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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask... if you were a guest in someone's home would you

178 replies

monkeymamma · 14/05/2017 20:47

prefer to sleep on:

a) a futon (e.g. posh Futon Company style one)

b) a day bed (e.g. IKEA Hemnes) with decent mattress

c) a traditional fold-out sofa bed

I am veering towards option B because the mattress would be firm and supportive rather than the foam options that the traditional fold-out sofa offers.

We would use it 2-3 times a year, the main people using it will be 70+ (and one has back problems) so the more comfortable we can make it the better.

It's to go in our playroom, so as a sofa to sit on it doesn't need to be wildly comfortable (we have other sofas for sitting on).

I'd prefer something compact to maximise space for playing. Don't mind spending more if anyone has ideas beyond the above but I don't want a big old sofa that takes up loads of space.

IABU to put this in AIBU I know. Especially as this topic has been done before just not very recently.

Thanks for reading.

OP posts:

exaltedwombat · 15/05/2017 18:19

Some people would have trouble adjusting to a futon. Though it's probably the best solution. Why not have one available anyway? Doesn't have to be a 'designer' one.

Craigie · 15/05/2017 18:20

FFS, don't get that Hemnes daybed. It's fine for a little kid, but HORRIFIC to sleep on as an adult. Get a proper sofa bed with a metal frame & a decent mattress.

Spoog1971xx · 15/05/2017 18:23

Day bed. Futons are only OK in Japan and sofa beds get musty

Devonishome1 · 15/05/2017 18:23

Troubleinstore · 15/05/2017 18:26

I've slept on a futon - never again
I've slept on a hemnes day bed - very nice sleep
I've slept on a foam sofa bed - never again
I've slept on a sprung sofa bed - very nice sleep
hope this helps

Penndragon · 15/05/2017 18:28

If its for an older person then I think a bed height as high as possible is most important so they can get out of it easily. And can sit down on it easily when they are getting dressed/ putting on their socks/shoes

strikhedonia · 15/05/2017 18:29

what's wrong with an Hemnes? Its base is made of wooden slats, and even the basic mattresses are comfortable but you can get a bigger and softer one if you prefer. It's quite comfy. It's much harder to find a decent sofa bed which doesn't fold the wrong way.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 15/05/2017 18:30

We often sleep on an IKEA daybed at a friend's house. It's a big double but I really don't like it because of a) having to clamber over Dh to get out to go to the loo, and b) because my side is up against the wall there's no proper bedside table or light - essentials for me. None his side, either, but he's not so bothered. Friend had a proper spare dbl bed before and what possessed her to get shot of it and replace with this I can't imagine, except that she's a mite obsessed with all things Ikea.

For one person I think it'd be OK, but it's very low, maybe too low for anyone elderly with mobility problems.
If it were me I'd be inclined to go for a good sofa bed. For 2 people they can feel small, though.

strikhedonia · 15/05/2017 18:36

with all due respect, why don't you swap side with your husband?

(you made good points, just wondering!)

Shockers · 15/05/2017 18:36

Is it for one person? If so, a day bed. DD has one from Laura Ashley... it is possibly the most comfortable bed on the planet.

QuintessentialShadow · 15/05/2017 18:38

B.
Hemnes, because it is flexible, single or double. It has storage underneath. With a nice bed cover and cushions, it is a really nice bed for reading, and sharing books/stories. The guest room will be a nice cosy space.

Pick a great mattress and you are all set.

We chose the mattresses Ikea suggests to go with the bed, and we cut one of them in half lengthwise, so we can extend the bed half way out till 120, rather than all the way. We ordered a memory foam mattress topper online to use with it. It is very comfortable.

Shockers · 15/05/2017 18:39

DD is 18 and taller than me btw.

BluePeppers · 15/05/2017 18:51

B
Because all the sofa bed I have ever slept in in the UK were the most unconfortable things ever.
Oh don't even try to use them as double beds!!

susurration · 15/05/2017 18:54

B every time. Futon and sofa bed types give me awful backache because they are so unsupportive.

totallyliterally · 15/05/2017 18:54

B - love the Ikea hernmes day bed. We sleep on one as a guest and it's lovely

Kalinka16 · 15/05/2017 18:56

We have a futon which is incredibly comfy to sleep on. However this year, both parents and IL's (all over 70) have separately said that they have trouble getting in and out/off of it, so we've offered them our bed and we've had the futon. So I'd suggest something higher off the floor for your older relatives, if they're the prime users.

hellokittymania · 15/05/2017 19:12

Alanna1 · 15/05/2017 19:12

I've had and slept on all of these and its a B for me. We have the ikea hemnes. It's really pretty good (& not even for the price). Sometimes I sleep on it to escape the wrigglers! And can be used as a single or a double. And good storage underneath.

ohtheholidays · 15/05/2017 19:17

B all the way!

We got one for my Dad when he last came out of hospital because he could no longer climb the stairs and it's been really comfortable for him,he said it's just like a normal bed.

I'm disabled and anything but B would more than likely leave me in pain.

Jem55 · 15/05/2017 19:22

We have a sprung sofa bed in the conservatory which I sleep on in summer so I can stargaze while I'm lying there. It is really really comfortable.

Lovelymess · 15/05/2017 19:31

B would be preferable but C would be fine if you really want to save space

Nomorechickens · 15/05/2017 19:35

My daughter had a high end futon, it was very comfortable to sleep on but incredibly bulky, awkward to get out and put away and the mattress weighed a ton. And it took up lots of room when folded. And was the wrong shape to sit on. Now she has an air bed which she says is fine but it's really not, it's hellishly uncomfortable and cold.
It must be possible to design a guest bed which is comfortable, convenient and doesn't take up too much room when not in use, but as far as I can tell nobody has managed it yet
We had an amazing sofa bed but it was expensive and very bulky. The spring mechanism was a bit lethal too. The sort that just have foam cushions that fold out onto the floor are pretty awful.
A memory foam mattress topper will add comfort to most mattresses (if you have room to store it, or can store it on the bed)

AnathemaPulsifer · 15/05/2017 19:43

I think the Hemnes day bed would be too low for the over 70s. I think option D, the aerobed linked by a PP that inflates to the size and height of a real bed.

thenovice · 15/05/2017 19:45

A is no good for older people as they struggle to get down to and up from it! My mum and I nearly died laughing at her attempts
I'd go B so long as it is long enough.

LaLegue · 15/05/2017 20:08

Not a futon. Futons are dreadful. You may as well make them sleep on a a pile of pebbles.

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