they are cute, but like other have said then can be a bitch, definetly not a good idea if you have a kid who will be bringing friends around.
you should go here
http://dogbreedinfo.com/searchcategories.htm they group dog breeds in groups, one that might be of particular interest to you is this group
http://dogbreedinfo.com/children.htm where you will find a dog with a similar type of look to a Chow, not quite as cute but just as fluffy
http://dogbreedinfo.com/samoyed.htm which are supposedly excellent with children