As parents, we all know how difficult bedtime can be with younger children! It feels like it takes years to get a schedule down, and even then they are sneaking out of bed and coming up with ideas to wake us up. One Texas family dealt with similar issues, but their solution was a little different than most parents. They decided to build one giant family bed, where they would all sleep together.
Prior to this idea and project, Elizabeth and Tom Boyce of Plano, Texas described on their blog what bedtime was like with their five children.
“Bedtime was full of tears and fights.”
Between anxious kids and Tom’s disability, which tends to keep him up at night already, the two decided to prioritize sleep over privacy.
Since no retailers sell beds for seven, the Boyce family had to get creative and used IKEA bed parts to customize their new co-sleeping masterpiece, which has separate areas for everyone.
Since they have all been sleeping in the same room, the couple says they have seen a drastic improvement. “In our house, by moving everyone into one room, we suddenly had several other rooms that were completely empty at night,” the family writes. “And we no longer had small children wandering, crying into our bed in the dark.”
If you’re interested in this kingdom-sized sleeping arrangement, you can check out their tutorial for making a big one.
