[bethanymama]

I'd love to upgrade to a king bed so we have more room for our kids (my 3.5 yr old mostly sleeps in his own bed, but I don't think my 9-month old is going to be spending a full night in her own bed for a while!) We have a queen right now. I'm thinking about a futon - Jay Gordon's book says it's great for a family bed because it doesn't have springs, but is it comfortable? Do you use regular sheets on it, or do you need to use futon covers? Is it a lot different than a regular mattress? I'm thinking about a low platform bed with a futon mattress on top, like this http://www.westelm.com/products/plateau-bed-frame-g189/?pkey=cheadboards-bed-frames and this http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/King-9-inch-Dream-Cloud-Futon-Mattress/3108849/product.html?cid=123620. Do you think this would be a comfortable arrangement for us? I guess I couldn't put a bed rail on this... but maybe that would be ok since it'd be close to the floor? I'd rather not have to use a bed rail, actually. I'd like to avoid having my bedroom scream FAMILY BED... it'd be easier if our parents assumed the baby slept in her own room. (Right now I still have the co-sleeper next to the bed, so that works as a sort of bed rail, although she could definitely crawl off the bed / out of the co-sleeper, so I don't feel like it's very safe.) Any ideas welcome! Thanks!

Bethany

 

[goldenwillow]

A futon suits our family just fine. We bought a king while I was pregnant and absolutely love it. Comfortable and this company made it just for us without all the nasty chemicals. We use regular sheets. We did buy a mattress pad, organic quilt like cotton (from the same store) to protect it. My husband just made a low (about 1 foot off the floor) platform with 3 inch slots throughout so the bed could breathe. It did go on the floor for awhile when our kiddo was getting more mobile.

http://www.soaringheart.com/category.cfm?topCategory=naturalbeds&category=cOrganicCottonFuton

Another thought... A futon helps with the bed moving when someone in the bed moves. Doesn't wake everyone up. There are different levels of comfort... hard, soft, etc. you can choose from. We went for the middle. Not too soft, not too firm.

Hope this helps!

 

[SkyTower]

We have this one: http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Premier-Queen-Cotton-Foam-8-inch-Futon-Mattress/4231851/product.html

We just use regular sheets on it, and it rests on the floor. I like it so much, we bought a twin of the same type for my daughter to use eventually. Right now she is still with us.

I don't know how it would work with a low frame. I personally think futons just on the floor are more comfortable than on a frame, but maybe it was just that the frame that my aunt had wasn't as good.

 

[AngelKissedKids]

We have a futon like set up but use a latex mattress (no springs) with a slatted bed base from Ikea instead - it's amazing! And only 10" in total from the top of the mattress to the ground so I can worry at lot less about any falls. The slatted bed base keeps the mattress just off the floor so air can circulate.

These are the two products we paired together:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60109592

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60125969

Our master bedroom does scream family bed because we chose to put two queens side by side but I no longer worry about it too much. Most guests don't get a tour of the whole house but our in-laws and others who have spent a night with us quickly realize we co-sleep when everyone goes to bed together in one room

 

[34me]

We slept on a futon for 10+ years. It was one of the all coton ones as dh is deathly allergic to latex. It did spread to almost a full size bigger by the end of it"s life. We used regular sheets.

Our 15 yo now sleeps on one and loves it.