Sleeping Arrangements... Update Post #9

[LoveOhm]

My dd and I live in a small studio guesthouse (rent-free) so financially I need/want to stay here for about another year. We have co-slept in a queen size bed (mattress on the floor) her whole life....

Recently I have been feeling we are both ready for a change in sleeping arrangements. I want her to have more space to play & I honestly we need a more organized room --- a mattress on the floor just feels like were crashing here and less like this is our special girly hide-a-way Also since the space is very small and there are two of us I really need to streamline and organize or this studio is constantly a mess.

Back to sleep arrangements I have thought of a couple options...

Option #1
Dd loves the little toddler bed when we visit Pottery Barn Kids & I think she could fit a toddler bed for possibly 2 years since she is on the small side...... If I get her a toddler bed then I could get a futon so we have seating when we don't want to be in bed (this would open up the room a little I think, given that the queen mattress eat up the floor space - it also may be a wash space wise since we would be adding the toddler bed to the mix) When we move the room for dd may be small so a toddler bed might be nice given that I have no clue what size the room will be.

Option #2
We could get a twin size or daybed with trundle to share (dd likes one of these too at PB Kids) and once we move I would not need a bed for dd for a while. (This would be a bit more expensive than the toddler bed and even futon together but would certainly last with dd for a long time - not sure how I feel about sleeping in a twin size bed but it would open up space.... seems like a good investment)

Option #3
I could get a full or queen size bed with trundle for me and dd to share. Dd could sleep on the trundle now and when I move I would still have a way for her to sleep in my room but not in my bed on nights she wants to be near me.

Option #4
Get a full or queen size bed with bed frame, etc. and continue co-sleeping but this time off the ground in a real bed until I move and have more space

[PoppyMama]

I vote daybed with the kind of trundle that can pull completely out and move about so it doesn't have to be up against the daybed for sleeping. Daybeds look really pretty and not bed like and then be a bed with little effort or maneuvering, which can get old. They have a nice, inexpensive one at IKEA that has a slide out trundle (it's like the tromso but with a fancier look and name version) but I also see them on craigslist sometimes. If you find a daybed that doesn't have a trundle with it you can measure it and order the trundle from overstock.

[DeerMother]

I'm petite and a twin is too small for me. Plus, if dd ever wanted to be in your bed, it would be soooo cramped. I voted full or queen with trundle. I'm in a full and I feel like I have enough space when one of my dc sleeps with me.

[*MamaJen*]

Could you get a bed frame for the queen mattress you already have -- something inexpensive like this: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/pr...&ci_sku=159719
and then get a toddler or crib mattress that you store under the bed during the day and pull out at night?
You probably wouldn't need the trundle frame for that, since the mattress would be lightweight enough to easily pull out on your own. And the toddler mattress should easily fit under any bed frame.
You could get both for less than $100, or even cheaper if they were lightly used.

[meemee]

how about bunk beds with lights like this http://flowerglow.com/rose-string-fairy-lights.html#

or even loft bed with futon underneath.

you can get full size loft/bunk bed. that is if you or your dd wouldnt mind sleeping on top.

if you can tolerate full then you can get cheap full bunkbed frames and CL them when you are ready to move to another sleeping arrangement.

or if your dd would like a loft bed then you could get a college twin loft bed and fit your queen mattress underneath.

[lilyka]

My girls have twin over full futon bunk beds. Ava's comes apart. I recommend something like that. You will have a futon for seating. a twin bed for your dd. a full bed for you. and when you have a bigger space you will be able to part it out as two seperate peices of furniture.

It was an investment (I think $400 for the frame and another $250 for mattresses) but now that i want it out of her room and need a couch I am really glad we got one that could come apart.

[One_Girl]

Can you get mats that fold up and go along the wall. This is what we did for a while and it was really nice to be able to have the whole floor for play.

[Theia]

I like the idea of a full or queen futon and a toddler mattress (or maybe a thin twin mattress) that you can slide under the futon when it's in couch mode. That way you can still snuggle with each other sometimes and also have your own spaces. Since space is a big deal I'd not buy a toddler bed with frame in your situation.

[LoveOhm]

Thanks so much for all your input ladies! I was consciously not responding so I could hear everyone's honest thoughts. It is interesting that before I posted this I was leaning toward Option #1 which absolutely no one voted for so I am really grateful I asked for input! I think Theia noted the reason it's not the best choice so thank you.

MamaJen, One Girl and Theia I do understand the logic behind your suggestions & they do make sense, but I really want something the feels permanent. We have been in a mattress on the floor for soooooo long (for safety reasons co-sleeping initially) and I am just really longing to have something that does not feel temporary for dd (and myself).

MeeMee and Lilyka I don't quite feel ready for dd to be in the top of a bunk bed, and the ceiling is low so I think bunk beds would eat up space in the small room. I do think a loft bed could be fun for dd when she is school age perhaps. Perhaps when is old enough to want a new bed she will ask for a loft bed and we can make a playhouse under it for her.

PoppyMama after typing out all the options, reading the responses and really looking and my current living space and moving plans for the future I do think a twin bed with trundle is the best option. I like that I would not need to buy a new bed for dd for a very long time, for now it gives us each a bed of our own and in the future (when we move) a bed for friends to spend the night! I really like this one: http://www.potterybarnkids.com/produ...eds-mattresses so I am going to see if I can budget it in for Christmas or find one similar that is a little less costly. I don't think this one pulls out all the way but that does not bother me. DeerMother I am petite too and don't love the idea of being in a twin size bed (especially the idea of co-sleeping in a twin size bed on days dd is extra cuddly) but I think the twin is the best financial investment so I am going to go try some out.... if I can't make it with the twin then I will opt for a full with trundle.

[PoppyMama]

That is super cute and so feminine. Your girly pad will be stylin'. I'm not petite in any way and I sleep with no prob on a twin. My mom sleeps on a twin. I sleep in a Cali King with DH and my youngest most of the time but my area is probably smaller than a twin. I think you'll be fine and that piece will last you forever.

[confustication]

That looks great, the other bed I would consider in that sort of a space would be a murphy bed, but they aren't usually cheap unless you can make some of it, or get a great deal. I have to admit though, if I could swing it, what you found is fabulous and it would last a long time.

[meemee]

oooh i am glad you have found an option that you like. i am sooo not showing that to my dd. she falls for anything that cute and would now want that for us.

i am petite too. and my 8 year old is almost as big as me.

we are cuddlers so dd and i still sleep on a twin. we both dont really move. if we get a bigger bed like we have now, somehow our bed gets covered with books and toys and our sleeping area gets down to twin size.

dd is so not ready yet to give up cosleeping and neither am i. and i really feel that 'emotionally helped' my dd cope with all her experiences to change. 'touch' has been huge for dd as a coping 'skill'. i dont know if she would be the person she is today without cosleeping.

ok now i am getting way OT. so i am going to stop.