Family of seven's giant shared bed leaves onlookers baffled
A family of seven have revealed how they all manage to sleep together in a huge bed in a viral TikTok video that has prompted heated debate online.
Mum of five Amanda who goes by Little Southern Wife on TikTok and Instagram shared a video revealing that her and husband Derrek along with their brood of five all share one enormous bed.
In the TikTok video, Amanda reveals the pair have been co-sleeping with their kids for eight years, and made their bed by combining a queen and king double mattress in a custom frame.
"Eight years ago my husband made our family bed so we could co-sleep with our littles," she wrote in a caption on the video.
Using two fitted sheets and a number of comforters the huge bed can comfortably house the entire gang, but Amanda later clarified that the older kids graduate to their own beds when they're ready.
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So, while they may all have shared the one bed at one point they now have three extras in their bed every night.
Amanda made the clarification in a follow-up video after her initial post went viral.
Video goes viral, sparking co-sleeping debate
The video has been viewed 4.7 million times and sparked a flurry of question and concern.
Many pointed out that co-sleeping is known to be potentially dangerous for young babies.
“Co-sleeping is a big no no!” one concerned mum wrote on the video.
Hundreds disagreed writing they loved the idea.
“Parent how you want girl,” one woman
“Our older kids sleep in their own beds," she explained. "They make the transition when they are ready and we fully support and encourage them to sleep in their own beds."
“As a mom I love this,” another agreed.
Health guidelines say co-sleeping ‘not safe for babies’
In Australia, co-sleeping with infants under 12 months old is discouraged by official health channels over links to Sudden Unexpected Death in Infants because of increased risk of the baby being lain on, suffocated or entrapped.
“There is clear evidence that co-sleeping is not safe for babies, particularly for babies under three months of age and babies born prematurely and/or small for gestational age,” NSW Health’s factsheet on healthy sleeping for newborns reads.
Amanda reveals secrets to sex life with bed-sharing
Other questions that onlookers had were of the more intimate variety, wondering how the couple managed to keep their sex lives going with at least three extras in the bed.
In a follow-up video, Amanda revealed the pair are not shy about using the rest of the house for their alone time.
The video shows Derrek throwing Amanda on the bed after she finishes tidying it.
“My husband and I have a healthy sex life,” she wrote in a caption on the video. “And [we] explore other spaces in OUR HOME when we want intimacy.”
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