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Jumping on the sofa is something every kid wants to do, but few parents want their family couch to be a playground. Enter the Nugget, a play couch that can be rearranged and repurposed as four giant foam blocks. 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.
Though it is a little pricey and fairly large (the footprint is about 5.5 x 3 feet), our 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 three years, two of our top Lab experts and two consumer families have tested the Nugget at home, with an additional family trying it this year alongside the brand's new Chunk ottoman.
Pros
- Comfortable kid-size sofa
- Foam pieces double as play blocks
- Washable fabric covers zip off
- Lightweight and easy to move around
Cons
- Requires some space
What is the Nugget?
Essentially 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 full, 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 some 20 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 screened for potentially harmful chemicals. The pieces are covered in Greenguard Gold-certified performance fabric, with options for varying textures and colors. 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 $149 a set) if you want to change the look of your couch 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 lightweight cushions around the house. You can also store the pieces if needed. The Nugget is not sleep-certified so the brand cannot recommend it for use during sleepovers or as an extra bed, but we've had parents admit that they themselves took a nap on it.
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 $274 for luxe double-brushed microsuede and $279 for corduroy. 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 $100 more on Pottery Barn Kids.
Former Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director Rachel Rothman, a mom of three, said, "In our house, we use the Nugget as equal parts couch and foam building blocks. In couch mode, it's handy seating. For play, it inspires creativity — my kids build a pretend rocket ship, or they play 'gym' where they turn the cushions into slides or tumbling mats. Sometimes they just use The Nugget to relax and snuggle."
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's no longer a free 30-day trial, but there is a limited warranty of a year or two, 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 in Virginia 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," adds Lexie Sachs, our Good Housekeeping Institute executive director of strategy and operations and a mom of two.
Couch
Lounger
Fort
Playground
A few Nugget setups you can challenge your kids 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?
Experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute have been providing reviews and advice on everything that families need for more than a century. Chemists, engineers, dietitians and journalists work in our New York City Lab to evaluate products, and we also test with consumer panelists.
Former Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director Rachel Rothman used her training in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics when she reviewed the Nugget. Rothman is a mom of three kids ages 9 and younger, a play ambassador for the Toy Association and she sat on the ASTM toy safety committee for more than a decade. She helped launch the Good Housekeeping Parenting Awards and the Best Toy Awards.
Contributing writer Jessica Hartshorn brings decades of journalistic experience in the juvenile-products market to her work at the GH Institute. Previously, she covered baby gear for Parents and American Baby magazines. See her roundups of the best kid's playhouses and the best LEGO tables.
Jessica (she/her) is a freelance writer with several decades of experience writing lifestyle content and evaluating home and parenting products. A mom of two teens and two cats, her previous work can be seen in American Baby and Parents.
Rachel Rothman was the chief technologist and executive technical director of the Good Housekeeping Institute for over 15 years, overseeing testing methodology, implementation and reporting for all GH Labs. She also managed GH's research division and the analysis of applicants for the GH Seal and all other testing emblems.
