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In terms of kid safety, you want a table that will survive the “topple effect.” Meaning you should avoid big wide tops on a slim middle core. Be sure that if a child grabs an edge -- or, as kids will, tries to sit on it -- the table will remain balanced under the weight. So look for tables with four sturdy legs on the edges, or for tables that run from top to floor all the way around, like a solid ottoman. Also, choose a table with rounded edges. “Natuzzi makes beautiful white lacquer coffee tables that are so low to the ground, you don’t have to worry about them getting under it and nailing their head on the corner,” says new mom Susan, who lives in Battery Park City in New York. “And I have a circular table, so I don’t have to worry about the edges.” (Check out natuzzi.co.uk for styles.) Finally, consider the life of the table. Avoid soft woods that will dent, and glass tops that can either chip, or just leave you cleaning the dang thing 12 times a day thanks to one unstoppable kid feature: fingerprints.

-- Amy Spencer

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