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Hebs
19-12-2010, 09:14 AM
how many of you have coffee tables?

i want one but didnt know if it was too dangerous :blush:

FussyElmo
19-12-2010, 09:17 AM
I dont and the reason is its a guaranteed accident in my house with just my children :thumbsup:

We wanted one when the living room was done but me and dh both said it was an accident waiting to happen :)

mrs_scottydog
19-12-2010, 09:34 AM
We have one but we got it before we had our DS. I find it very useful as the children can do jigsaws and play with other toys on it, and the shelf that used to have piles of papers on it have now been replaced with lots of toys and childrens books and jigsaws. Ours is solid oak, I wouldn't recommend one with a glass top. Hx

sweets
19-12-2010, 09:59 AM
i have a chunky pine one that ive had since before minding.

it has rounded corners and is great as an extra surface to put books on, i have a through lounge diner for the children to play in and the coffee table is in the lounge bit which i encourage to be the quiet area with limited toys so having books on it is ideal as they choose one and snuggle on the sofa with it.

great for the furniture cruisers to hold on to too!

Kes
19-12-2010, 10:04 AM
I don't have one but felt that I did'nt have the space for one. It should be fine as long as you risk assess it and put on corner protectors if needed.

samb
19-12-2010, 10:21 AM
I have a nest of tables - I find them useful as I can put them together away or get each one out if needed for activities such as puzzles or colouring. However they are obviously smaller than a coffee table. I don't have the space for a coffee table but if you have then I don't see why you shouldn't have one. Just choose one with the children in mind too.

Louise0208
19-12-2010, 10:29 AM
i have one but moved it to the end of the sofa so the littlies have more room to play.

if i got rid of everything that was a potential accident then id live in a padded cell :laughing:

kel1983
19-12-2010, 12:38 PM
We have a large coffee table :panic:

We did worry about it when we were registering but when the Ofsted lady came for our pre registration interview she suggested just placing pipe lagging around the edges. This is so cheap to buy at any hardware store and you can remove it when not minding.

The coffee table is pushed against the end of the sofa and the wall so there is still loads of room for the children to play.

Also my little 20 month old mindee loves to sit at it with her juice.

PixiePetal
19-12-2010, 01:00 PM
I have one which I would like to replace with something not so heavy and big - it's solid pine rectangular.

Would like a square one :thumbsup:

It would be in my sitting room, which is only used as a quiet room for mindees. I don't see a problem with safety really - all kids have furniture at home, we can't remove it all, just watch out for little ones banging themselves on corners and avoid glass tops

Hebs
19-12-2010, 01:10 PM
thanks guys,

i only have 1 mindee who is a non walker.... but getting there :D

my living room is pretty big and i thought it would be good for the lo's drawing etc

Flisspaps
19-12-2010, 01:33 PM
I've got a Mexican pine one so it's chunky and it's got square corners, but at my pre-reg visit Mrs O just said that it was fine as it wasn't a glass topped one. No mention of pipe lagging/corner cushions.

It's pushed to the side of the room but DD likes to use it for cruising, and we move it to the middle of the room in the evening if we want to use it properly!

beccas
19-12-2010, 01:39 PM
i have a chunky pine one its rounded adges and so no risk of major injury only had one child bang their head onit since i have been minding almost 9 years and the lo is very clumsy falls over freash air.

Penny1959
19-12-2010, 01:46 PM
I have a pine one in the lounge - I push mine in front of the TV - it makes more room, stops sticky fingers getting on the TV and still provides a place for puzzles etc.

Penny :)

sweets
19-12-2010, 01:57 PM
mine has lots of uses, at this very moment it is being used as a foot stool for me! lol. but tommorrow it will be used to stop a little person getting to the christmas tree. :laughing:

a coffee table is a very handy piece of furniture :D

marnieb
19-12-2010, 02:39 PM
I have one in front of the cd tower so small people can't get at them!!! And also it is ideal for littilies to do puzzles and drawing on. As the others have siad, just make sure you have plenty of corner protectors.

teacake2
19-12-2010, 03:31 PM
I have a pine rectangular one, it is just the right height for the little ones to sit at to play, do crafts, and eat at, and when they have gone home it reverts back to our use.
Teacake2

singingcactus
19-12-2010, 03:48 PM
We have a couple around, they are well behaved and don't kidnap, beat up or insult the children so we are quite happy with them - I don't find they pose a threat to the children.

em29
19-12-2010, 03:51 PM
Aah well i did have a rectangular coffee table. No sharp edges etc. However my ds tripped near the table and headbutted it and needed his forehead glued. However, I do think these sorts of things are just accidents and we woudnt have anything in our homes. He could headbutt the wall for goodness sake! I have removed the table as it did cause an accident though. :rolleyes:

miffy
19-12-2010, 04:00 PM
I have a coffee table and it's used daily by the mindees for puzzles, books and other toys/games - hardly ever used for it's real purpose!

Miffy xx

cher25
19-12-2010, 04:01 PM
I still have my coffee table and havent had any problems. :) Except it get's used as a dumping ground for letter's etc by me. :blush: lol
Lo pull's herself up onto it and uses that to aid her getting near to my tv. Ooopppsss maybe time to move it. haha

Playmate
19-12-2010, 09:04 PM
We have 2 birch lack tables from ikea that cost £7 each :D Thay sit at the side of the room between 2 sofa's are used as coffee tables when kids not around and activity tables when they are. At that price I can replace them if they get scratched or drawn over etc.

Ali56
19-12-2010, 09:29 PM
I have a large coffe table with a large shelf and guess what? Its full of stuff for the kids! Cd player, CD's, books and mark making things. on the shelf are puzzles, a brick sorting set, the play doh stuff, stacking toys and other things for gross and fine motor development. Massive brownie points from Mrs O and for my ERS! :clapping: :clapping:
Gave up trying to use it as an actual coffee table because the children filled it with stuff anyway!!:laughing: :laughing:

The Juggler
20-12-2010, 01:44 PM
how many of you have coffee tables?

i want one but didnt know if it was too dangerous :blush:

I have one - it's my smallworld table or where I set up block play and puzzles. It's one of those heavy wooden ones so no sharp edges. Mind you, if you get one don't expect it to stay nice with the mindees playign on it. My looks very 'lived in':clapping: :clapping: :clapping: