Futon for 1st big bed?

[monkeytrousers]

Are futons suitable for toddlers? We're thinking of ditching the cot and was worried about him falling out of bed so wondered if a futon would be better?

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They are very very very very uncomfortable, I had one many many years ago and will never ever have another one.

agree with FB - they aren't always the most comfortable of things....we use our old one as a 'spare bed'...

The matresses are not actually matresses, just some kind of lumpy wadding. Not suitable at all IMO. You can buy bed rails and guards, JojoMamanBebe do them.

sil has one both for her and her dp and her son

it's what you're used to I guess. People around the world don't all sleep on sprung mattresses like we expect to

We had a double futon in our spare room which we used for ds2 when we finally ditched the cot. He didn't use the cot and was in our bed which was getting to be a right pain as none of us were sleeping well. It got him used to his room, but I ended up spending many nights on the futon with him - it was really uncomfortable for me so it probably was for him too! We then got him his own single bed (full size, not toddler bed), with a bed rail. Fantastic! My advice would be go for the bed option, not a futon.

HTH

I'm with Bramblina, the mattresses are rubbish, completely unsuitable.

DD moved into a 'big bed' at 2yo. We bought a proper single sized metal framed one with a head and foot board (so just open at the sides). The bed was in a corner, against 2 walls (head end and left hand side) and we just bought a Tomy bedguard for the open side. She has been fine in it ever since (nearly 4 now). We moved house in April of this year and DD's bed now sits in the room with just the head end against the wall, we have kept the bedguard on the one side and left the other side open, no probs as yet.

Oh and btw, if you buy a bedguard and don't like the fabric covering, making a slip cover for it is REALLY basic stuff, very easy and it does improve the slightly utilitarian feel of the thing.

no, for reasons already given.

also bedwetting could be nightmare too..

why would bedwetting be a nightmare?

do futons repel protective sheets?

no but if you had any leaks...the stuffing would hold onto any liquids & would be v hard to clean

picking them up may be an issue too..and cracking your ankles on them (or is that just me...

In the UK futons are very hard- in japan they are much softer and would make perfect first beds. Don't know if you can get the proper japanese ones here though.
My dd slept on a single matress on the floor between 18 months and 2.5. She was fine

I have slept on a futon for the last 20 years (god I'm so old!) and am intending on my DS having a futon for his first bed. IMHO you need to spend enough on a decent mattress first and foremost and secondly put it directly on to the floor or else a proper mat or solid base - they are often uncomfortable if on slats or cheaply made. would recommend mattress protectors though as very dense and impossible to get accidents out of.

We only ever sleep on futons here. DH wasn't used to them before I moved over, now he complains about excessively soft beds, everywhere else he sleeps.

Harder surfaces are better for your back, from what I know. I wouldn't be without a futon.

We have ours on a normal slatted bed. It's quite a thick, good-quality futon. With a cheaper one, you'd feel the slats, or have to have a solid base bed, which seems warmer to me.

DS1 has (of course) a thick, good-quality futon on a slatted base. Works fine. Has a proper cover.

A futon on the floor is a fine solution, although maybe a bit dusty? I slept on a futon on the floor (or a thin foam pad on the floor!) for years.

I have slept on a futon for the last 10 years and would highly recommend them... it is the usual case of you get what you pay for... the ones that make sofas are not a good futon and are really lumpy so when they are unrolled they make a crap bed...

We bought a proper 7 layer futon (think 7 can not remember that long ago) from a proper futon shop and it is fantastic -- it needs to be maintained by turining it over every month but not much hassle ... I have never ever had backache even when pregnant with both my 10lb babies and am sure that it is due to the great support I get from the futon...

will get one for my kids when they are older as think they are good for them, fun as well...

I've taken the front of the cot off and put down a mattress just in front of it for the time being. We're moving soon so I wasn't sure if to buy one.

Think I'll just go with the mattress on the floor. Thanks all!

You can get good quality futons you just have to pay more. DS1 sleeps on one, because he started refusing to sleep in his bed and would just curl up on the floor. He loves his futon. He wets the bed every day, not a problem if you have waterproof sheets,and kylies. None's ever got onto the futon.

I live in Japan now (husbands Japanese). At the midwife clinic where Im having my baby, mums co-sleep with newborns on foutons. A lot of people here dont have beds at home, so they definitely continue using foutons for babies, toddlers, children and then on into adult-hood. I would guess that they are safer than beds, regarding cot-death. BUT, when I moved here, we only had a fouton in our flat and I found I wasnt getting a proper nights sleep. I forced my husband to buy us a bed, and now even he admits its much much nicer than a fouton.

Sorry "futons"