Sofa bed for everyday use.? Or silly idea.

[JaffacakesAreCakesNotBiscuits]

We're in a 2 bed property. A 1 Yr of dd. 13yr old ds. Dd is in with us at the moment and when older she can go in ds room to sleep on bottom bunk.. Toys etc elsewhere..

However thinking long term. We are HA and hcve been told the wait will be approx 5 years.

Dsd is 6 and is here often.. She stays on bottom, Bunk currently.
Obviously over time that's not a good Solution.

We can't afford to. Rent private.. Plus I have massive fears of doing so after previous bad experiences.

We love our home. We did think about a sofa bed in lounge for us.. And using our room for the girls. But wondering if that would be a faff after a while.

Any experience..? If so what's a good. Every day sofa bed.?

It's probably fine. I've been looking for new sofas recently and have decided to buy sofa beds as they are really useful. I've seen some lovely ones online. Maisons du Monde and Wayfair do some really nice ones.

I would say that your children absolutely need their own rooms. Do you really expect a 16 year old boy to share a room with a toddler? That's really unfair. They need their own space and privacy so yes, you should give the kids your room and you sleep in the living room.

I have slept on a lot of sofa beds and never come across one I'd happily sleep on every day.

I get that the sleeping arrangements for your children aren't ideal, but I do not think that you sleeping on a sofa bed in the lounge is a long-term solution, either. How big are the rooms? Could the larger one be divided up at all, with you in the smaller one if necessary?

You can't put a little girl in with a teenage boy

In your case I would sleep in the living room and give the girls your room.

Been there done that....stupidly, several times.

Unless you can afford a very expensive one, don't bloody do it and even then, think twice.

I ended up in constant unrelenting pain due to sleeping on those buggers.

They tend to fall apart quickly too.

I'd sleep on the floor before I'd sleep on one every night again.

Can you get a mattress that you can somehow put away somewhere when not needed? Clutching at straws for you

Ikea do a really good sofa bed which is not expensive and is really easy to fold. It’s called Nyhamn. The reason it’s comfortable is that it’s not one of those pull out sofa beds - it’s basically a proper mattress that folds in half. And you can store your bedding underneath it during the day. I highly recommend it.

My husband has had to sleep the last six weeks on one downstairs due to a leg injury. He hasn't complained (if anyone would he would!), it's the Lycksele Havet from Ikea and is suitable for every night use. We bought the most expensive mattress (you can choose from three) and added a mattress topper for extra comfort. Not a great sofa as no arm rests but it's in our play room. It's also a double bed size. Think they have a new every night one with arm rests out recently. Alternatively would a triple bunk be an option ( either a double and single on top or triple bunk as in three singles? Think I've seen them on Wayfair in the kids bunk beds section.

Here it is: www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/sofas-armchairs/sofa-beds-chair-beds/nyhamn-sofa-bed-with-triple-cushion-with-foam-mattress-knisa-grey-beige-spr-89247692/

I promise i don’t work for Ikea! You can make it look more pretty by putting a big throw on it!

There are some from Ikea which I would avoid heavily.

Can't remember the name of what I last had, it was a daybed.

Ikea has some good ones, one looks like a regular sofa with a sticking out bit and you can pull a part out and it fills the gap in the L shape.

Just watch for ones with not very supported slats, the daybed had those and pulled out, I wasnt as fat then as I am now but I broke several slats when it was pulled out. Definitely no sex on them.

I slept on one for a year - it was one of those big metal-framed ones where the back folds down flat, rather than a fabric sofa that unfolds. That was better for me as there weren't the horizontal joins and it felt sturdier and quite springy. Won't be right for everyone, esp if anyone had back problems, but I never had any issues. Agree that your DS needs his own space, even if it's a room divided up, rather than sharing the bunk.

Instead of searching for a sofa bed I would search for a day bed - same sort of idea but you use a proper mattress instead of the foam / upholstery things you get with a typical sofa bed.

Normally for a double, the bottom pulls out so you have two single mattresses that join to become a double (make sure they are at the same height, some are designed as two singles)

You make it up as a bed at night, then dress it as a sofa during the day with cushions.

The price differs but you can get some that are brilliant and really do look like a sofa, and obviously you can choose your own mattresses depending on personal preference

“You can’t put a little girl in with a teenage boy ”

She isn’t there all the time and of course you can. It isn’t the best situation but a lot of people can’t just magically move house.

@user1473878824 I think she was talking about the 1 year old not the 6 yer old.

Murphy bed so you don't have to make it every single day?

Could you have a bed that folds down from the wall? I've slept in one that was really comfortable. It is a fairly normal mattress instead of a folding one.

@MumOfOne92 ah okay but point still stands really. It’s not ideal but...

Thank for suggestions.
The 1 Yr old would literally only be in there to sleep.. The 6 Yr old when here is the same. Atm he's fine with it. But I know that's not gonna be the case in the future.

The thing is it took me 8 yrs bidding to get this.. When I bid I was a single mum. The bid said suitable for 1 child only.
I was no way expecting to meet someone and fall in love and have a family. Due to previous DV issues I just never expected it.

Main bedroom can't divide to 2 as it's quite small.
Small bedroom won't fit a double bed. It's long and narrow.. We've thought about that.

Around here the housing is terrible. Eithgrr Iver priced private rent for dives. Or long bid lists.
Someone I used to know was made homeless by landlord when sold, kept deposit etc. Council housed her, her disabled husband and 4 kids in a 2 bed.. Supposedly temp.. That was 6 yrs ago.. :(

So it is what it is and I'm grateful I have a roof over our heads. An OK area. Local to everything we need and good schools. I'm trying to do the best thing for the kids for now.

Thanks again

Sorry about the typos.

I have to agree that Nyhamn is probably the most comfortable sofa bed we have tried, and you can also get covers for it that will hide it being a bed - it is pretty big though and theres no 'arms' for when its a sofa

if you have space for a corner sofa, the FRIHETEN is ok too www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/sofas-armchairs/sofa-beds-chair-beds/friheten-corner-sofa-bed-with-storage-skiftebo-dark-grey-spr-09133543/

I think a sofa bed would be the best solution given your circumstances OP. Get the best you can afford.

I think in the long-run it would be best for your children to have both bedrooms, rather than trying to squeeze three kids of such varying ages into one small bedroom.

Is the lounge completely enclosed from the kitchen and front door? That helps if it is.

How about a day bed? The Ikea Hemnes makes into a double, with two single mattresses that stack on top of each other when it's not pulled out. I think there is room for bedding underneath and you can leave it made with a throw chucked on top, although you would have to slide it out and slide the mattress over each night.

If you go for an ikea day bed make sure you try out the mattresses first. We got dd one and it was pretty uncomfortable. The beds are European sizes though so tricky to match up. What about a wall bed?