Every kid wants to jump on the couch. Few parents want their sofa to be a playground. Enter the Nugget, four giant foam blocks that can be rearranged and repurposed as a couch and more. It's meant to be a comfortable place to sit, a play spot that kids can jump on, and building blocks for forts and more. The brand describes it as "part-furniture and part-toy" and we agree. We gave it one of our most recent Parenting Awards.
Good Housekeeping Institute parenting pros feel the Nugget is a great value for its high quality and the amount of playtime a family with young kids can get out of it. Over the past five years, four of our top Lab experts and more than five consumer families have tested the Nugget in their homes. It wins over new fans each time we test it!
Pros
- Comfortable kid-size sofa
- Foam pieces double as play blocks
- Ideal for rest and active play
- Washable fabric covers zip off
- Easy to move around
Cons
- Requires some space
What is the Nugget?
It's four foam pieces that arrive compressed in a box. The Nugget usually ships within three days of you ordering it. You'll want to unpack the parts and let them expand to their full shape as soon as possible. It might take several weeks for them to reach their final size, but a tester told us, "within 30 minutes of taking it out of the box, the kids were playing and everything was in good shape."
The four foam pieces are: a thick base that is creased to bend or fold in half, a slim cushion that is also creased to bend or fold in the middle, and two triangle wedges. Each Nugget has these components, though you can choose between many color and fabric options.
Lay the thick base open and flat on the floor, layer the slim cushion on top of it, and sit the two triangles on top. Tada! It's a modular couch. It won't be long until the kids notice that those lightweight pieces look a lot like blocks and likewise, can form so many other things.
All the details on the Nugget
The Nugget is 66 inches wide, able to easily fit three kids across and four kids if they don't mind sitting close. From the floor to the seat is just under 9 inches so it's low and easy for a toddler to climb up on. Its depth is 33 inches, so that's how far it will stick out if you push it against a wall.
The interior is open-cell polyurethane foam, which is Greenguard Gold-certified and CertiPUR-US certified to ensure it's been made without certain harmful chemicals. The pieces are covered in Greenguard Gold-certified performance fabric, with options for varying colors and textures, such as microsuede and corduroy. The covers unzip and can be washed in the washing machine in cold water. You should hang them to dry to prevent shrinking. The fabric has proven to be durable for our testers over time.
You can buy Nugget cover sets separately (at $119 to $169 a set) if you want to change the look of your Nugget or if you damage your existing fabric. You can also buy waterproof liners to shield the foam from accidents and spills (though this won't make it weatherproof for the outdoors).
Side handles on the two largest pieces help you or your kids drag the cushions around the house. You can also store the pieces if needed. The Nugget is not sleep-certified so the brand cannot recommend it as an extra bed, but we've had parents admit that they themselves took a nap on it.
The newest Nugget
The brand's new, limited-edition collaboration with Crayola brings dopamine decorating to the playroom. Each of the four pieces of the play couch are a different color, and there's a subtle crayon pattern, too. There's also a fun Crayola edition of the Chunk. More on the Chunk below!
Other special editions include a Ms. Rachel pattern, a play couch covered in dinosaurs, and one with mythical creatures like unicorns and mermaids.
What's missing (and what can you add)?
One of our testers asked, "Do they make outdoor-friendly versions of this?" which we think would be a great idea. If some outdoor-worthy performance fabric could keep a Nugget from getting soggy, it could be a lot of fun!
While Nugget doesn't offer accessories like extra couch blocks, it has launched Chunk, an ottoman, to expand the play value. Chunk is three solid circles of varying sizes, and one open circle. Like the Nugget, kids can sit on the Chunk, or get creative and try things like turning the open circle on its side and training the dog to jump through the hoop, or using the two smallest circles as seats and the other two pieces stacked to form a table.
"If people are tight on space, I'd recommend just getting the Chunk," a parent tester told us. "It's a more manageable size, and still provides pieces to play with and lounge on."
On the other hand, if you have lots of room, there's the option to buy a second Nugget and get more pieces that way. In online reviews, we have noticed that some families do just that.
Is a Nugget worth it?
A Nugget play couch ranges from $249 for microsuede to $279 for corduroy and a little more for special editions. Since families regularly pay more than $300 for a sofa, the fact that the Nugget can function as one is already pretty sweet. Throw in all of the play value and it is looking really good. Its near-quality play-couch competitor, Foamnasium Blocksy, is $150 more on Pottery Barn Kids.
"I like the material, and the fact that it is so cozy and soft," said Nutrition & Fitness Lab Director Stefani Sassos, a mom of two under 5. "The different shapes are interesting and it’s a nice addition to our basement play area for the kids. My daughter in particular, who is 4, got creative with it, using her imagination to create an obstacle course."
Shipping is included for the contiguous United States. In Alaska and Hawaii, you'll pay $69 per Nugget or Chunk, but a cover or liner ships free. In Canada, you'll pay $69 per Nugget or Chunk and $39 per cover or liner.
There is a limited warranty, depending on the product that you buy.
How to play with the Nugget couch
If you Google "Nugget couch ideas," you'll find loads of inspiration for many different configurations. A consumer tester told us, "The idea of imagining all the build ideas on their own was at first intimidating for my kids but eventually became empowering. Even if their ideas didn't work immediately, it didn't lead to frustration, it just made them more invigorated to keep trying. They got so proud and pumped when their 'plan' worked."
"My kids lounge on it to watch TV, build obstacle courses around our playroom, play games with it (like the floor is lava), and use it as a makeshift stage for performances," said Executive Director, Strategy & Operations Lexie Sachs, a mom of two.
Couch
Lounger
Fort
Playground
A few Nugget setups to try:
- Playground: Lay the mats out flat for tumbling on or jumping over.
- Fort or playhouse: Fold one long mat into a triangle fort, or use the two long mats to construct a square house.
- Throne: Fold the long pieces and stack them on top of each other to make a lofty seat.
- Ramp: Prop the wedges underneath one side of the long piece.
- Half-moon lounger: Lay down the base, then prop up either end of the long cushion with a wedge.
- Camping tent: Fold the long pieces into triangles and line them up one behind the other. It can even be a tunnel or a cave!
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Contributing writer Jessica Hartshorn brings decades of journalistic experience in the juvenile-products market to her work at the Good Housekeeping Institute. Previously, she covered baby gear and toys for Parents and American Baby. She's a mom of two now-grown kids
