Is it safe to let a toddler nap on a 10-year-old couch?
Use caution. Older polyurethane foam furniture can contain flame retardants, and children get more exposure from dust and hand-to-mouth contact.
Short answer
Use caution, especially with older polyurethane foam furniture. A short couch nap is not an emergency. The pattern to avoid is daily toddler naps on old foam cushions with dust, crumbs, and direct skin contact.
Older couches can contain organophosphate flame retardants, older brominated flame retardants, and plasticizers. These chemicals can move from foam into dust and onto hands.
What the research says
A 2024 Chemosphere study tested upholstered furniture and children's consumer products before and after California flame-retardant rules changed. Pre-regulation upholstered furniture foam had a median flame-retardant concentration of 41,600 mg/kg, while post-regulation foam was much lower. The authors wrote that exposure should decrease as older treated products are replaced.
A 2021 Indoor Air study modeled exposure from upholstered furniture and found that children had about 2x higher average daily flame-retardant dose than adults, mainly because of hand-to-mouth behavior and contact with dust.
What to do at home
Put a washable GOTS organic cotton blanket or cotton sheet over the couch before toddler naps. Wash it often. Vacuum cushions and nearby floors with a HEPA vacuum. Wash hands before snacks. If the couch has crumbling foam, a strong chemical smell, or a flame-retardant label from before 2014, make it a sitting spot for adults, not a regular toddler nap spot.