A mother who received harsh criticism for sharing a bed with her three children has justified her unconventional sleeping arrangement by arguing that it has significantly enriched their lives.

Cassey Bly, a 29-year-old woman from Southington, Connecticut, drew attention in February after she uploaded a video on TikTok confessing that she, along with her husband, Forrest, 29, and their three kids – aged six, four, and three – all sleep in the same bed every night.

Her revelation sparked a considerable amount of controversy on the platform, as her video quickly went viral, amassing millions of views and thousands of negative comments.

Now, Cassey has spoken about her decision to co-sleep with her three children exclusively with DailyMail.com.

The stay-at-home mother and content creator explained that she started co-sleeping with her kids when her oldest was a newborn because she would constantly worry about the baby when she slept on her own.

And she insisted that it’s had a slew of benefits for her kids.

She told DailyMail.com that her kids have ‘slept through the night’ since very early on and she believes that co-sleeping is to thank.

‘We all get great sleep,’ she shared. ‘They have always basically slept through the night other than to breastfeed since they were babies.

‘I can’t relate to other moms who don’t get sleep because I’ve always gotten eight to nine plus hours of sleep since having kids actually.’

The family-of-five sleep on two queen-sized beds that are pushed up together. Cassey installed a bed bridge to ensure no one falls in between the cracks of the two beds.

The three children, Ellovie, Igzy, and Ruca, each have their own bedrooms but remain adamant about sleeping alongside their parents.

In addition to ‘improved sleep’ for everyone, Cassey said other benefits include forming a special ‘connection’ and extra ‘security for the kids.’

‘And it makes the bedtime routine more efficient,’ she added. 

She insisted that it never feels ‘too crowded’ and that the only downside she has noticed is being ‘kicked’ every now and then.

‘I just reposition them if that happens,’ she added.

Despite warnings that suggest co-sleeping can led to accidental suffocation of newborns, Cassey was ‘never concerned about that’ as she made a conscious effort to follow the Safe Sleep Seven – a guideline for safer co-sleeping from La Leche League. 

Some of their tips include keeping the baby at your breast – and on their back – and making sure they’re lightly dressed. 

The only other negative? Not getting ‘private time’ with her husband – but she believes that’s a problem ‘any parent runs into’ whether they share a bed with their kids or not. 

‘Any parents run into issues with having private time with their spouse once they have children, so I think we navigate that the same way anyone else would,’ she explained.

Cassey was fiercely slammed when she posted about her abnormal sleeping arrangement last month.

In response to her ‘haters,’ the mom-of-three fired back, ‘I know what I’m doing feels right for my family so others’ opinions don’t bother me.’

And she has no plans on stopping any time soon, as she concluded, ‘My kids will transition to their own beds when they feel comfortable. 

‘I am expecting that to be in the next few years but no rush.’ 

In a past interview with SWNS, Cassey described their sleeping arrangement as the ‘perfect parenting hack for a [good] night’s sleep.’

She explained that when she had her first child in 2018, she initially had her sleep in a bassinet next to her and her husband’s bed.

However, for the first four days, Cassey said she struggled to sleep without her and would constantly be checking over the baby to see if she was okay and still ‘breathing.’

‘Letting my kids sleep on their own has never really worked. It just made complete sense for them to be in the bed with us,’ she explained. 

‘They have never been fussy sleepers, who cry or whine, and since starting the ‘family bed,’ we’ve hardly woken throughout the night. 

‘It’s been one of the best parenting decisions we’ve made.’

She added, ‘It was also a convenience thing. I prefer to breastfeed and to be able to just roll over with them there to feed, it was just so much easier.

‘I didn’t have to fully wake up and get out of bed to see if they were okay. And I could hear and feel them breathe, which helped me get the best night’s sleep. All their needs can be instantly met.’