How to survive school holidays

School holidays: Guide to stress-free sleepovers and encouraging tidy rooms

When children have their own rooms, most adults agree that getting the little tykes to clear up after themselves is a never ending job like painting the Forth Bridge. There are a number of ways to approach this (and could include the ‘naughty step’ from Supernanny) and to keep a positive approach is usually the best start.

Rather than having toys in boxes around the room, buying a piece of bedroom furniture like a cabin bed will appeal to a wide audience as this is especially designed with children in mind. There are a number of drawers and storage shelves, together with the added excitement of sitting underneath your own bed with a desk to work from, whether it’s a laptop or written homework. Encouraging the younger ones to look after their own belongings could often start with the basics, starting with their own bed.

For small rooms where space saving is paramount and to accommodate guests would be a struggle with buying a spare bed, consider buying a futon to help with school holiday sleepovers. Futons are versatile items of furniture, quickly changing from a sofa to a bed within seconds.

Choosing a futon should be based on the advantages of a wood frame versus a metal frame. If you intend to use the futon as a sofa primarily, and as a bed only on rare occasions, the metal frame gives a better seating posture. If the futon is mostly going to be slept on, or used regularly in a children’s room, for example, the wood frame would be a slightly cheaper option. Most futon mattress covers are fixed, so consider buying a modern colour to match the scheme of your home.

Children’s space saving ideas on a budget are chair beds and sofa beds. As children are lighter than adults, the fillings used do not need to be solid and firm, or use internal springs. A foam cube bed, or chair bed are cheaper than buying a single bed and great for occasional use, they come in a wide array of colours. These flop-out collapsible beds are also perfect for children to put down and pack up again with no risk of injury. Every child loves the novelty of sleeping round a friend’s house, and using a bed they have made themselves surely adds to the experience to compliment jammy dodgers as a midnight feast!

Comfy Living recently featured on ITV’s ’60 Minute Makeover’ with one of their bed frames and have had encouraging feedback from the programme designers and customers alike.