Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Original poster

AP's bed is not comfortable enough...

53 replies

NewTeacher · 04/11/2009 17:45

Hi there

My AP complained to me today that her bed is not comfortable enough as she sleeps on her tummy and she says she can feel the springs through it.

Odd, I thought as the bed was bought new from Argos 2.5 years ago (£200 or so) and 3 other AP's have slept on it and not said anything. Its the same quality of bed I would have bought for a guest room.

I had a little lie down and I agree its not as comfortable as my own but its the same standard as those found in other people spare rooms.

I think she is expecting me to buy a new mattress what do I do?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
bigchris · 04/11/2009 17:48

i think if you can afford it and you rate her as your AP and want her to stay then yes i would
if it were a dc asking would you buy a new mattress?

nannynick · 04/11/2009 17:53

Tell her you are not running a 5-star hotel!

Could an underblanket help make the springs less able to be felt? (cost around £20) A feather mattress topper, or a memory foam topper are also possible options though are both quite costly.

Does the mattress get rotated/turned on a regular basis? Turning it over and rotating it may help.

atworknotworking · 04/11/2009 18:10

My DD likes a really squishy mattress, so being a tight git I bought a double 12tog duvet from ASDA cost £6 folded it over and popped it onto the mattress under the fitted sheet. DD loves it really squishy and bouncey. Might be worth a go.

TheFallenMadonna · 04/11/2009 18:20

I think the point about spare beds is that they aren't slept in regularly so you can get away with less IYSWIM.

This isn't a spare bed.

TheFallenMadonna · 04/11/2009 18:20

Of course, she may just be a bit 'princess and the pea'ish...

belgo · 04/11/2009 18:22

Buy her a new mattress. Feeling the springs though is very uncomfortable. She needs to be able to sleep properly to do her work properly.

bamboobutton · 04/11/2009 18:24

i think YA a bit U.

my mum has a guest bed she insists is lovely and comfortable. i think it's like sleeping on an old prison slab!

if she can feel springs i think you should replace it.

or swap it with your mattress if it's so great

belgo · 04/11/2009 18:27

You can buy mattresses without springs.

As for the 'it's not a five star hotel' comment, reading something like that would make me very angry if I was an au pair. How incredibly disrespectful.

A comfortable bed is vital to a good night's sleep and everyone deserves a good night's sleep.

catepilarr · 04/11/2009 18:49

why are you comparing a bed for an ap with a bed in a spare room?? she is there permanetly not for a week. turning over might help but she probably tried that. something like this might help but not sure www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/60163094.
i have slept on uncomfortable mattresses as an ap and it made my life miserable and gave me backaches - just because i felt i cant tell my bosses.

Weegle · 04/11/2009 18:54

I agree - it shouldn't be a spare room quality mattress - as it's in use night after night month after month - for 2.5 years so far... I think it should be one YOU are happy to sleep on night after night. You either do that by buying a new, but cheap, mattress per au pair. Or you invest in a good quality one and make sure AP's are briefed on undersheets and mattress protectors...

LynetteScavo · 04/11/2009 18:54

We bought DS a bed from Argos, and after 2 and a half years it needed a new matress. I think it's time for you to buy a new (springless) matress.

People spend a large amount of their lives in bed, (1/3 ?) so it's improtant to have a decent matress and pillow.

Original poster
NewTeacher · 04/11/2009 18:55

I see what you are saying people. BUT how much do you expect to pay for a bed for an AP then?

A new mattress is out of the question as I know the one I bought with the bed was £130 so not cheap, It was bought online so cant be tested before being bought. So what guarantee have I got that the next one wont be as bad?

Thanks for the responses. I think I will go for the mattress topper option even those arent cheap at £70.

OP posts:
hellzapoppin · 04/11/2009 19:20

Here's a mattress for less than your topper and it has no springs- so solves that problem. They are v. comfortable too.

www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90102080

(Ikea - if link doesn't work)

AvadaNuffofFireworks · 04/11/2009 19:23

Bung a duvet in between the sheet and mattress as a stop gap. Don't buy a mattress with springs, they are awful unless you are a lightweight child.

I would expect to pay the same amount for a bed for an AP as for anyone else, what an odd question. Do they not deserve a decent bed to sleep in?

LynetteScavo · 04/11/2009 19:25

TBH - I think you should provide the same standard of bed for your AP as you would your own child. When we replaced our Argos ones we went to dreams and bought a foam one. DH thinks it cost about £70. It's V' comfy, and has lasted well so far (3 years)

frakkinaround · 04/11/2009 19:38

If you expect your AP to be well rested and able to look after your children you need to be providing her with a good night's sleep.

The IKEA mattresses are very comfy, IMO.

belgo · 04/11/2009 20:01

If you can afford an au pair then you can afford to provide her with the same standard of bed as your own. You need to take her to a bed shop and let her try out the mattresses to make sure the next one is comfortable.

MrsTittleMouse · 04/11/2009 20:08

You are being unreasonable. I can remember telling my parents that my bed was uncomfortable and that I could feel the springs, but they didn't get me a new one for financial reasons. It was awful. I can't describe how it impacted my quality of life. I found myself contorting to get into a position that was the least uncomfortable, and I was a lightweight child! My parents aren't normally that arsey, so I don't know what got into them.

Anyway, the point is that you need to get her a new mattress. This isn't a spare bed that she is sleeping on once, it's her bed that she has to sleep on night after night! Having a quick lie down isn't going to replicate that.

We used to sleep on a cheap memory foam mattress from a discount bed place, by the way, and it was perfectly fine, so you don't have to spend a fortune.

Fabster · 04/11/2009 20:12

I think £130 is pretty cheap for a mattress and if she can feel the springs you must replace it. Poor girl.

I doubt a topper will help, if it was the buttons fine, but not with springs.

catepilarr · 04/11/2009 20:16

agree with others that of course the mattress for an ap should be the same as for yourselves.

Singed · 04/11/2009 20:40

We bought this mattress for DD2s bed and it's really comfy

The double is £80.

DadInsteadofMum · 04/11/2009 21:06

Was in exactly the same situation this summer, bought a new mattress straight away. No she is not expecting 5* treatment, she is expecting the same treatment as the rest of the family - au pair = on a par with.

thisisyesterday · 04/11/2009 21:11

i also think you should buy a new one
£130 really is pretty cheap for a mattress.

paisleyleaf · 04/11/2009 21:12

LynetteScavo, your post made me smile,
" DH thinks it cost about £70"
....how much was it actually then?

QuintessentialShadows · 04/11/2009 21:17

We slept on a bed I bought in a small bed shop in Seven Sisters, north london, for £75 for just about 10 years. Even though I had thrown the matress down from the 5th floor after just a years use when I moved, AND this caused the springs to well... spring!

I bougth a 5 cm thick foam materess and kept on top. Perfect!

I think you will be fine if you add a foam matress on top of what you have got. Honestly, try it!