A play couch that doubles as a couch and an item of play designed to entertain toddlers brimming with energy for hours is a blessing in disguise. It helps keep your sofa intact, and your little one occupied and gives you some free time for yourself.
Let’s explore these play couches, why they’re so popular, how they align with the Montessori method, and review some good Nugget alternatives.
What Is the Nugget Couch?
The Nugget couch is a versatile play couch made of four foam pieces. It has a thicker base, a thin cushion, and two triangle pillows, all covered in microsuede fabric that’s spill-proof, removable, and machine washable. That means you can wave goodbye to worries of spills and stains and let your little ones play to their heart’s content.
This play couch is like a treasure for open-ended play and can be configured in several ways to help in imaginative play.
However, with a price tag of $229, it sure is one expensive item. This is where the many Nugget couch alternatives or Nugget knock-offs come to the rescue. There is a whole range of more sustainable or budget-friendly options.
Why Is the Nugget Couch so Popular?
Parents of toddlers know playtime is mostly about jumping, climbing, kicking, tumbling, and slamming. And, we love to see our little ones do all this, just not on the sofa.
Play couches provide a safe way for your children to explore, work up their imaginations, and develop their motor skills. The endless play configurations will keep your child occupied and off the screens.
The nugget couch is good for some tummy time for infants and for them to learn to roll, crawl, stand, and more, safely. Nugget couches also keep toddlers occupied with endless games and activities; use them as a play gym, bed, fort, castle, slide, or whatever your little one can imagine it to be.
Is a Play Couch Montessori-Aligned or Inspired?
A play couch isn’t designed for Montessori. While it has similar qualities to Montessori learning tools like the building blocks or the Pink Tower, it is, in fact, Montessori-inspired furniture.
This means that it lets your child use their curiosity and creativity, encouraging them to learn through exploration, much like in the Montessori learning method. With basic instructions, you can get your little one to build something new with the nugget couch, all through trial and error. Being alongside them and providing guidance makes for some good bonding time.
A play couch has potential uses in a Montessori home or classroom.
Seven Nugget Couch Alternatives
If you’re looking for a good nugget couch knock-off, here are some of the best play couches that are excellent nugget couch alternatives.
Figgy
This play couch by Shenanigan Kids is undoubtedly one of the most popular nugget alternatives, perhaps even a slightly better option. With six pieces (four base cushions and two rectangles), you could also pay extra for an additional triangle wedge.
Waterproof liners beneath the suede liner protect the CertiPUR Certified foam. The OekoTex-certified fabric can be removed for a wash and thrown into the dryer. The zippers are covered, and each section has velcro strips and a handle, making it easy to move around and making any built structures sturdy.
Materials: Oeko Tex certified fabric, PVC-free
Cleaning/Washability: Machine washable and dryer-safe
Price: $325 without the triangular wedge, $375 with an add-on wedge
Size: Base dimensions 33 x 33 x 4.5″
Safety: Hidden zippers and interior closures for all-round protection
Colors: 8 color options
Add-On Pillows: Yes, a triangle pillow.
Customer Reviews: “My kids absolutely love the Figgy play couch; they play and build forts, slides, ball pits, and anything they can imagine.”
Halo Cuties
Providing a perfectly soft yet firm base, the Halo Cuties play couch makes building a fort, hideaways, and more, a lot of fun. This four-piece set includes a sturdy base, a foldable soft cushion layer on top, and two structured pillows that function as supportive pillows for comfort and functionality.
Materials: Olefin fiber weave covers, non-toxic, vegan materials
Cleaning/Washability: Machine-washable covers
Shipping & Delivery: Same-day shipping and fast delivery
Price: $250
Size: 66 x 33 x 16″
Safety: No hazardous or flammable materials
Colors: 4 color options
Add-On Pillows: No
Customer Reviews: “I really like this product. The assembly was so easy, and the clean-up was even better. Really brings life to the room and during playtime!”
Monboxy
This customizable play mattress isn’t going to disappoint. With a soft-edged base mattress, another thinner and flexible mattress, and two trapezoidal-shaped, soft-edge pillows, this play couch can be used as a sleepover mattress, sofa, play gym, space tent, play house, and more.
Materials: Oeko Tex standard 100% polyester fabric
Cleaning/Washability: Machine-washable covers
Shipping & Delivery: Shipping in 1-3 days; Delivery in 3-14 days
Price: $345
Size: 66.93 x 33.46 x 21.25″
Safety: No sharp corners, odor-free, liquid-repellant materials
Colors: 10 color options
Add-On Pillows: No
Customer Reviews: “Very good quality, and our daughter loves it. Also, our friends with children aged 2-5 years old have found it very entertaining.”
Mod Blox
A revolutionary play couch that provides you with the options to choose from a 10-piece, 6-piece, or 5-piece set, is a huge improvement over the Nugget couch. The 6-piece set comes with two base cushions, two above, and two wedge cushions.
Materials: Microsuede fabric
Cleaning/Washability: Machine washable
Price: $250 for a 6-piece set
Size: 33 x 33 x 5″ base
Safety: Kid-friendly, Concealed zippers
Colors: 2 color options
Add-On Pillows: Opt for a 10-piece play couch
Customer Reviews: “Our friends have the Nugget, which is comparable. I’d say it’s a little less robust, but our two-year-old doesn’t care. He sits on it, drives his cars, lays in the teepee, and jumps on it.”
Brentwood
This Greengold-certified play couch comes with a thick base cushion, a thinner cushion, two half-round bolsters, and two supportive triangle pillows. Make it an activity mat, a fort, a great sofa, two chairs, or much more to keep your toddlers playing happily for hours.
Materials: Microsuede fabric, Covers meet Global Recycled Standard certification, Uses green, sustainable materials
Cleaning/Washability: Machine-washable
Shipping & Delivery: Ships within two days, Optional in-home delivery and setup for an additional fee.
Price: $349
Size: 66 x 33 x 5″ base
Safety: No flame retardants, Formaldehyde free
Colors: 6 colors
Add-On Pillows: Yes
Customer Reviews: “Best thing we have bought for our playroom. Our son loves jumping on it, snuggling on it, making it into different forts, and much more. Plus, it gives me a very comfy spot to work from while I hang out with him.”
Possum
An open-ended, energy-burning, cushion-stacking, indoor play couch, the Possum play couch is sturdy enough to climb, light enough to lift, and soft enough to snuggle on.
Apart from the thick base and thin cushions, there are fun-shaped pillows to choose from – the triangular wedge set, the half-round moon arch set, and the circle set. This makes for fun multiplied with these shapes.
Materials: Oeko Tex certified, brushed microsuede covers
Cleaning/Washability: Machine washable
Shipping & Delivery: Ships within 1-2 days
Price: $379
Size: 66 x 33 x 22″
Safety: Concealed zippers, flame-retardant
Colors: 9 color options
Add-On Pillows: Yes
Customer Reviews: “My kids have come up with so many different ways to use their play couch, it’d be too long to list on here. Highly rate the quality of the couch too… love it!”
Bohdi
The Bohdi play couch comes with not one but two thick bases, a thin base, two cylindrical pillows, and two triangle pillows. It is amazingly water-resistant and doesn’t need liners.
Materials: Double brushed microsuede, Water-resistant
Cleaning/Washability: Machine washable
Shipping & Delivery: Pre-order only; it takes about a month to deliver
Price: $480
Size: 66 x 33 x 23″
Safety: Child-safe, less likely to tear the foam
Colors: 7 color options
Add-On Pillows: Yes
Customer Reviews: “The kids love the couch; it is in use every day! It’s a play toy, a couch for adults, extra seating for guests, and a bed for sleepovers! Best thing I ever bought as a parent!”
Final Thoughts
A versatile piece of furniture is a win-win situation for parents and toddlers alike with play couches. With endless configurations, you can be assured that your little ones will be occupied constantly, building their motor skills and cognitive development and letting their imaginations go far and wide. You can have some great bonding time with them too!
