Mommy ferberization
Gioia enjoying the spaciousness of her "big girl" crib
The time is coming where I will have to sleep train myself. My little girl (Gioia) is outgrowing her co-sleeper. Soon her head and feet will touch the ends of her little nest and it will be time for her to “graduate” to her crib, in her own room, that is not attached to my side of the bed. I am panicked. How will I train myself? There is comfort in being able to wake up at any point during the night and see her sweet face slumbering next to mine. There is comfort in seeing the rise and fall of her little chest. There is comfort in hearing her nighttime coos, squeaks and grunts. And soon (too soon!) I will have to gain my comfort through a baby monitor.
I know it’s necessary and, if I’m honest with myself, I know she is ready. I already put her down in her “big girl” crib every night at 7:30 where she quickly falls into a deep sleep. Me? I go to bed a bit later than 7:30. I (ahem) surf the Internet, read or play solitaire on my cell phone until she wakes up (around midnight). Crazy? Maybe a little. I just can’t seem to settle to sleep when she is in another room. What if she needs me?
When she DOES wake up – hungry! – I feed her, change her and then, instead of putting her back down in the crib, I bring her to our bedroom and put her in the co-sleeper where we then both can sleep until morning. Bad habit? Probably. Would Gioia go back to sleep in her own crib? Probably. Do I know that I am just self-soothing? Absolutely.
The question then becomes, how do I “Ferberize” myself? Wish me luck…I am guessing I have only a few more weeks of co-sleeping and then Gioia’s long limbs will beg for a more spacious sleep arena!
It is definitely harder on the mama!
Good luck to you! My kids were in their cribs from day one, so I have no clue what you’re going through, but I can imagine it is tough. I don’t like change so that alone would be hard for me.
I stopped by from Mama’s Little Nestwork. You are my buddy below me in the “Mom Blog” category. Nice to meet you!
This is good practice for that tear jerking first day at a preschool, school, school camp, sleepover at someone else”s house, first day at high school and god forbid, the day they move out!!!!