Reasons to Consider a Floor Bed

When you think about baby sleep, what do you picture? For most parents it’s a baby, on their back, in their crib. Maybe you are pretty familiar with bedsharing, and you also picture a bedsharing baby snuggled next to their parent. Many parents feel like there are only 2 choices, but what do you do when neither of these sleep set ups are working for your family?

You consider another choice.

There are many variations in sleep set ups. In my work with family’s, I regularly recommend floor beds. If you aren’t sure what that is or when best to use one, this post is for you.

What is a floor bed?

At its most basic, a floor bed is a mattress on the floor. This can be done with a crib mattress or an adult sized mattress. You can bedshare or cosleep on a floor bed or you can have your baby or toddler sleep independently on a floor bed. Some families put slats under the mattress for air flow or use a basic low bed frame. Floor beds are very popular in the Montessori philosophy.

What about safety with a floor bed?

Floor beds are wonderful tools, but safety is essential. For babies under 12 months, a crib mattress makes the safest floor bed if your baby is sleeping independently. Using a larger, adult mattress can work well if you are bedsharing with your baby or setting up a toddler floor bed.

Floor beds give freedom of movement to your baby or toddler, and that freedom means you need to do some very intentional safety proofing of their room. Aiming for a minimalist room with only the basics will make this easier. 

Make sure to safety proof the following:

• Anchor all furniture securely to the wall.

• Have the mattress pulled away from the wall or any furniture so that there is plenty of space around the mattress. If your baby or toddler rolls off, you want them to have the room to reposition easily.

• Make sure all outlets are covered with safety outlet covers.

• Manage all cords with baby proofing or pet proofing cord covers so that your baby cannot get tangled in them, chew on them, or pull something down onto themselves.

• High shelves mounted to your wall can be a good place for monitors, sound machines, or other items you want out of reach, as long as you can be mindful of the cords.

• Be mindful of blinds or curtains – there should be no strings or other entangling parts.

• Keep toys to a minimum and make sure they are all 100% safe with no small pieces or other choking or strangulation hazards.

For families that cannot completely safety proof the room, I’ve seen them securely baby gate off part of the room or use a secure play pen to create a perimeter. If going this root, you want to be very sure there are no places to get wedged or ways the gating could be tipped on baby.

This may sound like a lot, and it can be. I’m helping you think through all the worst case scenario situations because most parents aren’t used to thinking through the safety of a floor bed. If you can get past the safety set up, they are a wonderful tool.

Why might you consider a floor bed?

In my practice, I find floor beds particularly helpful in a few key situations.

Trouble with transfers

Transferring a baby from arms to crib can be really tricky. While there are ways to troubleshoot your transfers, they can remain a struggle for some babies. For many of these babies, the idea of falling asleep independently in their crib is laughably far away.

In these situations, a floor bed can be a really helpful tool. The floor bed allows you to avoid the transfer completely. Baby falls asleep in their sleep space. Once they are asleep, you simply shift away and get up. This is generally much more successful than a crib transfer. A bonus is that laying down with your child in their sleep space means the sheet smells like you which can help them feel close even when you aren’t there.

You are ready to move away from bedsharing.

Bedsharing babies and toddlers often transition well to a floor bed. You can do this gradually at a pace that works for your family. The floor bed can be in your room or in a child’s own room. In my experience supporting families, the bedsharing to floor bed transition is the smoothest way to move away from bedsharing.

You have a wakeful baby and want to avoid fulltime bedsharing.

Floor beds give you flexibility. You can start a baby in their own space (without struggling with those frustrating transfers), and then have a parent join them for part of the night. You can snuggle them back to sleep in their sleep space, and then get back up. Or you can choose to sleep the rest of the night in with them. You can make that choice on a night by night basis, so you aren’t committing to bedsharing more than you choose to.

What if they fall off the floor bed?

This can happen, more so with some babies compared to others. The first thing to remember is it’s a mattress very low to the ground so your baby isn’t going far. If you have hard floors, you might want to have a rug next to the floor bed. Rolling off the bed is part of a child learning where those physical boundaries are. With time, most children will stop rolling off the mattress while others are simply not bothered by it. If your little one is constantly rolling off and it is disrupting your sleep, you may want to try a different sleep set up. Some Montessori beds have low sides and might be a good fit for a toddler.

While floor beds aren’t the mainstream in the US where I’m writing from, they can be a helpful tool for many families. They take some intentional preparation and a bit of out of the box thinking, but a floor bed might just be the tool you need to support longer and more independent sleep.

Want help navigating the floor bed set up and decision making process? Schedule a free intro call and let’s talk about how I can help.