Carpet or Wood floors?

Question

I have a 3 month old who will start rolling around on my floors very soon. I want to put new something down because the thought of her crawling and sucking on someone else filth grosses me out. Should I choose carpet or wood floors? I know each has their own benefit. I have had both but not with a baby. Which would you recommend?

Answer 1

If you have no pets, I would go wood.

I have both but I have 3 cats and a dog and the wood floors are more of a pain to clean, because all the little hairs fly around on the floor and I have to vacumm or wet cloth it several times a week.

Answer 2

I would recommend wood floors. Although if she falls it may hurt a little more but the thought of all the things carpet hold I  think it would be much cleaner and safer for her to have wood floors. Plus it help bring the value of your house up ;)

Answer 3

I would suggest wood.  Carpet just collects so much dust and dirt.  

Answer 4

I'd go with wood because it looks better and is good for the value of your house, but I don't think it much matters. People are way too worried about germs today... kids have grown up for years safely. In fact, a few germs early on is supposed to be good for kids - see here:

http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_section_...

I'd say let common sense rule. Wood with rugs over it, as long as you keep the rugs relatively clean, would probably be the best, but don't sweat it either way. Do whatever you can reasonably afford - it's not worth getting yourself in debt or a tizzy over.

Answer 5

I would put wood because its easier to clean if the baby spills something, also it increases the value of your home alot more than carpet. Its more sanitary, you can keep it clean alot better.

Answer 6

The answer is neither, carpets harbour all the dirt that you are worried about, wood is expensive and with the wrong sort, you can get slipping and breakages from dropped objects, the answer is to fit linoleum, many are non slip, are easy clean, and the best part is that lino is an antiseptic in its own way, being antibacterial, by its very nature, and most of all it is a lot less expensive, and easily cleaned if the baby makes a mess or decides to paint anything it should not  

Answer 7

I'm going through the same dilemma at the moment. I'm ripping up the old carpet in my house tomorrow so i can lay down new carpet on monday, all before my baby arrives in 6 weeks.

i had a tough choice as well as i was hoping for wood floors, but in the end i figured out that they will become slippery when there washed and bubs can easily slip when crawling, walking and running later on in life, as well as if you do wear high heels or drop anything heavy they leave indentations on the floor. also less comfortable for bubs to lay on even with a blanket or something on the floor

then i though about tiles but they have the same problem with the slipperiness later on as well, and the comfortness

thats why i chose carpet, its soft, wont hurt bubs, wont be slippery later on and will most likely last a bit longer ( not much) than wood floors.

hope it helps it took me about 2 weeks to decide what we wanted in our house and i think we will be pretty happy with the result

Answer 8

I have wood floors, but make sure they have a bounce to them, as when they fall they wont hurt themselves,,

Answer 9

wood rock

Answer 10

With our first 2 we had all carpet flooring.  It was new and clean but it was hard to keep clean, held in a lot of dust and other allergens.  Right before our third child it was time to get new floor coverings.  We went with hard wood floors.  In the living room we put down the big area rug that could easily be taken outside and cleaned and allowed to dry outdoors.  I personally found the hard wood floors to be a lot better.  No carpet burns from scooting across the floor, you can get a dry mop and go over the floor to get the dust and a damp one for spills.  The kids could play with toy cars etc. easier because they actually roll better on the wood than carpet.  If the baby spits up on them grab a damp cloth and wipe it up, no scubbing the carpet to get the stain out.  Now we have went through and placed wood flooring in all the rooms and the house looks so much cleaner.  You can buy the Dyson vacumn cleaners and they work great at vacumning hard wood floors as well as the area rug and hard wood will add more value to the home than carpets.

Answer 11

Wood.  Carpet is a collection place for dirt and allergens etc.

Answer 12

I have had both as well.  I think it all depends on weather and climate control inside your home.  If you are in an area or home that stays cold, I would go with the carpet.  It would help keep the baby warm while rolling around on the floor.  However, if your baby is prone to allergies and asthma, then the hardwood could be a better choice.  I would go with hardwood and then a nice size area rug.  Rugs are more convenient to replace than carpet when they get old and dirty.  You can even put a pad (non-skid) to give it a softer cushion!  Best of luck with your decision, but the most fun will be seeing your baby grow and play!  I have enjoyed seeing my twins go from rolling, crawling, and then walking...to now RUNNING!

Answer 13

Wood flooring, easy to mop up spills and dribbles, no dustmites to cause allergies and great for toys with wheels. You can always have a carpet again when she is older.