What Is a Daybed and Why Do You Need It in Your Nursery?

While you’re awaiting the arrival of the newest addition to your family, you’ll probably spend a lot of time preparing the perfect nursery bedroom for your baby. Once you bring your newborn home, where you sleep will be just as important. You might spend less time in your own bed than you would have hoped but don’t worry, you have other options!

A daybed in your baby’s room could be the answer you’ve been looking for. By the end of this guide, you’ll be ready to decide if a daybed will be a practical piece in your little one’s nursery.

A daybed is a versatile piece of furniture. With the comfort of a mattress cushion and the back support of a sofa, the design of a daybed allows you to use it for seating, sleeping, and every kind of lounging in between.

It typically accommodates a twin-size mattress and can be personalized to fit the color and design of your room. The daybed can sometimes be confused with other similar couch-bed combos, but once you learn its specific characteristics, you’ll see why it may be the right fit for your nursery.

There are many different styles of furniture for a seating/sleeping area. Although they may appear to be the same at first glance, finding the best choice for your baby’s nursery requires a more thorough understanding of each option.

It’s part sofa and part bed, all the time. The daybed doesn’t require any adjusting to switch from sitting up to laying down. The standard daybed frame has a backrest, and armrests on either side and fits a twin-size bed mattress. The space-saving design that allows you to comfortably lounge or sleep takes away the need for additional seating or a larger bed in the room.

The trundle bed is a hideaway bed option. With different styles, you can have a twin, full, or queen-size bed on top with a roll-out bed of the same size underneath. These beds are great for sleeping two people in a small space while still in separate beds. You simply roll the trundle back under the main bed when it’s not in use.

The sofa bed is disguised to look most like a couch. The cushions and frame of the sofa can be repositioned to fold out into a bed. These types of beds are not the most comfortable for daily sleeping but can be handy if you don’t have a separate guest bedroom and need a place for your visitors to sleep for a night or two.

The futon is similar to the sofa bed in the way that it looks like a couch and the frame can be maneuvered to lay down like a bed. The futon mattress bends to become the seat cushion and the padded backrest when in the sitting position, making it much thinner than a standard bed mattress.

While they share some similarities, daybeds, trundle beds, sofa beds, and futons all have unique characteristics that make them useful in different situations.

The great thing about creating a nursery is there are so many ways to do it. There are plenty of nursery ideas out there to give you inspiration if you’re not sure where to start, but you can truly customize this room to work for your family—and that might include adding a daybed.

Here are a few pros and cons of having a daybed in your nursery…

• Parents and caregivers have somewhere to rest while helping their baby learn to sleep in the nursery. It’s much better than laying on the floor while waiting for your little one to close their eyes.

• Parents can take shifts sleeping on the daybed in the nursery with the baby. This allows one parent to get a full night’s sleep on a predictable basis or the night before a busy day.

• The daybed provides a lounge seating option in the room to cuddle with your little one or read books before bed. And because of the larger seating area than a standard nursery chair, this can be a great way for the whole family to sit together.

• If your guest room became the nursery once your baby was born, you can offer the daybed as a solution

• A daybed that converts to a big kid’s bed, later on, is an investment that serves your family for many years with its versatility.

• Sleeping on a daybed long term may not be as spacious and comfortable as sleeping in your own bed. This could lead you to stop using it as you intended to when you bought it. One way to avoid this is to purchase a daybed that converts into a kid's bed or can be used in a spare guest room.

• The nursery isn’t always a practical place to accommodate guests. Some babies won’t sleep as well with someone else in their room and some adults won’t feel comfortable either.

• A daybed may take up too much space in a small room if you plan to incorporate other essential nursery furniture as well.

• Lounging on a daybed with your baby might not have the same soothing effect that rocking to sleep in a glider has.

Nurture& offers a daybed that leans into the pros and alleviates some of the cons. The Daybed is made of upholstered frame pieces that create a cozy seating area during the day and give parents enough space to get a restful night’s sleep when sharing a room with their baby. When you pair it with a high-quality daybed mattress you won’t mind sleeping in the nursery. You can easily convert this daybed into a Kid’s Bed as your child grows and is ready for a big kid's room.

So, maybe, you do want to elevate your nursery with a daybed—how do you pick the right one?

These factors will guide you in choosing the daybed that matches your nursery’s aesthetic and enhances the functionality of the room.

Typically, a daybed includes a sofa-like backrest across the length of the frame and two sides for arm support. However, other types of daybeds only have partial half-back support leaving much more of the lounge space with an open edge. This could also look like a bed with a headboard, but no footboard when you’re using the daybed for sleeping.

Consider the space you have available in the nursery. Even with a standard twin mattress, the daybed can take up less space than a regular bed, but considerably more space than other seating options, like a glider and ottoman. Always check the dimensions of the daybed before you make your purchase.

Daybeds can be found with bare metal or wooden frames or wrapped in upholstery. Any furniture in your baby’s nursery is susceptible to messes so a metal frame that can be wiped down regularly or a daybed covered in an easy-to-clean fabric might make the most sense for your baby’s room.

Choosing an upholstered daybed minimizes nighttime mishaps and offers added safety as your child evolves into an active toddler.

The overall appearance of the daybed can complement the style or theme of your nursery. You could choose a color and design to make the daybed a stand-out piece of furniture in the nursery. Going with something simple in a neutral color gives you the option to use the daybed in your living room or other areas of your home should you decide to move it.

Find a multifunctional daybed that not only serves as an extra sleeping space but also provides extra storage in the nursery. A daybed frame with shelving or drawers can free up space in the dresser and closet and save you from needing large storage furniture in the room.

As with all furniture, daybeds come in a wide range of prices. When you’re calculating a budget that you’re comfortable with spending, consider how you plan to use your daybed. If this will be a piece of furniture that only gets occasional use, then it might be wise to focus on cheaper options. If you plan to use the daybed on a regular basis, it could be worth investing in a more expensive, high-quality piece that can become a staple in your living space for years to come.

Opting for a daybed minimizes nighttime mishaps and ensures safety as your child becomes an active toddler. It's versatile, serving both as a child's bed and a welcoming spot for guests

When thinking about how you’ll use your daybed, also consider any extra features that might be helpful to your family. The Nurture& Daybed is customizable to utilize the features that appeal to your family’s needs. You have the option to add rolling trundle storage underneath to keep your nursery organized or for easy access to extra blankets and linens. We’ve created The Daybed to seamlessly convert to a big kid's bed once your child is older with the option to add toddler safety rails to the sides.

Infusing your personal style into the nursery can be accomplished in the way that you decorate your daybed. The versatility of the sitting, lounging, and sleeping use of your daybed leaves room for endless styling possibilities.

Decorating ideas all begin with the style of frame that you choose. There are so many designs to choose from, like a painted wooden daybed or an upholstered, button-tufted pattern.

Throw pillows can add fun pops of color to your daybed as well as extra comfort while you sit. A lumbar pillow gives a simple, sleek look to your daybed while providing the practical support you need when snuggling or feeding your baby in the nursery.

Drape a soft throw blanket over the headboard or footboard of the daybed to add a cozy texture. Keeping a blanket folded over the edge of the daybed builds a warm aesthetic and is the perfect placement to grab the blanket and cover yourself when you lay down for a nap.

Whether you’ll be sitting or sleeping on your daybed, invest in high-quality sheets to cover the twin bed mattress. You can choose soft sheets that match your nursery design or create an elegant, grown-up look on your daybed.

While protecting your daybed from everyday messes, a slipcover can also reinvent the look of your room by adding a new color or pattern to your furniture. Invest in a slipcover that fits snugly around the frame of your daybed to avoid constantly adjusting it.

Buying a daybed for your baby’s nursery can bring a sense of style and comfort to the room while being a functional part of your daily routine. A daybed can be a great solution to a seating area for caregivers in the nursery and an extra bed for you or your guests in your home.

Nurture& can help you create the cozy sleeping environment you need with the perfect daybed for your nursery. You can find more nursery guides and tips in our Journal and shop our online store for a complete look at our baby furniture and essentials made for parents, by parents.