We need more space - Mattress on the floor ?

[BabiesEverywhere]

Our King size bed is getting a bit crowded with my DH and I (not feather weights), toddler DD and baby DS.

I was debating about moving our kingsize bed to the spare room. Move the double mattress from the spare room to our room(put double frame in attic) and buy another double mattress and have two doubles mattress on the floor next to each other to give us a bit of space.

We can't afford the alternative of buying a bigger bed !!! and if this idea works we would move back to the kingsize bed once the children were out of our room.

Does anyone sleep on a mattress on the floor ? Is it comfy or are we going to have problems with drafts and/or the mattress moving apart at night (possibly swallowing a toddler !?!)

Or any other suggestions welcome.

Why dont you put your children in their own beds?

Why not just put a single bed next to your bed? Then no worries about climbing in and out of bed. And your toddler will need a single bed anyway, so there's no extra cost.

I think you find it drafty, and the mattresses would part and someone woudl end up in the crack.

I assume you want to continue co sleeping for a while? otherwise I would say put the toddler into her own bed?

bedside cot for a bit more space for the baby?

The crack thing could be a bit dangerous for a small child - and it does seem to happen with mattresses pushed together.
If you do have some money at a later date my bed was from ikea for about £200 with mattress nand is super kingsize and very low to the floor.
I think a cot with the side taken off is a good alternative or maybe a single mattress next to your bed that you got on later in the night?

Hi BabiesEverywhere (we 'talked' a little while ago - how is the whole bedtime thing going now by the way?)

We sleep on mattresses on the floor - double for ds, me and then dd (actually I say mattress but this is actually the sofa-bed futon from Ikea - the mega cheap one - with an extra 'rollmattress' on top to make it more comfy), and next to it a single mattress for dh. We put a small bookcase next to dh's mattress to stop it straying away (and so it goes wall, double, single and bookcase from left to right).

Drafts are not a problem for us, but maybe a test run would let you know if there were any draughty areas and could block them somehow?

When our 4 year old wakes in the night, we drag his old cotbed mattress in and he sleeps on the floor next to our bed. This avoids the inevitable irritation when he kicks us the ribs and deters him from deciding it is time for a chat. But he is happy and it gives him the security he wants.

It might be good "next step" for your toddler if the is on his way to his own room at some point anyway . And you could keep the baby in the bed with you for the time being.

A cotbed mattress costs £40-100. Hope it helps.

The trouble with it is that air needs to circulate, or you may have a problem with damp, dust in the carpets that sort of thing.

Personally I'd get out and sleep in the spare room. On my own. With no toddler fidgeting. Mmmmm I'd take the baby with me if he needed feeling, and I absolutely had to

feeling? No, feeding surely?

We do have a bedside cot attached to my side of the bed for DS, who cries until removed from it....so it is mainly a storage space for cloth nappies and reading books ;)

DD has been in her own room since being 6 months old and in her own bed since being 18 months old. But since the arrival of her 5 month old baby brother has started waking at night and not settling back in her own bed.

I did think about moving her bed into our room but I am trying to encourage her to sleep in her own room and her bed is far too low compared with our high bed. I doubt a standard single would line up right either, our current bed frame is very high.

I'll look at the Ikea bed though I am not sure if superkingsize will be big enough, it only gives us another foot to play with.

Thanks for asking UpSinceCrapOClock, DD is starting the night off in her own room but comes to join us half way through the night, which I think is an improvement. Wow, you have a whole lot of mattress !!! How comfy do you find it on the floor ?

Ohforfoxsake, We have no carpets, just laminate floors upstairs (one less thing to worry about)

I nurse both children, so poor DH gets kicked out if we all get too hot etc and I need my cuddles too !!!

I am not willing to push DD out of bed, as a new big sister she needs reassurance at this time and I am happy to do what she needs. She is such a sunny, confident child and so very loving towards her brother this is gold. She will not be sleeping with us at 18 years old (nor nursing either I hope) We just need to balance bed space and occupants

Well done, glad things are looking up a bit!

I'm actually perfectly happy sleeping on the floor, but then I spent most of my toddlerhood napping on a makeshift bed in the kitchen (these are my fondest memories anyway, I'm sure I didn't spend the whole day sleeping ) I find this works best for us all at the moment - obviously it's not a permanent setup (we also have wooden floors, so no worries about the carpet thing).

Well, its only temporary so why not? Might be worth investing in some industrial non-slip rug stuff to stop a gap appearing.