- KidsCouch.ca is a Canadian Nugget alternative. Kids couch is a set of cushions that are made to be manipulated into forts, at-home movie theatre seating, or whatever kids can conceive in their imaginations.
- It’s comfortable as a couch, and lightweight enough to reconfigure or move around when kids want to turn it into a playground.
- Customer service is available via email-only. No chat or phone support.
It was a few months ago in my local online facebook parenting group when I first heard of Kids Couch – a Canadian alternative to the Nugget. I wasn’t completely sure what it was, but from the sheer number of Nugget-related posts, it was very evident that it was something a lot of parents wanted for their children—and many more were already proud owners of.
Intrigued, I began scrolling through the posts and pictures of what people were doing with their Kids Couch and slowly but surely I became completely convinced that my children needed one. I wanted to find out why the Kids Couch is in such hot demand, and if it was really worth the price.
To my dismay, I quickly realized that the Nugget couch was primarily a US-only product (they ship to Canada, but for a hefty fee). So the search for a Canadian Nugget alternative was on!
What exactly is a Kids Couch?
To be specific, a Kids Couch is actually a couch; or at least that’s what it was intended to be originally. “Turns out that the world’s best kids toy is actually a couch” is the claim that the makers of the KidsCouch.ca, proudly displays on their website. And taking into consideration the cult following that surrounds these couches, many people would be inclined to agree.
Made of four pieces of foam that include one firm base cushion, one soft top cushion, and two triangular pillows, the pieces can be stacked on top of each other to make a very modern version of a couch.
Although it’s technically a couch, Kids Couch has evolved into what is essentially a set of playground building blocks. Parents absolutely love that it entices kids into using the creativity and imagination necessary to induce learning, while also providing an outlet to absorb the brunt of their children’s endless energy.
Because Kids Couch is so versatile in it’s design, when it’s not being used as an indoor playground it doesn’t take up precious storage space since it can be used as a modular furniture option for older kids and even adults.
Designed and touted to be extremely durable, Kids Couch is made of high quality, low-VOC CertiPur certified foam and covered in machine-washable microsuede fabric.
How much does Kids Couch cost?
Available in five different colours to match any decor, Kids Couch is on sale for $349 CA with free shipping across Canada.
Ordering Kids Couch
Why anyone would want a Kids Couch was a bit confusing to me at first. A $349 couch that resembles dorm room furniture? I really didn’t get it. But the more I tried to explore what the hype was behind Kids Couch, the more I found myself thinking about how much fun my own children would have with it. And before I knew it, I was showing my husband the Kids Couch website and trying to convince him of all the reasons we needed one, too.
When I went to order my Kids Couch back in February, their website stated that all Kids Couches were backordered but would ship within two months. And although that seemed like a really long time, I was relieved that I wasn’t going to have to enter a lottery system to try and win the opportunity to purchase a Kids Couch during a “drop,” which was the situation most buyers encountered during the Christmas season.
Placing my order I clearly didn’t read the website well enough because even though it is stated right on their webpage that you will be charged as soon as you place the order, I was caught off guard when I was charged immediately rather than when my Kids Couch shipped; my error completely but worth mentioning for other distracted parents like me.
However I did start to get worried when shortly after placing my order I had a question for customer service and realized that Kids Couch doesn’t really have any easy way to contact their company. “We’re still a small team, so to serve as many customers as thoroughly as possible, we don’t take phone calls,” the Kids Couch website states, and then instructs you to contact them via email.
Not a huge deal, but when I sent off my email and received an auto response that said I will hear back from someone at the Kids Couch team within 48hrs, I wasn’t thrilled. That’s quite a long time in my opinion for a company that just accepted $349 from me. What if I had accidentally ordered the wrong colour? Or needed to cancel my order because I had a financial issue come up during the long wait for shipping?
All of that worried me, and from what I could see on their Facebook page, Kids Couch doesn’t respond to messages or comments there either, and has a similar situation on Instagram. That was a huge red flag for me but I didn’t have much choice but to wait for their response—and also hope that my Kids Couch shipped without issues.
How Kids Couch arrives
Thankfully, as promised, my Kids Couch arrived two months later in a giant brown box. As instructed by my auto-generated Kids Couch shipment email, my Kids Couch needed to be opened immediately upon arrival because they don’t like being smashed into their shipping boxes.
So I ripped that baby open and you know what? It was a couch. Kind of. It was a bunch of foam pieces in my chosen “grey” colour and I was certain that I had just fallen prey to one of those fads that later you look back on and laugh at the absurdity.
But my suspicions were quickly laid to rest when a short time later my toddler saw the Kids Couch pieces lying on the floor and immediately, with no prompting on my part, began moving them around until he had accidentally constructed himself a slide. Then the pieces were transformed into a jumping platform and soon afterwards my 9-year-old grabbed some bedsheets and the Kids Couch became a fort.
When my kids went to bed and I went to move the Kids Couch out of the middle of my living room, I instead found myself laying on it while watching a movie. Before I knew it, the Kids Couch was being used nearly all the time by someone in our family.
What I like about Kids Couch
My relationship with my Kids Couch is a complicated one. My children love it, I love it, and I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I am already wishing that I had ordered two of them. Do you know how many things you can do with two Kids Couches? Many, you can do many and I’ve been dreaming of them all.
I’ve really enjoyed watching the creativity and pride that has come from my kids being able to build something and then have a great time with it. A huge bonus is that even though there is a 10 year age gap between my first and third child, I find all three of my kids playing together when Kids Couch is involved.
I also love that it’s lightweight and easy to move from room to room thanks to the attached carry handles on the two larger cushions. From my experience so far the Kids Couch has held up to it’s claims of being durable and easy to clean. It’s taken quite a bit of abuse from my busy family, it hasn’t shown any signs of wear or even signs of use, and small marks have been super easy to wipe off because of the microsuede fabric.
What I don’t like about Kids Couch
Where I pause in my love for Kids Couch is that although they finally responded to my email, I was never able to get a hold of anyone at the company immediately. There’s no 24hour chat support or phone number. It worries me that if I had an issue with my order, it would have shipped without being corrected first.
I can confidently say that my Kids Couch purchase has worked out well and I would definitely purchase one again. But, I say that knowing fully well that although I didn’t have any issues this time, if I had an issue with the next order I might feel differently based solely on my customer service experience. I would advise keeping that in mind when deciding if the Kids Couch would be right for you.
Kids Couch ideas
Kids Couch is more than something to sit on. It’s more than a slide, jumping platform, or fort, too, for that matter. Some other notable standout designs were a Christmas tree, a house, and the Pyramids—and that’s just with one Kids Couch. Own two or more and there’s no telling what your children can come up with. Whether it’s a dinosaur, a Buzz Lightyear, or an obstacle course, you’ll be amazed by their creativity.
Is Kids Couch worth it?
Absolutely. Several weeks later, Kids Couch has consistently been the first thing my toddler chooses to play with in the morning. It’s the ramp for his cars, his obstacle course, the spot where he lays to read his books, and when he isn’t using it, he’s crying because our 9-year-old is building yet another fort to hang out in, or my 12-year-old is lying on it to watch TV.
Last night we built “movie theatre” chairs for our family movie night by propping the rectangular sections up with the triangular pillows. As I’m writing this right now, I’m laying on one of the rectangular pieces with the triangular pieces under both my head and my knees (I’ll let you in on a little secret, it’s amazing). In fact, now that I’m writing this, I think my family might need two Kids Couches.
