Domestic Comfort with the AeroBed® Sleigh Bed with Pillow Top and Footboard

The world of air mattresses have come a very long way since the 80's.
I still have visions of losing my breath and taking breaks  in between blowing up meager air mattresses during camping trips and let's not forget the air mattresses you'd be lucky enough to score during sleepovers at friends or family members homes when there wasn't an available bed or couch left. Oh, the joy! (Insert sarcasm)
So you can imagine why my idea of air mattresses, no matter how thick and durable they looked to me, had me rubbing my back in harrowing recollection.

I do a lot of entertaining in my home; and usually have family and friends spending the night -- especially my parents and in-laws. We only have 3 bedrooms in our home -- one master with a Queen, one for Ava with a single bed and the 3rd is basically an office and "storage area" for now with little to no room to fit in a futon.
We've got our couch in the living room and a futon in the finished basement/rec room; however they are still not ideal for a restful nights sleep.

I was introduced to Coleman Canada's line of AeroBed®'s and was instantly attracted to the AeroBed® Sleigh Bed with Pillow Top and Footboard. The fact that it gave the illusion of a real bed and mattress intrigued me.

Here are the key features of the AeroBed® Sleigh Bed with Pillow Top and Footboard:

• Headboard and footboard keeps blankets and pillows in place like a regular bed
• Comfortable added pillow top for an extra-soft feel
• Horizontal air channels cradle and support body
• Queen size, double high airbed - fits standard queen size sheets
• Built-in AC pump for fast inflation with control wand
• Whoosh™ Valve for fast deflation and easy storage
• Electric pump included
• Take it anywhere, store it anywhere in the convenient carry bag
• Inflated dimensions: 198 x 52 x 46 cm
• 2 year industry-leading limited pump warranty

Thanksgiving was approaching which I found to be the perfect opportunity to test it out having visitors over and staying the night.
Christmas is just around the corner too so this AeroBed® Sleigh Bed with Pillow Top and Footboard is going to be such a lifesaver!

All the instructions were easy to read and pretty much fool-proof. Quick and easy - just the way I like it!
The AeroBed® deflated was still quite weighty but it was small enough to fit into a closet afterwards with a bag for storage which is great for convenience.
On the side of the AeroBed® were instructions for inflating and deflating and the built-in AC pump for fast inflation.

It took literally 1 minute and 30 seconds for it to inflate to full size. Wow! That's quick!

Before

After

Aside from it being a bit loud on the ears during inflation, I loved how quick it was to inflate and on top of that you can never over-inflate the AeroBed®! It stops pushing air into it once it's reached its peak.
Fantastic, huh?

And if that wasn't good enough, just wait until you lie down on it!
With the comfortable added pillow top for an extra-soft feel and horizontal air channels cradling and supporting your body, it truly feels like you're sleeping on your own mattress/bed.
Imaging taking this camping? Bringing the word "glamping" to a whole 'nother level!
Ideally, this is perfect for the guests in your home or even the cottage for extra beds -- even perfect for college students in their dorms! I've slept on one of those sad excuse of a bed in college dorms and this is WAY more comfortable!

We kept AeroBed® inflated and put to good use over the entire Thanksgiving weekend (3 days) and although they guaranteed up to a week before it starts to lose some air and deflate slightly on it's own, I found the corners of the mattress were already losing air after the 3rd day.
Do keep in mind, it was used excessively for those 3 days with an adult and small child sleeping on it.

Overall, I am very impressed with the AeroBed® Sleigh Bed with Pillow Top and Footboard as an additional "bed" and would have no problems having my guests sleeping on it. They would probably thank me in the morning for such a relaxed nights sleep on the AeroBed®!

If you are looking for a solution for additional space and bedding to sleep in your home or for the cottage, I highly recommend the AeroBed® Sleigh Bed with Pillow Top and Footboard!

The AeroBed® Sleigh Bed with Pillow Top and Footboard is available at Target; MSRP:$249.99.


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Disclosure: I received full sample for an honest and thorough review of this product; however all opinions expressed are my very own.

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Benefits of Co-Sleeping

I admit it.  I am a co-sleeper.  My daughter has slept with us on our bed exclusively after 6 months (sporadically before then) and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I love sleeping with my child.  And she loves it too.

Have we tried to get her in her own "big girl" bed? Yes! 

Has she successfully slept on her own bed for the whole night? No.

She much prefers being with mommy and daddy and we're totally okay with it.

Obviously it has been bothersome for my husband and I on occasions when we want to get close and now that she`s getting taller (and I think I should mention she is a big squirmer and moves around a lot when she's sleeping), it's not very easy.

She has her own temporary mattress and bedding set up in our bedroom, although she would prefer to sleep on our bed and usually when she falls asleep, we would put her on her smaller bed next to ours.  But we usually wake up with her right back on our bed. :)

So we've decided that we may need to invest in a larger bed. 

Me and my siblings were all co-sleepers as young children, as was my husband and his siblings.  Are we clingy, dependent and extremely attached to them? No. Well, I'm sorta with my mom but that's a whole different story. And I often tease my husband and tell him he's a true mama's boy (Shh! Don't tell him I blogged that) Ha-ha!

Although popular media has worked hard to put a negative spin on co-sleeping, scientific evidence proves otherwise. Co-sleeping has innumerable benefits for everyone in the family. 

Benefits at a glance: increased self-esteem, experience less behavioral problems, are less prone to peer pressure and report more happiness and general satisfaction with life.

Encourages independence

While it is commonly believed that co-sleeping will create clingy, dependent children, research proves that the opposite is true. Children who share sleep with their parents develop independence earlier and need less transitional objects because they do not experience separation anxiety. "When a child routinely goes to sleep in the presence of an adult, or with an adult holding her, it's extremely rare to find thumb sucking or attachment to security objects," explains Dr. Jay Gordon, author of Good Nights: The Happy Parents' Guide to the Family Bed.

Builds self esteem

Children who have grown up in a family bed have increased self-esteem, experience less behavioral problems, are less prone to peer pressure and report more happiness and general satisfaction with life. They are less likely to suffer from stress disorders than children who did not share sleep with their parents.

Promotes physical and mental well-being

In addition to psychological benefits, babies who co-sleep appear to thrive better.

Parenting expert and pediatrician Dr. William Sears explains, "Over the past thirty years of observing sleep-sharing families in our pediatric practice, we have noticed one medical benefit that stands out; these babies thrive. 'Thriving' means not only getting bigger, but also growing to your full potential, emotionally, physically and intellectually. Perhaps it's the extra touch that stimulates development, or perhaps the extra feedings (yes, sleep-sharing infants breastfeed more often than solo sleepers)."

Reduces risk of stress disorders and SIDS

In his years of research on co-sleeping, Harvard psychiatrist Michael Commons has discovered that babies who sleep alone are at increased risk for SIDS and stress disorders. Co-sleeping babies sleep in physiological harmony with their mothers. The proximity of the mother and infant actually regulates the infant's breathing, sleep state, arousal patterns, heart rates and body temperature. Babies who are left to cry alone experience elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which causes damage to the developing brain. "It makes you more prone to the effects of stress, more prone to illness, including mental illness and makes it harder to recover from illness," explains Commons.

Easier for nursing moms

Nursing moms who co-sleep with their babies report feeling better rested. Because they do not have to leave the bed to nurse, their sleep patterns are less disturbed and they feel more alert and focused during the daytime.

Promotes family closeness

Children raised in the family bed lifestyle develop close bonds with their family and report more feelings of connectedness and happiness than children who sleep alone. Sleeping together provides more hours in each day for family members to connect and share loving, nurturing moments under the sweet breath of sleep.

Credits: sheknows.com

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{Recipe} Sleep Slim Smoothie

Doze off and keep your metabolism burning through the night with this delicious smoothie courtesy of Dr. Michael Breus, PhD, The Sleep Doctor. 

Cherries are one of the richest known sources of melatonin, the sleep hormone that recent studies have shown can also help reverse the effects of aging, while bananas contain loads of magnesium, a calming mineral. Lastly, soy milk is high in tryptophan, the sleep-inducing amino acid. 

Sweet dreams!

Ingredients

• 1 cup tart cherry juice
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 cup soy milk or 4-6 oz soy yogurt (if using soy yogurt, add an additional 1/2 cup fat-free milk)
• 5 ice cubes
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

Combine the cherry juice, banana, milk or yogurt with fat-free milk, ice and vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Credits: www.doctoroz.com

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