Child sleeps on a mattress on the floor

[Ovenpizzasarerank]

Went for dinner and a playdate with my Ds new friend. Mum is very nice, child lovely. Ds called me upstairs to show me his friends lego building and his bed was a mattress on the floor, is this normal? Mum very bohemian, house very messy and not well looked after-I am not judging and these things don't bother me, my house needs painting and some new furniture, so I get it, but is a mattress as a bed ok?

'Complete chaos' is, no food in the fridge or cupboards, random people coming and going, low school attendance and no daily routine, unwashed clothes and no personal hygiene, emotional neglect and drink / drug abuse, not a mattress on the floor of an otherwise well cared for child.

You say you're not judging but clearly are. A mattress on the floor is in and of itself unnoteworthy.

Becsuse one of the first things she chevkd id thst he has sheets and covers
The Op said there was no sheet
.

We sleep on a mattress on the floor. It's very comfortable and not mouldy. It's a pine floor and there is air under the boards, though I don't give it much thought-

His bed might have been stripped to wash his sheet etc. I often do this in the morning and only remember or get round to putting clean bedding on, at bedtime.
We had a mattress on the floor for a few years when the dc were little as we co slept. It didn’t get mouldy, I turned it often but it was on bare, ancient floorboards with gaps so that might have helped.

Reading comprehension is important. A previous poster suggested they may be concerned about more than just your childs bed, as they really cannot frame a mattress on the floor as neglect.

Why do you think that? Korean and Japanese floor mattresses are rolled up during the day (because futons left permanently on the floor encourage mould, just like western mattresses) and have bedding/covers so people aren't sleeping directly on a rarely cleaned mattress or comforter.

Floor beds are very common - I thought they’d be very popular on MN.

One of my DC had a mattress on the floor for years.
She would never sleep in an actual bed (I tried many different types) and felt it couldn’t do her any good sleeping on the hard floor so used to put her mattress on the floor.
She didn’t go back in her bed and it took up her whole bedroom having the bed frame and a mattress next to it.
I decided to get rid of the frame so she had more room to play and then bought a different bed a couple years later when she was ready for one.

I’ve also had periods where I’ve slept on the mattress on the floor when my bed has broken or I get rid of it before a new one comes.

I wouldn’t be too worried about a lack of bedsheet - I rarely take one off and put one on at the same time.
I’ll take them all off and put them back on later on.

Everyone using floor beds - are you doing it without a sheet?

@x2boys
The op wasnt there to 'check" anything.

As she was there as a guest, she was probably there long enough to use the bathroom and see the kitchen. She has said nothing other than its cluttered and a bit messy, and she's had a brief glimpse into the bedroom of a child she had stated is cared for.

Does it have slats underneath. If not it can get mouldy which is gross. One of my twins is on a mattress on slats on the floor for a low bunk bed, she absolutely loves it (like a den -- she's ND) but always with clean bedding, sheets changed regularly etc. So it depends really!

No but the lack of bedding would be
Which you sppear yo have missed
If you are going to throw insults around abouf reading comprehesion you should probably make sure you have read it properly yourself

How do you know the mattress isn't aired every day and the sheet wasn't in the wash?

No, because they're aired well so aren't a ventilation issue.

There is a greater susceptibility to damp issues in British homes from old housing stock/ maintainence, a cool damp climate and if the mattress is directly on the floor and unchecked, rather than on a futon base or lifted regularly, then damp can be a problem. If bed poverty is the cause rather than an informed lifestyle choice, it's also likely that the house is underheated and prone to damp problems.

The mattress itself is not necessarily a problem, but inadequate bedding, damp/ mould, poor maintaince and upkeep combined are. Ultimately are the child's physical needs being met to keep them safe and healthy and is that sleeping arrangement helping or hindering?

I would be more concerned about the lack of an under sheet. Sleeping on a bare mattress isn’t very hygienic.

My eldest slept on a mattress on the floor for about a year when he was 14/15. He had a bed, but he was struggling at school and had autistic burnout and threw his mattress on the floor. He tipped the bed frame on its side and placed blankets over it to create a sort of den around the mattress. He said it made him feel safe and he liked the feeling of ‘smallness’, so we just let him get on with it. The mattress didn’t go mouldy as some have suggested here.

You said she comes across bohemian. Could she follow Montessori? Floor beds follow this.

For goodness sake not all houses are damp!

The mattress may be stored on it's side every morning for all we know and aired well 🤷‍♂️

It doesn't sit well with me, and smacks of poor care. I would never have stuck my DC on a mattress on the floor, with no bedding and just a throw chucked over it. I know a few bohemian people and they certainly never let their children live/sleep like this.

Once again we have the parallel universe of Mumsnet though, where posters claim that many people they know do this. 🙄

Most people don't!

It's never about the bed or the equipment.

You can put slats on the floor beneath the mattress to allow air flow. You probably wouldn’t see this. I did this when my youngest was a baby and I slept on a mattress on slats on the floor to co sleep.

My 13 yo recently had a mattress on the floor in his room for about 2 weeks when we got rid of the bunk bed but he didn't want to have the bed we already had from his older siblings.

OP what is your concern? A good quality mattress will last a few years if placed directly on the floor. Not everyone wants to splash out in the loft bed base and it could also have been an interim solution.

I would not be concerned unless they were sleeping on a camp roll up mat or an inflatable (I'd have offered them a mattress in that case)

PS some people/children just like or need to sleep low down esp if they move a lot, my eldest son used to constantly fall out of bed even at 7+ so we put his bed frame on the floor for a bit (removing head and foot boards)

Or better still be open and honest with the mum and chat to her about it rather than going undercover.

Just read that people mention no bedding ...
when we resorted to mattresses on the floor they had full bedding and mattress protectors etc just no bed (slats in some cases)

My youngest sleeps on a day bed and we often take the cover and sheet off in the day so it can be used as a sofa. So I'd just presume it was something like that - that the mum thought with having a friend round, they might be sitting or bouncing on the mattress, hence the throw rather than bedsheets. I wouldn't presume neglect.

I’m currently co sleeping on a mattress on the floor with our 14 month old (despite a very luxurious king size bed and mattress and cot with mattress in the same room!) as it’s the only way I’d get any sleep!!

Husband is in our older child (5 year old) room on a mattress himself whilst she has a floor bed. Sounds ridiculous that have beds with mattresses which aren’t being used due to sleeping arrangements which work better! We are both neat freaks so very tidy house etc.

I’d say as long as child was looked after, mattress looked clean with clean sheets etc then it’s not a big deal. Some people have different priorities. She may also be co sleeping at times with her child.