Silly question about beds as simply a mattress on the floor

[PoetryLover]

I've noticed lately that a lot of people post pics of their beds as just mattresses on the floor. Is there a reason for this? I have a bed that I really don't like and am considering going to just a mattress on the floor for a while. Is that too minimalist? We have dressers and all. (I don't like them, either. The entire bedroom set came from a former relationship and it's cheap particle board that I hate.)

Just wondering other people's reasoning and thoughts...

Also, as I'm considering doing this, I'm wondering if those who have tried it can tell me how comfortable it is. We're due in August and will have a newborn and an 18 month old at that time in our family bed.

Edited by PoetryLover - 3/28/11 at 12:05pm

[syn_ack89]

Don't have to worry about baby falling out of bed...

[Tumble Bumbles]

It's big among co-sleepers and also among the minimalist set. I don't exactly know what's anti-minimalist about having a bed frame (lol) but I can certainly see the benefit for co-sleeping -- if babe rolls off, it's just a short roll rather than a big fall. I guess the minimalist perspective could be that if you have no room to store anything under the bed, you avoid the temptation of storing anything under the bed?

We are fairly minimalist but we have a bed frame (not an actual headboard or foot-board though). Where I grew up, having a mattress on the floor was considered really... gosh, I don't want to say "ghetto" to offend, but considered basically something really poor people had. Now, I don't look at it like that for other people, but for me I still have the residual mindset having grown up in a really poor neighborhood and seeing that a lot -- so we keep the bed-frame.

Also, some people have a problem with mildew and such under the bed, and also vacuuming/sweeping tends to be more difficult because you can never get under the bed unless you lift it, which is a pain -- then random dust can accumulate at the very edges.

Other than those considerations, I think it really has to do with personal preference.

ETA: as for comfort level, for me I don't think it would be very comfortable getting in and out of it being pregnant and post-partum because I'm around 31 weeks and it's already getting to be a bit of a hassle getting up and down off the floor (playing with dd and so on).  As far as sleeping, I'm sure it's probably fairly comfy.

[SandyBeachBums]

Our mattress molded terribly on the floor. It was good we were due for a new one.

[crunchy_mommy]

We had ours on the floor for a long time but right now we have a boxspring under it (simply because we have nowhere to store the boxspring but don't want to get rid of it right now). I prefer it on the floor, I've just always been more comfortable sleeping close to the ground. It works out great with co-sleeping, they can't really 'fall off' the bed so I sleep better... Also safer when jumping on the bed (DS's favorite)!!!

I also like not having space under the bed, it always collects junk or dust bunnies or whatever...

The only reason we are keeping the boxspring is because I anticipate wanting my bed higher up when I get pregnant again. I don't like the idea of trying to get my hugely pregnant body up off the floor to go to the bathroom 302092 times a night. So that's one thing to consider for you... Might be easier if you wait 'til after the baby is born...

[bobandjess99]

we do it for cosleeping and for cost 

[seriosa]

I don't like the idea of a mattress on floor because its too close to the dust. And no circulation underneath it. And what do you do with the bedding, tuck it under, directly onto the floor? Must be uncomfortable to make it up in morning unless you do it kneeling. Not to mention if you have any back problems or are PG pretty difficult to get into and out of.  And CO2 is heavier than air and will stagnate around me as I sleep low on the floor (OK, maybe this last one is just paranoia). Anyway no, not for me. aywayw

[seriosa]

ummm.... there's a funny word at the end of my previous post that doesn't show when I try to edit it....

[sosurreal09]

WHY does the mattress mold?

We have been a mattress on the floor for a year now and it is a really expensive all natural latex and chemical free. Now I am thinking of getting a bed!

[EchoSoul]

We do it because box springs create pressure points. It's a ton more comfortable sleeping on a mattress on the floor, than it is sleeping on a mattress on box springs. Actually, we only started sleeping on the mattress on the floor when I started getting bigger - usually we sleep directly on the hard floor, and when it's warmer, outside on the ground in our tent - but that was beginning to cause pains the bigger I got. It is remarkably comfortable for us, but to each his/her own, you won't know how you feel about it until you try it, :) It's not *too* difficult for me to get out. To be perfectly honest I just roll out of it directly onto my hands and knees, and make sure I have something to pull me up the rest of the way.

[taubel]

We had ours on the floor for a while, but it started to get mildewed (our house has high moisture levels for some reason). We have an organic mattress and could not afford to buy an organic box spring as well. 

We ended up buying a very simple (and pretty inexpensive) slatted platform bed. Now our mattress is directly on that, and no more mildew! We don't store anything under it, and I try to vacuum up the dust bunnies once a week.

It's only about 15" off the floor, so I wasn't too worried when we had babies/toddlers sleeping in our bed.

I find it a lot easier to get in and out of bed now!

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[JesKace]

We have a metal bed frame that the bed sits on.  I like having the storage space under it for out of season clothes and whatnot.  We have a headboard also, it's nothing fancy (old pineapple headboard)  It's actually too small to fit on our frame so it just sort of gets propped up behind the bed against the wall.  I like having it there because it keeps our pillows from falling in between the bed and the wall.  We went without a bed frame for a short time when we moved to our first house and our old frame broke during the move.  I was pregnant at the time and I remember rolling from the mattress onto all 4's on the floor and having to get up.  It was a pain.  I'm pregnant again (further along now than I was then) and there's no way I'd be able to do that now...LOL
 

Originally Posted by Tumble Bumbles 

We are fairly minimalist but we have a bed frame (not an actual headboard or foot-board though). Where I grew up, having a mattress on the floor was considered really... gosh, I don't want to say "ghetto" to offend, but considered basically something really poor people had. Now, I don't look at it like that for other people, but for me I still have the residual mindset having grown up in a really poor neighborhood and seeing that a lot -- so we keep the bed-frame.

When I was a kid I went to a friends house that just moved to the neighborhood.  I thought they were the coolest people for having their mattresses on the floor.  It wasn't until I was older that I realized the only reason they lived that way was because they just didn't have the money for actual beds...LOL

Quote:

Originally Posted by seriosa 

I don't like the idea of a mattress on floor because its too close to the dust. And no circulation underneath it. And what do you do with the bedding, tuck it under, directly onto the floor? Must be uncomfortable to make it up in morning unless you do it kneeling. Not to mention if you have any back problems or are PG pretty difficult to get into and out of.  And CO2 is heavier than air and will stagnate around me as I sleep low on the floor (OK, maybe this last one is just paranoia). Anyway no, not for me. aywayw

Yeah I think being so low to the floor would make me feel like I couldn't breathe.  I'm really allergic to dust and we have cats (that I'm also allergic to) and I think feeling like I was laying so close to the floor with all the dust and cat hair would totally freak me out.

But for people who co-sleep I could definitely understand why they'd want the mattress on the floor.  I'd sleep more sound knowing the baby wasn't going to fall 2 or 3 feet to the floor, and in the worse case they'd only roll and fall 6 or so inches.

[Jane]

If I had a mattress on the floor, I'd want to do it futon style and pick it up each morning.  Personally, I love the way my platform bedframe looks.  It's still really close to the floor, but I have a headboard!  It has a notch to put my iphone into, as well. 

[sosurreal09]

well we have been saving for a platform storage bed over here...

[mkksmom]

I only do it for cosleeping reasons and can't wait until my LO is beg enough to stay put next to a railing. With my older dd, we put it back on the frame when she was about 3 or so and put a railing on our bed. Right now my frame/headboard is taking up half of my storage room.

[Carolina Kel]

We co-sleep with our 2-yo son and have a Malm bedframe from Ikea and a foam mattress for RJ and I, Tryst has a full-size double futon mattress bed. Both are just the right height for him to be able to get in and out of bed.

Our son's own bed is one of Ikea's older style chair-into-single bed futons that we love. It's perfect for him. We will eventually move him to a bunk-bed when his sister is ready for her own bed. :)

[minta]

BTDT -- several times. But I think it's healthier having the bed off the ground for reasons others have stated. One of our kids is severely allergic to dust and it is definitely better for him to be up high, but I prefer it for all of us. Elevation also lets the mattress breathe, which is important.

[~Boudicca~]

Originally Posted by sosurreal09 

WHY does the mattress mold?

We have been a mattress on the floor for a year now and it is a really expensive all natural latex and chemical free. Now I am thinking of getting a bed!

Same here!  We have an all-latex bed and the mattress (and the floor) became terribly mildewy.
 

Originally Posted by minta 

BTDT -- several times. But I think it's healthier having the bed off the ground for reasons others have stated. One of our kids is severely allergic to dust and it is definitely better for him to be up high, but I prefer it for all of us. Elevation also lets the mattress breathe, which is important.

I wish I had known about the whole mattress breathing thing before.  We are saving up for a platform bed from IKEA now because I don't want the bed on the floor anymore.

[nathansmum]

Yeah, mould is an issue without any circulation (all that damp from body heat) - I recall my parents having this issue.

I wanted a lowered bed at one stage years ago, so I removed the legs from the bottom of the box base and banged on small blocks underneath to provide a bit of ventilation and had no problems.

[lookatreestar]

yup don't want to worry about baby falling. it is so dry here that i do not worry about mold anywhere lmao. i do pick it up and move it around every month though. we will probably go back to a platform bed soon. ds is almost 2.