Guest Bed When There's No Room?

I just spent the night at a friend's house on her double wide double high aerobed. It was an aerobed brand, looked like a mattress on top of a boxspring and super comfortable. It was the same height as a regular bed and felt firm, not like the old style air mattresses that changed shape as you rolled over on them. She said the mattress takes up 2-3 feet square in her closet when she puts it away. And it comes with the pump. I'm getting one of these for my guest room!

You could get a daybed with a trundle (would sleep 2) and use the daybed as a sofa/lounging spot when guests aren't around.

Or you could do like we did and get something like this:

http://www.fu-chest.com/Creden-ZzZ%20Original.html

(hope the link works...)

I don't know if they even make these anymore but my mom had a bed that folded up in half and rolled out of the sleeping area when not in use. She used it when my grandma came to stay with us for a few days. She used it when the kids were sick because she had a problem getting up the stairs to the kids rooms. When no one needed it, it was rolled out of the room but it would be just as easy to move it against a wall. It was a mattress on springs and was super comfy. I used it when I broke my leg because I couldn't get up the stairs to my room.

I agree that a taller blow up bed would be a better choice for getting off the floor.

Ah, I have to really question if you want guests. You can put toys in the kid's rooms, it just would be what you would like. The kids can sleep together, my sis and I did till I was 15 and she got married. These are road blocks of your own choosing.

What types of beds are in your kids' room? Any chance that you could put your kids on the Aerobed when you have guests, and give the guests your kids' beds?

ETA: Love Laurie's suggestion for a Murphy Bed -- they even have ones that are built into cabinetry that you could use for toy storage, freeing up even more floor space for your guests to use.

You can find a couch with a nice pullout. They are much better now than they used to be. My friend has a great one where the pull out is actually an air mattress, so it isn't super thin and there aren't any springs to poke through. I have slept on it a few times and always find it comfy enough.

Otherwise, you need to insist that they take your room.

I would get a futon.

Place a pull out sofa sleeper in the toy room.. When guest come they can make it into a bed. In the mean time the kids will have a sofa to read books on and maybe even rest..

They come in singles so they look like chairs or full sized so it looks like a love seat when hot pulled out.

IF you can afford it a Murphy bed is awesome

I also agree with a sofa sleeper or futon, it will be there for your kids when you have no company to sit and read or play on so the room it takes up will still be usable. It may be something you don't want to do, but being you can't move the toys, that Aerobeds aren't easy for older folks to manuever in and out of, and you require having a guest bed it's a good solution.

E.,

One of my friends had a futon that I slept on when I stayed with her and I always found it to be comfortable enough. I think she got hers at Smith's Marketplace for between 200.00 and 300.00. They used it for a couch mainly.

You could offer up your bedroom for guests and take the aerobed or a couch.

I really cannot think of any other options if you cannot move the kids' toys from third bedroom, other than having guests sleep in a camping trailer on your property or get a hotel/motel room.

Futons are actually very comfortable but make sure you buy one that is a bed not the cute furniture type that are more a sofa that reclines. It is a queen sized bed when it is unfolded and a sofa otherwise. They sell so many covers for them it isn't funny so you can match any decor.

ETA1: Our futon couch has the 10" mattress and we have had NO COMPLAINTS on it.

ETA: You CAN move the toys - you just prefer NOT to. Get storage baskets or boxes and keep the toys in those.

you have options....

http://www.daybeds.com/?source=googleaw&kwid=day%20be...

http://www.simplybunkbeds.com/futon-bunk-beds/745+750.cfm...

http://www.bunkbedking.com/bunk-beds-stairway?utm_source=...

as to our girls not sharing a bed? Okay - got that - bunk beds work wonders for situations like tat!

Good luck!

none of the quick solutions are comfortable. Sorry. I haven't slept on an air mattress, futon, or sleeper sofa....not a single one.... guaranteeing a good night sleep.

Why can't you move the toys somewhere else? Lots of options for toy removal! The kid's bedroom, a closet, the garage/basement (if you have one). & when your run of guests is over....the toys will all seem new to your child!

Sometimes we have to think outside of the box &/or face unwanted solutions to make guests properly comfortable!

I have never slept well on ANY pull out sofa bed. No matter how 'nice' they were.

Since the problem (with your mom anyway) seemed to be the getting up and down part... have you looked into the kinds of air beds that have a metal frame they sit on top of? We got a queen size one from Walmart for less than $100 that has a metal accordian type frame that you stretch out. It then has canvas across the top of that and you blow up the mattress separately then slide it into the canvas thing (so it doesn't slide around). It leaves room under the edges for shoes and such, and it is sturdy and sits up off the floor closer to actual normal bed heights.

They fold up and fit into a carry bag, but they are still pretty bulky. And heavy, due to the frame. But you could store it in the bottom of a closet, easily.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-Queen-Airbed/8571996
http://www.qvc.com/Queen-Portable-Bed-Frame-for-Air-Fille...

If your girls have full size beds, put one of them on the air mattress... or put them together and give them rules, put one in your room, insist that your guests take your room, move the toys, give your guests directions to the nearest hotel.... lots of choices, you've just gotta decide what you can live with for a few days.

Well, I don't know if you're still interested in answers. We also have a three bedroom, and I can't see devoting one of the few rooms we have to a "guest" room when we only have guests a few days a year. We have a finished basement, so we put a futon with an upgraded (10" instead of 6") mattress in the basement. It's a great solution -- there's a bathroom and TV and phone down there and it's very comfortable, and the futon is great seating for when we are just spending time down there. I don't agree that futons are uncomfortable, but maybe that's because we purchased a better mattress -- it was my bed for a year before we got married and I loved it. Our guests always tell us the futon is very comfortable, too.

We don't have a guest room on purpose.

I like having people over, but at the end of the day I need privacy and solitude. We do have the very rare couch surfer, and I don't mind when my kids have a friend sleep over, but otherwise our visitors stay in a nearby hotel, even my mother or my husband's mother.

I'm also not a fan of the idea of giving up my bed or making the kids give up theirs.

So my advice for you is to make it known that you can't accommodate overnighters in your home anymore and offer up a list of hotels.

There are inflatable beds that are higher off the floor. I think Brookstone has one. As for the futon, you can buy upgraded matresses for them if you actually invest in one at a furniture store. My parents have one and it is super comfortable!

We have a good futon that serves as our guest bed. We upgraded the mattress when we bought it, from the cheap stuffed mattress to an inner spring futon mattress. Much more comfortable to sleep on and sit on. It functions as a couch normally, but then pulls out to a full-sized bed when needed. Sounds like that might be the best bet for you.

A sofa bed isn't going to take up a lot more room than a futon. I've had both, and they took up about the same space. And you're right...a futon is horribly uncomfortable. The pull-out was far more comfortable (as a bed...not necessarily as a couch.)

I would go for the pull-out, and sleep on it when you have guests and offer them your room. And by offer, I mean to say, "Hi, welcome to our home! Let me take your bags and put them in the bedroom you'll be using," and then take them to your room. ;)

Also, I just bought a steel bed frame that is fully collapsible to put our all-in-one mattress on, and I love it. Between my husband and I there's almost 400 lbs. sleeping on it, and it has a weight limit FAR above that...it's supportive, etc. I'm not sure if you could use it for an air mattress or not, but it's worth checking out since you could fold it up and put it away when you don't need it. It literally took us under two minutes to assemble it (2 butterfly screws, or whatever they're called).

Girls on air mattress in guest room. If they already share a bedroom then they can share a mattress for a few nights, and then put your guests in their room. Problem solved!

If you don't like that idea, why can't the girls sleep in your room, you could assure no tickling cause you'll be in there when you go to bed and the kids can just use the air mattress on your floor.

It sounds like you don't have room for more than a futon or the aerobed. Your guests will either have to sleep on it or stay at a hotel.

We do not have a guest room either. We used to have a sofa sleeper, but it wasn't very comfortable. The room that it was in was turned into an office/toy room as well, so we got rid of the sofa sleeper. We didn't have very many overnight guests before, and now that it's gone, we have none. I like it that way. We have a couple of relatives that live about 1.5 hours away. If we had a guest room, they would want to sleep over when they come visit us rather than go home. I am really glad they don't have that option.

My kids were always more than happy to give up their rooms for guests.

You have 3 bedrooms and one is a "toy" room, so I'm guessing the girls already share a room. Why can't they share a bed? My sister and I shared a room with our own beds, but we often slept together and we didn't stay up all night or goof off. My little sister used to sneak into my bed all the time. Then we shared a room with a double bed. It gave us more room than having two twins.

I think that once people get up in years, their comfort takes precedence. I would never expect my elderly relatives to sleep on an air bed or a futon.

Do you have your kids toys stored in bins? Can you stack them in the closet?

To me, the easiest solution would be to put your kids in the "toy" room and let your guests have comfortable and sturdy beds.

Kids are quite adaptable. My kids thought it was a treat to sleep somewhere other than their own room while guests stayed.

Just my opinion.

I would put a futon or a sofa bed in the toy room. Rearrange it so you can move things and make it presentable as a guest room as needed.

A day bed can be used as a couch in the room, and it has a regular twin mattress on it. It's not easy to make the bed, but if you use it rarely, it's okay. We keep ours made up for last-minute guests or when someone just needs their own space, and it's a couch the rest of the time with lots of pillows. It's a good place to snuggle up with a good book - a great before-bed reading location especially if you want to read to more than one kid at a time. You can use under-bed storage boxes (especially the ones on wheels) as a way to store toys that are otherwise all over the place - things with lots of pieces especially. It encourages the kids to tidy up too! The bedspread overhang covers up the storage underneath too. If you put a small bookshelf next to the day bed, it can hold books or puzzles or other items, and have a small lamp and an alarm clock on it (which helps the kids keep track of time too).

They actually make collapsable bed frames for the aerobeds. I would try a camping store or maybe on line. I have no idea how much they cost but some friends of ours have one.

I also agree that you'll just have to insist the guests take your room, don't offer, just state it. Change the sheets, gussy it up, put some flowers and a chocolate on the pillow and call it good.

Or, put one daughter with you in your bed or on your floor and give the guests that daughter's room. Presumably your daughter will go to bed well before you do so there will no one in there to distract her, etc. Yes, you may have to be quieter and more organized when you go to bed, but it's worth it in my opinion.

Give you guests the number of the nearest Motel or Hotel.

I would not give my room up for anyone, nor would I have my children give up their beds. They do make comfy cots, they are about 4 inches thick. I have slept on them many times. they sell them at Walmart, camping stores. They fold up and tuck away. For your mom, she may be more comfy on your couch or maybe a day bed in your living room? They also fold up and can be put away.

Instead of a futon (they are uncomfortable), why not a daybed with a trundle? It will provide "seating," will double as a twin bed and with the trundle out and up, you have essentially two beds, but separately. My son has a daybed in his bedroom. We don't use his bed or his room for guests as it's his bed and his room but for any friends of his that may sleep over, the trundle easily pulls out from under the bed, and pops up to serve as another bed. His room easily accomodates it and since it's a trundle, it easily stores under his bed when not in use. The only thing about a trundle is that you cannot have one of those pillow top mattresses. It has to be a slim mattress so it stores easily under the bed but for the actual daybed, you can easily use a loftier mattress.

In addition, I have a Queen size inflatable bed that is very high. I mean, this thing is almost as tall as a regular bed so it's not like sleeping on the floor. It's tall.

They have air-mattresses that is up off the floor. It is up like a regular bed.

New move? Perfect time to get rid of a toy room! You CAN move/minimize the toys if you want. Nothing else I would suggest doesn't seem viable for you.

A Murphy bed is the best solution, but not cheap. Otherwise a good futon bed works well.

I would put a sofa-bed into the toy room. When guests are expected, have the kids clean up their toys to prepare that room to welcome their special guests!

My sister had an air bed that came with stands that you can fold up like an accordion. So they sit off the floor, easier to get into. Check out camping stores or Bass Pro.