Elizabeth and Tom Boyce have found that the family that sleeps together stays together. Thanks to Facebook and the modular beds available at Ikea, the Boyce’s sleeping arrangement is making national news.
The plan for the family to sleep together in one room was prompted by Tom’s medical condition, according to a Huffington Post story. Tom, who is disabled, has been hospitalized for much of the past year, leading to the children’s anxiety and sleep problems.
The family enjoys traveling together in a pop-up camper, so the five children are used to sleeping all together in a small space with their parents. In fact, they have trouble adjusting to sleeping in their own rooms when they return home.
So Elizabeth headed to Ikea. Using the company’s “Kura” beds, the family sleeping arrangement features a large set of the Kura beds that serve as the parent’s sleep area and the as the bottom of twin “bunk beds” on each side. 11-year-old Zach and 9-year-old Izzy sleep in the bottom and top areas to one side of their parents, while 7-year-old Ben and 3-year-old Owen sleep on the other side.
1-year-old Elijah sleeps in the middle with his parents.
The children’s bedrooms now serve as reading rooms and play areas. Elizabeth noted that, since the Ikea beds are easily separated, the children can move back to their rooms if they choose to in the future. Meanwhile, her Facebook post with a picture of the sleeping area has been shared more than 300 times.