Parents across the country have been swept up in the foam-filled obsession that is the Nugget sofa for months now, and it shows no signs of slowing down. There are Facebook groups and TikTok pages dedicated to the Nugget couch — and not just because kids love it. But like most products that become phenomenons, those suckers are hard to get your hands on.
The wait between purchase and shipment can be 10 weeks or more. Not everyone has time for that. Thankfully, there are a ton of Nugget couch alternatives on the market giving the cushion juggernaut a run for its money. I have researched — and in many cases, played on — these fun climbing couches to find the best Nugget couch alternatives out there. They come in a range of prices and sizes, and in many cases, they can be joined together to form a huge network of pillow forts ready for your child to totally take over your living room and live their very best life.
Your kids will morph into tiny climbing monkeys on this set from Isabel & Max. These six individual cushions can be stacked to form either a traditional sofa style, or used to make any number of fun creations your kids dream up.
The sofa comes in eight colors, with a sturdy foam interior and machine-washable and machine-dryable exterior.
I have spilled a caramel and pumpkin spice frappe on this sofa and it has wiped off clean, thanks to the clever soft vinyl fabric that covers these sizable Foamnasium blocks. The dimensions of this set is 70 inches by 25 inches by 19 inches when stacked.
This Nugget alternative is made right here in the United States, and it's free of lead and phthalates. You can rest easy knowing that your children are playing on safe materials that they cannot easily destroy ... despite their very best efforts.
The fabric on this play sofa is like actual butter: It's soft against the skin (and your other furniture), and it's totally washable. The microfiber sofa comes with six buildable pieces that can be arranged in as many ways as your child can imagine.
And the durability cannot be overlooked. This Nugget alternative might be even more rough and rugged than the original.
The pyramid-shaped blocks in this Nugget alternative from Jaxx really allows kids to learn different ways of building their sofa forts, and introduces the concepts of balance and structure.
The soft microsuede fabric is machine-washable, and thanks to the easy zip cover, the whole thing can be cleaned in a matter of hours. The dense foam is child-safe, and this brand also features bolder colors than many other Nugget couch alternatives on the market.
“We beg her royal highness’ pardon, but it’s time for a snack.”
This castle gate accessory for the Jaxx Playscape is absolutely genius. It gives a greater range of play than the original sofa, and would be a fantastic way to round out a holiday gift or add something new for a birthday. There's so much room for imaginary play with this.
It's made with the same dense foam and machine-washable, bold fabrics as the original Nugget, too, so don't worry about mixing and matching.
The Figgy is probably the most popular Nugget alternative on the market. It's a great set with machine-washable fabrics, and the cushions come in multiple shapes ready for imaginative play.
What you'll love the most about this sofa are the covered zippers and soft fabrics. However, our tester found that the Velcro can be a bit harsh, so make sure it always faces the furniture or is attached to another piece.
7
Best Shapes
FDP Contemporary 6-Piece Softscape Playtime and Climb
This will live in your playroom forever. I have a version of this very same set, and my 9-year-old still grabs pieces to roll on, sit on, or otherwise get comfortable with. It's a simple joy that lasts much longer than you could ever dream.
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Most Fun Characters
Design Skins Transformable Play Furniture Cake Sofa
It’s a chair, it’s a table, it’s a desk, it’s a monster, it’s all these things and more. It’s also only $149, and so can take a beating without you having to stress. Having played with this model with my own children and nephew, I can attest this is going to be an instant hit in your playroom or nursery.
The design is rad, the colors are so much fun, and who doesn’t want to have a chair with teeth?
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Best Dynamic Design
Design Skins Transformable Play Furniture Cake Sofa
The round shape of this model makes it unique among play furniture. The curving lines provide ample opportunity for linked chairs, and the colors are contemporary and fun. Parents will love that the construction is solid, with a wipeable poly-blend exterior and castella block core foam.
The SoftZone is an incredible value. For only $130, kids will get hours upon hours of indoor climbing play. This easy to configure, easy to clean set is Greenguard Gold-certified, meaning that the dense foam is not made with any potentially harmful chemicals. Perfect for your little one.
No matter which Nugget alternative you choose, add these building blocks to your cart as well. Not only do they work with every set, they're wonderful all on their own. They help kids explore shape and dimension, while also teaching them to stack objects that are slightly larger than their traditional blocks.
If you have a smaller space but still want all the modular capabilities of a play sofa, the Jaxx is for you. It has a much smaller footprint than most at just 40 inches by 20 inches, but it still offers a ton of configuration options.
The core is a solid foam and the exterior is a washable microfiber, making the whole thing truly cleanable. Your kids' messes have nothing on you.
Cat BowenParenting EditorCat Bowen is the parenting editor at BestProducts.com where she researches all of the best products for families from pre-conception through their teen years, focusing on matching scientific evidence with real-life needs.
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