to them when possible. If you love the Nugget, the Pikler Triangle is another imaginative Montessori toy! It has been a “must have” since our babes were little – as in 6 months old!
Sometime around 6 months Camille was pulling up and standing on the bottom rung of the Pikler, and after her 1st birthday, she climbed over the top. I will never forget the way her face lit up- beaming in confidence. Take a peek at my Pikler Triangle Review – you will love this imaginative toy!
Or take our playroom tour here, or my recent room makeover in my 6 year old’s bedroom.
I hope my review was able to answer some of your Nugget couch questions. If you are looking for toys that will help develop their imagination, Nugget Comfort should have a top spot on your list. You can always learn more with me and shop my home to see all the items in my home.
Hi! Please I’ve tried to get my hands on the harbor nugget when it came out but it was sold out before I completed the purchase! ? the nugget is supposed to be the birthday gift for my kids… in August 2019! For now they got a I owe you card 😉 thanks for doing this giveaway
I’ve been talking about getting a nugget!! Basically because we need a padded space for my rambunctious LO!!!
Great post!
This review speaks to me on so many levels. I first learned of the Nugget back in its Kickstarter days and proposed it for my office’s creative space. They did not share my vision (or enthusiasm for Kickstarter) and I forgot about it until I started seeing Nuggets in the background of playroom pictures after having kids.
We would LOVE a Nugget of our very own. I’ve been doodling inspiration cards for fun and my kids saw the doodles and now use our couch cushions to recreate the pictures. Little do they know, an actual product exists that could make their lives easier?
Thank you for doing this giveaway!!!
Super excited to get our first nugget for Christmas. Love the harbor color!
I would love to win one for Grandma’s house. The grandkids have already destroyed the last “kids couch”.
Love this review! It’s so helpful especially when trying to convince hubby that it’s well worth the money! We have an 18 month old and a baby on the way so it would get used PLENTY. I love that he can get creative and use it in more ways than one. ??
I literally live 20 mins from its headquarters and never even knew about it until recently!
What an awesome review & great giveaway! I’ve seen so many people rave about the nugget and would love to get my hands on one for my very active 4 year & 18 month old, this will free up my time with my 1 month old, especially with the cold weather coming our way, we will be spending a lot of time indoors.
I’ve wanted to get my kids one for a couple of years and keep missing out on the colors my husband would approve of. Once I saw Harbor, I thought it was perfect, but of course, I was too late. I have two boys (4 and 2) and a baby girl coming in a few weeks and I know they would all get such great use out of one. We have those chairs too and the arms are saggy and not holding up well because they climb all over them. It would be a great addition to their playroom and a good thing they could play and build together!
Wow!! This is the best giveaway EVER!! We have been dying to get a Nugget! We have two boys that of course love to climb on everything!! ??♀️ I would love to win this for them just in time for Christmas!! I knew when the harbor color was released I was like yes that’s it! It’s the perfect color! I wasn’t lucky enough to get the harbor. It released at 12pm and at 12:03 it was SOLD OUT!! Only 3 minutes! ? I was SO sad!! Winning this would be so awesome!! ???????
We love the nugget couch! My oldest (tween) has one for friend sleepovers and my youngest daughter got one for her birthday in August. My poor middle daughter is a little heartbroken that she doesn’t have her own. Lol #middlechildproblems Harbour is a gorgeous color and we would love to get one!
Would love to. Have A nugget in our house! My daughters a super energetic and jump off my couch and their bed and hoping one of these would deter most that with safe jumping on the nugget. ?