Cats and kids and a dining set  

With my first kid, we...
With my first kid, we changed some furniture because the Mies coffe table was nice, but was creating too much anxiety just with... "well, when he will get to walk..."...
So we bought a vintage Gli Scacchi, Bellini.
I have to say : Really strong and much funny !
For the sofa, of course, a 2 seats Gaetano Pesce (up design) was also perfect (the fabric is easy to look after). With the steeply-sloping seat position, confortable for both parent and kid.
Armchairs, I will recommande the artifort 300. Really nice, secure and stable. (a baby can really sleep in it).
Dinning set: We choosed a regular 50's laminate table and Eiermann armchairs. Strong laminate was the point.
To sum it up :
After more than 3 years, it sounds ok.
Of course, kids have play with all the goods we have at home... Sometime, made some dammages...
But, Why do we buy Design furniture ?
As Architecture can definitly change your perception and your meaning... I'm convinced that living and grow up with design furniture will also change your point of view for ever... and not only regarding "decoration"...

Magis Tavolo XZ3 and Eames DAW
I can recommend the Magis Tavolo XZ3 table (round, 120cm diameters) which is good for four people, six people are possible for special occasions. It's very inexpensive too. It has a white MDF top so it's perfect for kids!
We use a customized Tavolo table with maple vaneer and black coated table legs so it fits perfect to our Eames DAW chairs.
First two pictures are magazine-photographs, the third picture is our table:

Lots of choices
There are a number of great vintage tables that are very easy to live with and would not cause any undo anxiety if there is split milk or paw prints on it.
Many period tables had laminate tops that are nearly bulletproof. We lived with a Noguchi dining table for years, but there are a number of Herman Miller and Knoll pieces you could find easily and will mate well with a number of chair designs. A Saarinen tulip, an Eames table with aluminum base (easy to find cheap) designs by Nelson or Florence Knoll. Round, square, rectangular or oval, there are a lot of choices.
We have a 5 year old, a cat and a dog. My suggestion would be to not worry too much about it either. If you don't spend a fortune and take reasonable care of things, normal life may impart some wear to your furniture but it should serve you just fine.

I like that!
Just been out flying a kite, riding bikes and rolling round on the floor with my little boy like a wonderful dad.. but enough of that crap.. I really like that dining set!! I'm going to explore how to get one!

@Olive
You are sick of hearing it because it is true. They call them "dependents" for a reason and being a parent will change you in ways you will literally never know. Seems like you have some deep seated resentment.
Telling a a parent looking to child-proof his home to say "no" implies that person is a bad parent with unruly kids who cannot be controlled. Gee, I never thought of telling my children "NO" when I wanted them to stop doing something. thank you Olive for your "clueless" "non-procreator" brilliance.
I was simply asking a question based on my observations here. Have you had small children living in your home for extended periods of time? If not, then it is silly of you to be offering advice on how to discipline them and how to child-proof a home.

@Dorieg
Your response is precisely as I would have expected. You have no knowledge of how I have lived my life or whom I have lived it with. I have not birthed a child, but I have plenty of knowledge of living with them. It is not your place to judge me or anyone on this forum. I would request you restrain your parental arrogance.

So you have me all figured...
So you have me all figured out too, isn't that nice.
All you had to say was that you have lived with children. It still doesn't change the absurdity of your "no" suggestion (see my edited above comment).

A kid v. no-kid showdown!
There's no winning this fight. Shall we talk about abortion next?
Peg, good advice. You just do what you have to do and not worry.
For me, the big thing was lamps. How many times did I have to fix the lamps and say "no" about the lamps to a child too young to understand? Not many. So now we have hanging paper lamps. They look OK, and when I'm more confident, I'll get something nicer.
As a funny aside, one of the paper lanterns is ripped. It's a very clean tear. My husband confessed that he hit the lamp with his Christmas present, a remote controlled helicopter. At least they are only $6.
I've been on both sides of the kids camp, having had my kids a little later. One thing I can definitively say is, EVERY KID IS DIFFERENT!!! With my kids, it's like raising different species. It's crazy.

Dorieg
Actually, a simple "no" is not an absurd suggestion, It worked on me and two other siblings. Dorieg, Olive was just giving her opinion. If you don't like it then move on. You don't have to prove yourself to be an overly sensitive hothead.
And, yes, every kid is different. And perhaps "no" has not work for your children. But that doesn't make it a ridiculous suggestion. When my boy is of the age where he can understand, that will certainly be my first tactic to try.
I think the idea is to teach them to live within YOUR environment, rather than mold the world to their childish behaviors. Will you lose a few times? Yes. But we are here to teach them aren't we? Perhaps they don't listen to "no" because they have picked up on your unruly attitude?

There's been considerable res...
There's been considerable research on protectionist culture. That is, every movement a child or person makes must have a safety response. Such as helmets, knee pads, seat belts, anti-lock brakes, etc....
What they have found, is those who have "safety nets" are more likely to take greater and higher risk. Grand scale, would you skydive without a parachute or back-up chute? Domestic scale, would you abuse nice expensive furniture or cheap disposable Ikea furniture? How would you respond to someone other than yourself abusing either types? Around the world, we're seeing the results of recklessly high risk ventures collapsing and being rewarded with generous safety nets. What would we be experiencing now if high risk didn't have such generous safety nets?
I'm not suggesting we do away with safety nets. I am suggesting that safety or protectionism isn't always in our best interest.

whitespike...
you are going to be such an awesome dad...being a kid in your house will be a blast!
And WoofWoof...I totally agree with the 'protectionist' argument. That's my point exactly. Culturally, we expect a safety net for everything...think..."Caution this coffee beverage is hot". It's so absurd. We need to teach children to live in the world and not to expect the world to change for them! Whitespike is so right on that. Heck, my cats have brains the size of walnuts and they can understand what 'No' means. And they look at me with very guilty looks when I catch them where they know they shouldn't go!

more
I have refinished the top of my Heywood Wakefield spiderleg table twice and will have to do it one more time after my kids are done doing their homework at the table. They are 9 and 12 now and know to have a magazine underneath any writing materials. Still a couple of "notes" have shown up over time. It's easy to refinish, so don't mind doing it.
I am not as tolerant of the cat, however. Skittery claw marks are not cool and I am not happy that he thought my Thurston Lightolier table lamp was a pedestal to jump on! Picture shown in "show your lamps" thread. Sadly, I have to leave the perforated metal diffusers off so as not to tempt the cat! Once in a while I put them on for full lighting effect.
Sad to have to think about the cat when I place items in my home. One day I will be catless!!!

further
skittery claw marks on pristine vintage wood that is. Sad to have a piece that survived unscathed for 50 years scratched.
Lamp shade was mint until the incident mentioned above. Was able to repair it, but will never be "perfect" again.
One must live with these items, however and it is enjoyable to create a vintage modern environment in which to thrive. I do like things to be funtional. But cats........dang rats!

Living in harmony with cats...
They will do as they will do according to their natures. It's all about giving them what they need so that they don't destroy what you love. Check this house out...
http://www.moderncat.net/2008/10/08/unbelievable-cat-friendly-house-desi...

Customized Tavolo table XZ3
I really like the look of the customized Tavolo table and I was wondering where to get it. I only find it in black and white without veneer in the web. Could you tell where you bought it at that time? I am from Germany as well. Thanks.