i agree that the whites and off-whites show soil too fast. but for a special quilt or to show off very fine handstitching, there's nothing like white. my opinion only.
i would never use any pale color for a child's quilt until he/she stopped dragging it around and was out of diapers. i would also never handstitch a baby quilt. , but there are lots of members who do. i would certainly do it for a tidy 10 or 12 year old. i don't want to see my effort made into a tent or being thrown around at other children (which i have) to play tug-o-war. so i generally use color coordinates for quilts unless they're special.