2 kids, 2 adults, 1 queen bed, and no personal space. I regret not splurging on a king-size mattress while my kids were little.

<ul>
<li>When it came time to replace our bed, we decided not to splurge on a king-size mattress.</li>
<li>My family spends a lot of quality time in bed, and I regret not upgrading when we had the chance.</li>
<li>I cherish these silly moments of connection and know they won't last forever.</li>
</ul>
<p>For Christmas one year, my husband and I bought our then 2-year-old son a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parents-waiting-up-to-8-months-get-nugget-foam-couch-2020-11">Nugget Couch</a>. It was amazing, and more comfortable than our mattress. Wait, was our mattress really that bad? <br/>I was pregnant and had thought it needed replacing (after all, it was over 10 years old), but the play couch pushed us to make a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/home/best-mattress">mattress purchase</a>, which, on some days, I think we rushed into without considering some important things.</p>
<p>We chose a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/home/best-hybrid-mattresses">queen mattress</a>, the same size as the one we were replacing. At the time, the king seemed like a luxury we didn't need. And we certainly didn't need to spend the extra money, either. Now, I see things differently.</p>
<h2>Adding a second child changed the dynamics in our bed</h2>
<p>When it came time to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/home/how-to-choose-a-mattress">shop for our new mattress</a>, my husband casually mentioned upgrading our queen bed to a king, but I had little interest, and we never discussed it much past that. <br/>I've always felt like king-sized beds were too spacious. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/travel/hotel-mattresses-you-can-buy-for-home">At hotels</a>, they required scooting over to reach the center of the bed. Who wants to do that? <br/>We went with the queen, and things were fine for a while. After all, when just one child toddles into our room and climbs into bed, there are cuddles and coziness. However, when two children wind up <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/family-co-sleeping-same-bed-experience-2024-7">in our bed</a>, there are feet in each other's faces, and everyone winds up a bit uncomfortable, especially now that they're 4 and 6. <br/>Sometimes a child will wind up lying sideways. Once, I might have suggested that someone sleep at the end of the bed, where one might picture a dog or cat (neither of which we own). The extra space a king-sized mattress would provide sure would come in handy now.</p>
<h2>We play games on our bed</h2>
<p>My husband started a game with our kids where he pretends that our blanket is a "hungry house" that will eat up and envelop them. The kids also love it when we pretend they're airplanes and toss them into the bed, where they squirm like rollie-pollies. These activities take up a lot of space, and having more room to roll around and play would be a plus.</p>
<p>Once in a blue moon, our kids will decide to bring all their stuffed animals into the bed and make a suffie mountain, or play hide-and-seek under the covers. Then there are the nights when our daughter climbs into our bed and announces herself with a doorbell sound. I cherish these <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/change-parenting-style-for-each-kid-different-approach-2025-12">silly moments of connection</a> and know they won't last forever, so I want to encourage them as much as possible now.</p>
<h2>I feel like I missed our chance to upgrade to a king-size bed</h2>
<p>Now, four years later, I question why I didn't consider my husband's suggestion to upgrade to a king-size bed seriously. As an item that's only replaced every 10 years or so, and with a higher price tag, it's a big decision. <br/>It seems too late to change mattress sizes now since we'd need both a new bed frame and mattress, and it doesn't make sense to replace ours, which works perfectly fine.</p>
<p>At some point, our kids will stop crawling into our bed. By the time we'll need a new mattress again, I likely won't feel the same desire or need for a king-size bed. But if I chose again with younger kids, I'd get a king.</p>