A mom-of-five has shared footage of the sight that greeted her when checking in on her sleeping twins using a baby camera.
The first year of a child's life can be tough for any new parent, not least when it comes to their sleep. A survey of 1,300 parents conducted by nursery furniture company Snuz revealed seven out of 10 moms and dads lost around three hours of sleep a night during their baby's first year. That equates to losing around 133 nights' worth of sleep before their child even turns a year old.
Some might end up losing even more sleep though after watching the video shared to TikTok by Romy Ton from Woodland Hills, California. Ton had just put her twins, Angelina and Madelyn, down to sleep when began to hear "babbling" sounds and decided to check in on them via the baby camera in their room.
What she saw left her stunned and prompted her to pick up her phone and record footage of what was unfolding for her "own amusement." The resulting footage was then posted to TikTok where it's been watched more than 7.5 million times.
Watching through the baby camera, Ton could clearly see that both twins were still wide awake. However, what caught her eye most was the fact that Angelina appeared to attempting a handstand before flipping down into the cot. "She did quite a performance and flipped over as I was recording," Ton said.
Ton told Newsweek she felt strangely conflicted watching what was unfolding. "My immediate thought was 'I should run in her room to make sure she doesn't backflip out of her crib' but another part of me couldn't stop watching," she said. "I was filled with lots of emotions and at the same time oddly impressed with this new skill."
The incident did solidify one thing in her mind though. "Needless to say, I immediately got a toddler bed for her safety," Ton confirmed.
Posting the video online wasn't just about sharing a memorable moment with her followers though. As the onscreen caption accompanying the clip explained, Angelina is autistic and one of her favorite "sensory experiences" is being upside down.
"Angelina is a big-time sensory seeker," Ton said. "She loves being upside down, she watches TV upside down and likes the sensation and feeling of being held upside down."
Ton said her actions in the video represent a form of "self-regulation and self-soothing." She explained: "Some autistic kids may find it difficult to have a full night's sleep. She would wake up every single night for hours on end and I'm assuming perhaps she got bored and decided to do handstands in her crib."
Ton is pleased at the response her video has gotten. "Sharing my daughter's journey is a part of what I do. I advocate for my daughter to promote more awareness, acceptance and inclusion," she said. "The response has been incredible. I can't believe how many people this has reached."
Ton revealed that Angelina and Madelyn are a little older now than they were in that video and while Angelina doesn't do as many handstands, she's found a new pursuit around the house. "Her new thing is climbing furniture and jumping off of it and using the couch as a climbing tool as well," she said.
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About the writer
Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
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