Thoughts on pull out sofa/couch

[OBX-GL]

Hey all, just looking for some ideas.
Planning a 5 or so week getaway this spring in our usual spot, Hatteras NC. No frequent moving, just set up and relax at the beach. Our daughter just turned one. My wife and i feel it will be easier for her naps and sleeps, and ours, if the little one takes our room and we move to the main living area. It looks easy for me to remove the storage box that supports our bed. I feel it will make a great area for the crib and maybe a change table while providing floorspace for toys, etc. As our trailer is a rear living floorplan this will provide the baby with a closed off room allowing more quiet for the baby, and us to live easier in the evenings. I will rebuild our room in a year or two.

My question - what can i do to best provide comfortable sleeping for Mommy and Daddy. Our couch is a pull out and inflatable mattress. Maybe comfortable enough, but not really convenient. I don't like the idea of every morning deflating and then re-inflating in the evening. Also it will be to noisy inflating when the baby is already sleeping hour before us. I'm playing with ideas for modding the current couch. Maybe somehow rig it to fold a memory foam mattress. Or just buying a new pull out with a real mattress. Do normal pull outs fit through RV doors ? I don't mind spending the money on a new couch if it fills the needs.

Thought i'd throw this at the great RV forum and see what its wisdom returns

[Boband4]

If you are going to take the bed frame out, could you use the mattress on top of the pull out couch? Only problem would be finding a place to stand the mattress up until it is bedtime.

[OBX-GL]

Watched a you tube video showing my couch and air mattress set up how-to. I figured as the trailer is snowed in right now this would be a great way to visualize if i had any options with my current couch. I don't see a reason why i can't put plywood on each section and then cover with a memory foam mattress. Will the mattress fold up, not sure. Hmmmm....

[PAThwacker]

Start shopping for a bunkhouse since you have already upgraded the truck. I had upgraded after the second was born. Two scary deliveries and we are finished. The kids got a bunkhouse hybrid camper. Next up traditional bunk or two bed hybrid toy hauler roo 21ssl??

[sdianel_-acct_c]

I've been looking for mattresses to replace the air mattress on our sofabed. The best option I've found so far is a latex foam mattress but it's $350. They do have innerspring coil ones much cheaper that you could put a topper on. They also have memory foam mattresses but I'm not crazy about them. If they aren't firm enough you will feel the bars on the frame.

[GaryWT]

I know I would not give up my room but we are not in the trailer much. Back in the day, when the kids were small we would put the playpen in the screenroom or the playpen or pack n play outside with a net during the day for play and naps etc and then move it in at night. We were generally outside.

Looking at the floor plan I think I would look at a curtain or temp wall in the back and remove the 2 chairs to make a little room if you want an area for the crib.

[OBX-GL]

ZeeLet50 wrote:
At the latest RV show I attended most of the manufactures are switching to "convertible" couches. They have had too many warranty claims on the inflatable air mattresses. So you should be seeing allot more availability of couches that open to beds using existing cushions. they were quite comfortable and did not suffer from the "middle bar" syndrome most previous beds have.

Yes i have started seeing these.
I wonder if they can be ordered independently, and if so if they will be at a premium.

[OBX-GL]

Haha. Ok, i'll admit if someone else had post this i would be rolling my eyes and thinking mom and dad need to buck up. Or, learn to deal some tuff love and try some serious sleep training.

We did this same trip last year with our little one (3months old) in the crib in the main room sleeping well. Table chairs moved to the back window, crib in their spot. Mommy,daddy,and baby all survived and trip was a great one. This year we are now able to operate a little more normal with the little girl being older and having established a normal sleep routine. We feel we will have a better trip with the baby in her own room, a room we would only use with our eyes closed from 10pm till 6.30 am. The baby will get more use of this area and mom and dad will get more use (and better use) of the majority of the trailer without anyone making any compromises. Makes sense to me. Well,ok, we compromise the bed, which is why I'm posting. If i eliminate the only blip to the plan everyone wins.

So, thoughts on foldable beds or sofa beds ?

[ZeeLet50]

At the latest RV show I attended most of the manufactures are switching to "convertible" couches. They have had too many warranty claims on the inflatable air mattresses. So you should be seeing allot more availability of couches that open to beds using existing cushions. they were quite comfortable and did not suffer from the "middle bar" syndrome most previous beds have.

[dadmomh]

Agree with the rest. Dismantling your bedroom could be a resale problem down the line and while the air mattress is very comfortable, it does get to be a PITA every night. Many have used the pack and play by dropping the dining table down and setting it there. Depending on your layout, you might be able to bring in a changing table. I am always hesitant to make major changes to a trailer for a variety of reasons, but resale is pretty close to the top of the list. Your baby will learn to snooze through the noises and movement in the trailer in short order.

[harley4275]

i would not give in for the baby either. Keep your room and put the fold up crib where the dining table is. That is what i did.

[APT]

Wehn we bought our TT, our youngest was 1 year old and slept in a pack and play that we either placed on out master bed for naps or on a jacknife sofa at night. We just don't spend a lot of time in the camper unless it's raining. We run the AC fan at night for white noise which helps with all kinds of other noises people make in the camper. 🙂

[K_Charles]

I would not want to make it a bed every night and then make it b a c'mon to a couch every morning. I would lose interest in that real fast. A crib is not very big and you should be able to find room for it somewhere. The bedroom is for the grown ups.

[the_bear_II]

Our first TT only had sleeping areas that required making them up each night and putting them back to normal each morning. It became routine and part of the camping experience.

I find the new type air mattresses are very comfortable once you find the right pressure for you both. To make them a little better add a down filled mattress topper or memory foam topper or unzip a sleeping bag. Then use sheets and blanket(s) to make it feel like a regular bed. The topper can be rolled up and put out of the way in the tow vehicle or a corner in the bedroom.

If you were me, I wouldn't make any changes for the baby. In my opinion they need to learn to live with change and noise just like we all do. At 3 months old I was camping in a tent with my 5 member family. We travelled in an old military jeep on the weekends to go camping in the desert. My mom said they would put some army blankets in the bottom of a metal ice chest that was between the seats of the jeep and then lay me in the chest and cover me with a couple of baby blankets. Of course they would leave the lid off of the ice chest. And that's how I travelled when we went camping.

[geotex1]

We have a sleeper sofa with the air bed too, and it's fine for a night or two with adults, but not the greatest for a week or more. It's much better with the 2" topper we keep tightly rolled in the storage drawer. Nonetheless, I don't think it will suit your needs no matter how you "doctor" it, and say you should proceed with your plan B of getting a replacement. If your rig can handle the weight and you can get it in through the door, a bonafide residential sleeper sofa is hard to beat. Otherwise, I think a flip-fold couch with a foam topper will give you more comfort over that time period along with a quiet setup and quick breakdown.

Happy Camping!