How long can you sleep on a Z bed?

Mojisola

We've got a couple of really good inflatable mattresses which are very comfortable and easy to store away during the day if necessary.

otterspasm

I think a single futon would be great. I slept on one for a long time as my bed was too saggy and gave me a bad back. The firmer futon was much better for me.

babyshoes

We slept on a good quality inflatable mattress for well over a month when we first moved into our flat and we were fine. You do need to pump it up quite firm (start it with the electric pump and finish it off with a hand pump to get it firm) and top it up regularly, as even if it isn't actually leaking as such it will lose air slowly. We are both prone to backache but didn't have a problem. We have also when staying with friends slept on thin, dodgy inflatables which leak and ended up horribly uncomfortable - your heaviest bits sink to the floor by the end of the night.

The few folding beds I've slept on have been fairly dire, though perhaps you can get better ones if you spend the money.

TBH, a good quality, thick mattress on the floor, which you can stand up in a corner somewhere like a garage or shed for the rest of the year (well covered of course) might be the most comfortable option if you need to get rid of the bunk beds. Also pretty easy to get into when stumbling home drunk!

If the bunks are modular pine ones like some I've seen, it may also be possible to partially disassemble them and use them as separate beds, then you could store half away and re-assemble for longer holidays.

I think you need to involve him in the decision - perhaps use the 'difficult to climb into when drunk' argument as a reason for getting rid of the bunks and using a temporary solution when home.

System

Bah one night on a z-bed does my back in

tanith

Get a decent trundle bed we have one in the spare room and its so comfortable I sometimes take a nap or sleep there when my back is bad. It very versatile, can be a single bed (with trundle under) two singles , or they fit together to make a King size double.. well worth the money for sleepovers or long term use.

lobbyludd

I came home for ocaissional weekends and the odd week when I went away to university but I essentially considered myself as having left home: I didn't come back to my parent's for each holiday, and nor did most people I knew - I usually stayed in the city where I was because the opportunities for work were better than in my tiny village.

Or I was off visiting friends in their home towns and school-friends in their university homes.

Hve you discussed with him what he sees himself doing? (although of course that may change once he's there)

Justamum

dandy-candy wrote: »

would 6 weeks on one give him a back ache?

It shouldn't. My eldest DD had to use one for a couple of years because it's all we had. Eventually it did get far too uncomfortable, so she ended up sleeping on a mattress on the floor for another few years. We eventually managed to buy her a proper bed last year.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

lobbyludd wrote: »

I came home for ocaissional weekends and the odd week when I went away to university but I essentially considered myself as having left home: I didn't come back to my parent's for each holiday, and nor did most people I knew - I usually stayed in the city where I was because the opportunities for work were better than in my tiny village.

Or I was off visiting friends in their home towns and school-friends in their university homes.

Hve you discussed with him what he sees himself doing? (although of course that may change once he's there)

That's what DD1 thinks. She says her home is where she pays the bills and spends most of her time. So much so, she goes where she wants in holidays and visits family; she chose to stay at her grandparents rather than her dad's this Christmas, for example. When she wasn't visiting friends, that is.

A futon would make it more your younger child's room as well, rather than a shared room where he will feel the absence of his brother more keenly.

Fruball

dandy-candy wrote: »

Tbh the bunk beds aren't workable anymore with DS1 rolling in drunk at 3am and shaking the thing trying to get in!
I might be able to fit a single futon/sofa bed in the room, but not sure if they are much better than a Z bed?

A decent futon is super comfy - I stayed on one at a friends house many moons ago and I remember how comfy it was.

chinagirl

My DS3 sleeps downstairs in the conservatory on a 3seater settee. Sooo comfy. He hasn't slept in his own top bunk bed for months. Much prefers his own space downstairs and leaves his older brother to have the room to himself.