What is So Special About a Nugget Couch? An Honest Review

The Nugget is four foam pieces that can be assembled as a couch, a sleepover bed, a fort, a slide, and tumbling mats — it's actually hard to think of a more fun piece of furniture than this!

Jumping on the sofa is pretty much something every kid wants to do, but few parents want their family couch to be a playground. Enter The Nugget, a play couch that is designed to be rearranged and repurposed as four giant foam blocks. It's meant to be a place to sit, a play spot kids can jump on and building blocks for the kids to play with. The brand describes it as "part-furniture and part-toy," which seems about right.

Essentially it's four foam pieces that arrive compressed in a box. The Nugget usually ships within three days of you ordering it, so there's no long wait. As soon as possible, you'll want to unpack the parts and let them bounce back to their natural shape and size. It can take several weeks for them to fully expand but your kids can begin to play right away.

The four foam pieces are: a thicker base that is creased to bend or fold in half, a slimmer cushion that is also creased to bend or fold in the middle, and two triangle wedges. Each Nugget has these same components, though the couch comes in more than 15 different colors and several different fabrics. More on that below!

Lay the base open and flat on the floor, layer the 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.

After our Good Housekeeping Institute parenting pros tested The Nugget and reviewed input from consumer testers, we felt confident naming it one of the best couches for kids. Though it is a little pricey, it's a great value for the amount of use a family can get out of it. It's a couch that can be a reading spot and an extra bed for a sleepover, but more than that, it can be an obstacle course or a fort or whatever your child's imagination wants it to be.

The Nugget is 66 inches wide, able to easily fit three kids across and four kids if they don't mind sitting a little close together. From the floor to the seat is just under 9 inches so it's very 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 of The Nugget is open-cell polyurethane foam, which is both 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 fabric (tested to be sure it doesn't emit any harmful chemicals). It's covered in a synthetic performance fabric, with options for varying textures and colors. A big part of why we like it is that the fabric covers unzip and can go in the washing machine, with cold water. You should hang them to dry to prevent any shrinking. The fabric has proved durable for our Lab pros over time.

You can buy Nugget cover sets separately (at $119 to $149 a set) if you want to change the look of your Nugget or if you somehow really damage your existing fabric. You can also buy waterproof liners to shield the foam from accidents and spills (though note, this does not make it weatherproof for the outdoors).

Side handles make it easy to drag the lightweight cushions from a playroom to a bedroom or a living room. Because you can disassemble the pieces, you can also store the entire thing under a bed if needed. But you're more likely to end up "borrowing" The Nugget for yourself as it's even roomy and comfortable enough for the grown-ups.

One of our testers immediately 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!

We note that some Nugget competitors sell extra foam blocks, and we wish The Nugget would do the same, to expand the play value. As it is, you only have the option of buying a second Nugget, which seems like a lot to ask if all you want are a few smaller shapes.

The Nugget play couch ranges from $249 for a microsuede version to $269 for one in luxe double-brushed microsuede or retro corduroy. Since families regularly pay more than $300 for a sofa or daybed or especially a sleeper sofa, the fact that The Nugget can function as any of those is already pretty sweet. Throw in all of the play opportunities and it is looking really good.

Shipping is included in the price for the contiguous United States. For Alaska and Hawaii, you'll pay $49 per Nugget. For Canada shipping addresses, you'll pay $59 for a Nugget. There's a free 30-day trial, and if you're not happy, you'll need to contact the company for next steps. The trial period only applies to your first Nugget purchase of one or two couches (not three or more) and to orders sent to United States addresses (not Canada).

Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director Rachel Rothman, a mom of three kids ages 7 and younger, says, "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 their own 'creations' like a pretend rocket ship, or they play 'gym' where they turn the cushions into slides or tumbling mats. Sometimes, when we all need a rest, they just use The Nugget to rest and snuggle."

We've got more Nugget couch ideas below, but remember that it's also an extra sleep spot. "We've used it in a pinch as an extra sleeping bed for a friend or when the kids want to bunk up together," Rothman says.

If you Google "Nugget couch ideas," you'll find loads of inspiration for all the different configurations you can build and how to use the cushions in fun and surprising ways. A consumer tester in Virginia told us, "The idea of imagining all the different 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 new things. They got so proud and pumped when their 'plan' worked."

Adds Lexie Sachs, our Good Housekeeping Textiles, Paper & Apparel Lab Executive Director and a mom of two, "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."

A few Nugget set-ups you can challenge your kids to try:

• Gymnasium: Lay the mats out flat for tumbling on or jumping over.

• Fort or playhouse: Fold up the mats into a three-dimensional square.

• 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!

The Good Housekeeping Institute has been providing expert reviews and advice on everything that families need for more than a century. Chemists, engineers, scientists and dietitians work in our New York City Lab to evaluate products, and we also test with our consumer panelists and collect their feedback. The end result is easy-to-reference lists such as the best drip coffee makers and our comparison of the Shark vs. Dyson vacuums.

Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director Rachel Rothman puts her training in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics to work by researching, testing and writing about parenting products and toys. As a mom to three kids age 6 and younger, she's also personally tested many of the products in real life too. She's a Play Ambassador for the Toy Association and sat on the ASTM toy safety committee for more than a decade. She has been a judge for the Good Housekeeping Parenting Awards and the Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards since their inceptions.

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 sippy cups.

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 (she/her) is the chief technologist and executive technical director at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she oversees testing methodology, implementation and reporting for all GH Labs. She also manages GH’s growing research division and the analysis of applicants for the GH Seal and all other testing emblems. During her 15 years at Good Housekeeping, Rachel has had the opportunity to evaluate thousands of products, including toys and cars for GH’s annual awards programs and countless innovative breakthroughs in consumer tech and home improvement.

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