Anybody got a GOOD air mattress?

[llebrekniT]

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I am planning a trip in early April. We have 3 children, one of them a two year old who has most likely outgrown the packNplay. We will probably get a one bedroom unit and need an air mattress on the floor.

Sooo, anybody own one that they would recommend?
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[kweaver]

Get an aerobed. You won't be sorry. We borrowed one from a neighbor for our last trip, and I slept on it one night. Very comfy!

Try www.overstock.com for some deals. I also think there were some price recommendations for one of the "linen" stores...Linens and Things...Bed, Bath and Beyond...somewhere like that.

 

[beccasmom]

Aerobeds are pretty much the gold standard - at least in our price range! Really love them!

 

[ErinC]

If the bed is for the little one, you might also check out the sleeping bags at Target. I think they are called ready beds, and are like a sleeping bag that has an inflatable bottom. They come in those familiar Disney characters too! It would be smaller than a twin aero, taking up less space, and I know that my kids would love to have one to sleep on. For some reason, when my kids sleep on an air matress they always roll off on to the floor. Maybe the sleeping bag portion would help keep them on the matress, since I think they are attached.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

ErinC -- I've never seen those...what a great idea for the little tykes!!!

 

[gracelrm]

My son has one of the readybeds with a Spiderman sleeping bag on it. He's still pretty small and it's plenty comfortable for him. My daughter sometimes sleeps on another one we got at Target - it's an Eddie Bauer that has a built in inflator thingy. She's about 100 lbs and it's really comfortable for her. Either of these are small enough for us to take along with us. HTH

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Our kids argue over who gets the areo bed. They swear it is more comfortable than the pull out sofa.

HBC

 

[twinscandc]

How heavy are those aerobeds?

We have twin DD's, age 8 and we are staying in a studio. In my thinking, it would be easier to just prop the air mattress against the wall every night than to pull out the hide a bed and then re-make it every day. I've heard the hide a bed's can be hard to get in and out. We have a hide a bed here at home, but only use it when the girls have friends over to spend the night. Then we usually pull the mattress off and put it on the floor because it is more comfortable - then, it is always a pain in my behind to get that thing put back together!

Has anybody ever done this....having the kids sleep on the air mattress instead of the pull out couch?

 

[Deb & Bill]

Okay, maybe this is just me, but I just don't get this. Spending thousands of dollars for a luxury vacation and camping out on the floor.

 

[twinscandc]

Okay, maybe this is just me, but I just don't get this. Spending thousands of dollars for a luxury vacation and camping out on the floor.

I get it totally!! If my girls are more comfortable on the floor on an air mattress than on a pull out couch, that has bars down the middle....then hey, I'm all for it!!

Unlike others, we cannot afford a two bedroom unit and overall we are just happy to be there!! Our last WDW vacation was in our camper in Fort Wilderness....now that's really camping!! But, you know what.... we had a wonderful time because we were together and in WDW!!

 

[ErinC]

Okay, maybe this is just me, but I just don't get this. Spending thousands of dollars for a luxury vacation and camping out on the floor.

You don't have to get it! Most people that spend thousands of dollars on a luxury vacation get enough beds and don't consider sleeping on a pull out a luxury. I'm with C & C, my family is just happy to be there, and if my kids sleeping on an air matress works for our family (we aren't breaking any occupancy rules) than why does it matter to you??? For us, DVC is an economical way to vacation. The accomodations are nice, but they aren't over the top. I consider luxury a great hotel with really nice furnishings, daily maid and turn down service,certainly not one with a full kitchen that I "have" to use while I'm on vacation. Don't get me wrong, I love DVC, but I don't understand some peoples' elitist attitude!

 

[tjkraz]

Okay, maybe this is just me, but I just don't get this. Spending thousands of dollars for a luxury vacation and camping out on the floor.

Something tells me there are a lot of things going through our childrens' minds that we adults will never "get."

Personally, I'm afraid to book a weekend stay at All Star Movies out of fear that my 3yo son would like that resort better than a DVC. Call me crazy, but I honestly think that a 20' Buzz Lightyear would leave a more favorable impression on a toddler than a Boardwalk View.

 

[kweaver]

Okay, maybe this is just me, but I just don't get this. Spending thousands of dollars for a luxury vacation and camping out on the floor.

If you didn't love camping out on the living room floor when you were a kid, there's something seriously wrong with you. Seriously, what does it matter to you?

Actually, DVC is very economical for us too. I'm all about finding great vacations that don't break the bank. For about $700 in MF...we get two 5 night trips in a 1BR. That's ~$350 per trip. We don't go to the parks every day (because we really don't want to)...so we buy park hoppers and use 2 park days and a plus day. That's $482 per trip for tickets. We always eat breakfast in the room...and because we like to take early afternoon breaks we end up eating lunches there too. Dinners are always out...so say $500 for five nice dinners.

That's $1332 per trip for a family of 5. So...it doesn't beat the $40 per night priceline deal that we got at the Marriott Grande Hotel last Spring Break...but it is Disney after all.

 

[kweaver]

FYI -

The "adult" sized ready bed is available at Target. I checked them out today and they are on clearance for $24.xx. (Around $50 normally) I brought one home...but I am going to take it back. It looks like a decent mattress and has a nice soft sleeping bag bed...but the inflator is battery powered only. They never do the job right. I didn't even inflate it.

 

[gopherit]

Our kids beg to sleep on the family room floor at home -- and our mattresses are top-quality, so go figure. They happen to think it's "cool"... of course, they also happen to think

I do agree thought that there are limits wherein it might not seem like "fun" anymore, more like clowns in a volkswagon. Exactly when you have reached that level is a matter of individual travel style. If the kids were bigger, or modest (boys / girls in same room), or full-sized adults who just plain didn't like each other, it would surely make sense to add space and rooms (or even a different zip code), not an air mattress. But in the case of a 2 yr old (who could be in a pack-n-play, but lordy that's gotta be uncomfy -- just not much padding, and so confining for a toddler) it seems silly to plop' em all alone in a queen bed. One year we had 3 small ones (ages 7,6,and 2) and we found we could get all 3 kids in 1 queen: two at the top, and then one sideways at the end! At SSR this year, DH and I liked the pull-out so well, we put all 3 kids in the king one night and we took the pull-out! (The news ones are NICE -- and NO BAR!) I will say however I am curious about these aerobeds... I have never -- ever -- found an air bed I even remotely like. May have to get one and test it myself just to see if it's different from brands I've tried in the past, or I'm just inherently "airbed intolerant"!

We are reaching the "no fun in a 1BR" zone now as our kids keep growing (can't seem to get them to quit doing that, darn 'em) , so for our HHI trip, I have a 2br reserved. A fam of 5 surely is an interesting dynamic to manage in DVC. Not interesting enough to move me to add a sixth family member but perhaps just interesting enough to add more pts instead!

 

[kweaver]

I will say however I am curious about these aerobeds... I have never -- ever -- found an air bed I even remotely like. May have to get one and test it myself just to see if it's different from brands I've tried in the past, or I'm just inherently "airbed intolerant"!

We are reaching the "no fun in a 1BR" zone now as our kids keep growing (can't seem to get them to quit doing that, darn 'em) , so for our HHI trip, I have a 2br reserved. A fam of 5 surely is an interesting dynamic to manage in DVC. Not interesting enough to move me to add a sixth family member but perhaps just interesting enough to add more pts instead!

I was the same way about the air beds. We have two basic air mattresses for camping and I detest them. The Aerobeds are different...they hold the air in very well and have much more support than a regular air mattress. Inflating and deflating is a piece of cake. You should really try one if you get a chance. Ask a friend or neighbor if they have one...someone you know probably does.

I understand where you are coming from with the family of 5 issue. Our youngest is just four...but I know it won't be long til we'll want a 2BR all the time.

 

[The4OfUs]

I just picked up the "raised aerobed", a queen sized, at Bed Bath and Beyond, and got it for $90 bucks off, so I was thrilled - we don't have a guest room, and the in-laws just moved to FL, so when they come here, I had nothing for them to sleep in.

We have the twin sized "on the floor" aerobeds which I have slept in comfortably, but OH MY is this raised one nice!! It's as tall as my bed, has 'stabilizers' on the sides, and can be as firm or soft as you like. My daughter keeps trying to talk me into letting her use it as her normal bed all the time now. NOT.

But now I have a 'guest room' with a very comfortable bed that deflates and packs into a bag in the closet when Grammie and Grampie go back to FL. They really are great, and they are 'child worthy' - as in, so far so good, even with repeated sleepover uses, my twin flat one is still sturdy and will be used for upcoming Disney trips as my two are also now at the "Sleep in the same bed?? NO WAY!" stage. *sigh*

 

[laceemouse]

We have 4 kids and always get a 2 bedroom, however, our kids are getting to the age where no one wants to share a bed. We visited my sister over the holdays and DD13 slept on her aerobed and LOVED it! We were thinking about getting twin aerobeds, one or two, to take to DVC. If we got 2 we could just leave the sleeper sofa closed up and let the 2 younger ones each use one. We usually drive, would be much harder if/when we fly. We usually leave the sleeper sofa open all day, and then there is no good place to sit. I like the idea of propping the aerobed up against the wall. We never try to squeeze more into a small unit than allowed, but my kids are just spoiled and each like to sleep alone.

 

[twinscandc]

We have the twin sized "on the floor" aerobeds which I have slept in comfortably, but OH MY is this raised one nice!!

How heavy is the twin sized aero bed? I know they come in a duffle like bag...could it be checked on the plane or maybe even a carry on?

We would probably need the full or queen size for my DD's and also for future use at home....

We've had several "regular" air mattress that are not very comfortable and all my friends who have the aero beds say they are the best!!

 

[llebrekniT]

Wow! I'm very happy to see the amount of responses I've gotten. Looks like I need to do a google on aero bed. I think I've seen them offered on QVC. I guess I could just call my Mom and ask, if it's been on QVC - she'll know it.