Two Fun Sleeping-Bed Ideas for Visiting Children During the Holidays

I have the strangest problem right now: in a house with two guest bedrooms, I am lacking the type of guest sleeping quarters that I really need. How can that be?

I have a guest room with a full-size bed.

Hardwood Flooring for the Guest Room

 

And I have an upstairs family room with a queen-size sofa-sleeper which sleeps great per my son and daughter-in-law. In fact, when they are here visiting, they always prefer it over the smaller, full-size bed in the guest room with a brand new mattress that’s hardly ever been used.

Upstairs Family Room, Antique and Painted Furniture

 

I have two rambunctious little boys, ages 3 and 5, coming for Thanksgiving, and they are masters at trying to delay bedtime even when they’re at home and sleeping in their own individual beds. I just can’t see them sleeping in the same full-size bed and not driving each other crazy. lol

Boy's Bedroom, Dinosaur Theme, Blue Chest

 

I purchased two of these floor pillow beds so they’ll have an alternative. It comes in two sizes and I purchased the larger size that holds 5 king-size pillows. It has great reviews: 4.5 stars after 1,934 reviews, so I’m optimistic. You can read those here: Floor Pillow Bed.

Floor Bed for Kids for Sleepovers or Naps

 

I’ll share how it looks stuffed with pillows once I have those—I’ll be making a run to Wally World today for the pillows. I would have already purchased those but I’m stuck at home right now waiting for the delivery and spreading of 40 bales of pine straw.

Sleepover Bed for Grandchildren

 

Another Alternative

I also have an inflatable queen-size mattress seen here in the basement when Hurricane Irma was threatening to visit. I can pull it out and blow it up if we end up going the bed route with one sleeping in the guest bed and the other sleeping on the inflatable mattress.

 

I thought about buying a small tent to go over each pillow bed so they would have the feeling of camping out. Wouldn’t that be fun?! These would be great in a playroom or TV room where kids hang out to watch a movie or TV.

If you’re in need of some extra sleeping quarters for the little ones in your family, you’ll find these here: Kid’s Floor Pillow Bed. I think they’ll be nice and comfortable with the addition of a warm cozy blanket and a good pillow.

Floor Bed for Kids for Sleepovers or Naps

 

Update:

Now I’m eyeing these cool tent beds which would require me purchasing two twin mattresses. I could just store the mattresses in my basement when not in use. Tent beds are available here: Tent Beds.

 

Do you have guests coming for Thanksgiving? Where does everyone sleep in your home during the holidays when you have a full house?

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Comments

  1. Anne Shaheen says

    Bought these covers last summer,with pillows from WalMart. Excellent for the grandkids!

  2. I love this post! Thank you for the info on the inflatable beds; I will be ordering them. Also, please tell me what brand of sofa bed you have, since your family prefers to sleep on it instead of the double bed. I also have a double bed in one of my guest rooms, and a sofa bed in another, but I do not think my sofa bed is as comfortable as yours. As for our Thanksgiving holiday, we had 65 people the last two years, all seated at tables with turkey plates, silver, and crystal; all mine! This year I think we will only have 45-50, a much smaller crowd! We have 6 bedrooms, and people sleeping all over the house for days. I think I will write a blog about the particulars that make all of this work!

    • Wow, that’s a lot of folks! My house used to be a 5-bedroom home but a previous homeowner turned the bedroom next to the master bedroom into a dressing area for the master, cutting a big opening from the master into that room and I took one bedroom to be my home office. I probably should have done that with the living room, then I’d still have another guest room, but I so rarely have guests. It must be like the movie, Home Alone, at your home this time of year, Patti. Love that! What fun!
      My sofa was a custom order by Highland House, here’s their website: http://highlandhousefurniture.com/

  3. My grandkids LOVED to sleep on single blow-up mattresses inside their One-Person Igloo Pop-up II Dome Tents out on our screen porch each summer. They fold up into a ’round disk’ easily for storage and don’t require additional set up other than just the “pop”. Each had their own space (blankets, pillows, sheets) but also had “company” right next to them. There’s a picture and video on set-up and how to fold up to store. If you get them for the boys, they may request that they each go home with “their tent”…LOL

    • Margaret, that sounds sooo cute! Where did you buy those?

      • Got them at Costco but the Grands are 14 and 11 now so it was almost 10 yrs ago – I see they used to have them on Amazon but are currently “out of stock” – https://www.amazon.com/igloo-pop-up-dome-tent-1-person/dp/b00cxagt50?tag=indifash06-20 — If Igloo no longer makes them, maybe a sporting goods store (Bass Pro Shop, Cabelas, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart, Target etc. may have something similar (?) – I recommend spending a little extra to get “real tents” rather than “toys”. My Grands were boy and girl so preferred a separate 1-man tent each but yours are so close in age and both boys that maybe a 2-man would work. And, I agree, flashlights are a MUST!

  4. I highly encourage you to get the tents and 2 flashlights. They may not get much sleep but boy! will going to grandma’s be fun and full of great memories! Who cares if they sleep?

  5. Victoria Morgan says

    What a great idea! I love the Galaxy/Outer Space theme. Well done!

  6. Just want to say, that I love your floor clock in the upstairs family room. It looks like it’s made of pine, and reminds me a bit of those Swedish Mora clocks, which I adore.

    • Thanks, Lisa! I love Mora clocks with their cute pot bellies so much! The one in my upstairs family room is an antique Danish Bornholm clock from 1830. I purchased it and all the other Swedish antique furniture in this room after reading a wonderful article in the September 1994 issue of Traditional Home.

      That article left a huge impression on me and I wanted this room to feel very different from my downstairs family/living room which is fully paneled and sorta dark and cozy, which I love for that room. This room gets the morning light is such a bright happy room, I wanted to keep it that way so love the idea of furnishing it with Swedish/Danish antiques.

      An antique dealer I used to know would go to Sweden and Denmark twice a year and bring back pieces to sell. He would always call me when his shipment arrived so I could take a look before he carried it all to his booth in a local antique shop.

      The only two pieces in this room that aren’t antique are the trunk coffee table and a sofa desk that’s against a wall, not visible in the photos in this post, although the photos in that post are not very good since I had just started blogging and had no idea how to take decent photos: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/the-reveal-welcome-to-the-upstairs-family-room/

      The photos in this post are a little better: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/a-blue-painted-chest-for-a-beach-themed-upstairs-family-room/

  7. Most of my overflow guest are adults. The last time I had everyone at my house was for a family reunion. I decided to rent a hotel room for my granddaughters and their husbands. That worked out fine and solved the bathroom problems.

  8. Betty Anne Smith says

    When my nieces and nephews stayed over with me when they were younger, they preferred the living room floor on the sheet covered carpet, with a blanket and pillow. I had 2 rooms, one with a queen bed and one with a double. When they got a few years older they preferred the sofa bed or floor, still not the bed. Growing up many of us slept on the floor when visiting relatives. When in our teens, my brother, cousins and I would sleep on the floor in the summer when they visited, weeks at the time with us on the farm. We did that so we would not have to make the beds, oh the memories we did make.

  9. Hi Susan – Cute tent!!! Rather than get 2 real mattresses, go to Walmart and get blow-up air mattresses that have the electric motor port so you can just plug in and “instant bed” – cover with a fitted sheet and slide into the tent. Kids don’t need that much mattress and the blow up ones can be deflated and rolled up into a little bag for storage. You can also just use your new “pillow” mattresses – little kids sleep on anything.
    Coleman makes a nice 2-man pop-up tent ($65), too and they could use it outside in the summer for a “backyard fort” (if you keep it on a tarp to keep it clean) https://www.coleman.com/popup-2/2000014781.html?cgid=coleman-tentsandshelters-instant#start=8 (Amazon carries it for slightly more)

  10. Diane Duvall King says

    I saw a great bed on QVC today called a CorduRoy. It fold us like a taco and fits in a washable beanbag cover. Really cute and on sale today. They were about to sell out when I watched, but they might be available somewhere else. Laurie Grenier presented it.

  11. Diane Duvall King says

    It is called CordaRoy. Here is the link.https://www.qvc.com/qvc.product.H212634.html?colorId=082&sizeId=000&ref=GBA&cm_mmc=GOOGLESHOPPINGFEED-_-GShopping|M|Generic|home+decor-_-pla-_-sdA7ykAiQ|dc_44906291467_aud-406779331394:pla-568325651721__H212634-082-000_&mkwid=sdA7ykAiQ|dc_pcrid_44906291467_568325651721_pkw__pmt__productid_H212634-082-000&gclid=Cj0KCQiA2b7uBRDsARIsAEE9XpHszrvgityJzA5sNGUVCQpeOjlBWPmsaKMGctUYzl_E_WpOpyohHyQaAvpWEALw_wcB

  12. I’m thinking about getting a sofa sleeper, but don’t know what to buy. Would you mind sharing the brand sofa sleeper you have?

    • I purchased mine many years ago and the brand is Highland House. Sofa sleepers have come a long, long way from the days when you slept with that awful bar underneath your back. They have much better mattresses in them and are constructed a lot better. I used to sleep on one when I visited my sister growing up and it was horrible. But they are much better now. Just make sure you try it out before you buy it, if you can.

  13. Those are all great ideas. I can’t wait to see which you go with.
    I’m curious about your house, though. 🙂 What do you use the formal
    living area downstairs for? Could you move your office there, and then
    reclaim the upper bedroom space again? Just a thought.

  14. I have a cabana pop-up that I bought at aldi several years ago. The Grands prefer to sleep in that than beds . I also have the foam chairs that fold out to a bed. They never sleep in the bedrooms. My grandson said he can sleep in a bed any time he prefers the sleeper sofa.

  15. When we lived in FL we had two guest rooms. One had a queen bed, and one had a full size bed. I learned quickly that the full size bed was a mistake. Two grandkids will not sleep together. We got rid of that bed and got two twins and that solved the problem. When we moved here, I made sure we had a queen and two twins also. Tents sounds like so much fun for your two grandsons. Enjoy them. They grow up so quickly.

  16. We had two side by side spare rooms. One was equipped with twin beds, the other a queen that particularly accommodated those with young children as found often it meant musical beds if a young child wanted to be close to either Mom or Dad so everyone still got a good night’s sleep. Also on our main level in our den we had a love seat that opened up as a double if and when older, opposite sexes were involved … ☺ … which also slept many of my children’s friends during their teenage years. All said; I use past tense as I’m fortunate that my children and grandchildren live in the same city so my husband and self have always slept over at their place if/when needed and as far as out of town guests are currently concerned, they are all adults so choose what room they wish to sleep in. -Brenda-
    P.S.: Children IMO definitely love tents and personally I would opt for two single blow-up mattresses given the reason(s) above if the children are young.

  17. One of my grandsons and 2 granddaughters have had indoor speeling tents but not the ones that fit on a twin mattress. I believe one came from Sam’s and the other I found on Amazon. It was Star Wars I think. Hope that helps. I’m going to order the pillow beds cause the two younest like to sleep in our room on a pallet.

  18. Just Love the sleeping tents with blow up portable mattress idea! How about another option- we used 3 inexpensive folding aluminum frame tent cots (no mattress) in our beach condo for the young kids in the family (adults can sleep on them too.) They can be folded up when not in use and stored in the closet or under the bed. The kids always loved the cots and could easily move them around when they decided where they wanted to sleep. In cooler months, they used their own personalized sleeping bags on the cots. They loved it!

    • I love this when my daughter was young and my grandmother brought out a cot, for my 2 years old she would set it up beside my grandparent’s bed and my baby called it her cotton bed. Please read my next comment

  19. I can remember going to my Grandparents for Christmas or Thanksgiving as a child! I thought that the house was huge! Though really about 1,700. One bathroom for us all! My home had 4 baths, the point made. My grandmother lovingly made pallets. They were so soft and cozy and warm and the three siblings and 2 cousins slept in the living room! I will always remember those holidays, forever! I think less is always the best! When I have given mine too much, I wish I had just laid a pallet.

  20. All good ideas and I’ve tried many of them as the four grandchildren have grown. The oldest two (5 and 8) sleep on a full size tri-fold mattress together in the formal living room. The next is a 3 year old and her sister (1) who sleeps in a pack ‘n play. This year the three year old will be on a trifold mattress and that is the best and most comfortable floor option that I’ve found for extra beds so far. The tent over the mattress idea is excellent. The trifold takes up less storage space that 5 king pillows and is comfortable enough for adults as well. We usually have a play tent up on the porch which turns into the play room when all four are visiting.It is necessary to play musical beds in the four bedrooms when everyone is here to accommodate the tallest and nap times and other preferences. Four bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and 2800 square feet shrinks when 10 folks and several dogs are in the house and I love every second! I bought the tri-fold on Amazon and it was around $130. The tri-fold mattress is 7 or 8 inches thick and easier to store than a regular mattress.

  21. Gwendolyn BLACKMAN says

    Great idea; however, I bought a sleeper ottoman that folds out into a single bed for my granddaughter’s visit. I needed something that was functional and worth my investment. Everybody was happy.

  22. Thanks Susan. My grandkids are going to sleep over this holiday and these are perfect. I’m ordering these tonight. One has a bed but I know he will want one of these too. Ordering two so there is no one upset!

  23. Oh those tent beds are great – I bet your grandsons would love them! Plus then they couldn’t bug each other quite as much! 🙂 The pillow beds look fun too. We won’t have anybody staying over this year, but I might get a couple pillow beds anyway! 🙂 Thanks for the great ideas!

  24. I have 8 come to visit.. I have one large bedroom with a queen bed and 2 twin beds for one family.
    Other bedroom has double bed rollaway bed and room for portable crib.
    Sunroom has twin bed.
    I have pared rooms down as much as possible to leave room for luggage but still have bedside tables with lamps etc.

  25. I thought I would see more of my grandchildren so I invested in a trundle twin. It has not seen much use but takes up less space. When my older son visits he uses the trundle because you can shove it out of the way and the top of the twin becomes storage during his visit. I gave up trying to have a bed ready-available for visitors. They always ended up on the sofas out in the family room where the TV blasts into the wee hours. Will the grandkids be sleeping in the upstairs family room with their parents? Seems like little kids can sleep just about anywhere!

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