Our Transition from Co-Sleeping To Sleeping In The Crib!

Most of the pictures are him just playing in his crib. We do not leave pillows and blankets in the crib while he sleeps.

This past week has been tiring. Ever since last Sunday night, we have been trying to transition our son from co-sleeping in our bed to sleeping in his crib in the living room (the heat vents do not work right in his room at the moment). I’m finally writing about this because last night we finally had our first successful night’s sleep since we have started this transition. Last night he slept from 10:00pm until 9:00am in his crib! That is such a big deal to me!

Since his crib is in the living room, a couple of nights this week, I have been sleeping on the couch to be closer to him. Even though we have monitors, I still slept in the living room. I think I was the one with the most separation anxiety at first. The first couple of nights, he ended up on the couch with me anyways at some point so it kind of defeated the purpose.

The first part of the night has been the hardest part so far. Just getting him to stay asleep is a big challenge. I nurse him to sleep around 9:00pm, and I hold him for about 30 minutes to make sure he’s really asleep. Then I lay him in the crib. It is usually very short lived the first time I lay him down. It usually lasts about 30 minutes before he is crying for me.

*He gets himself in the weirdest positions!*

From 9:00pm until about midnight, we kept going up and down. He just would not stay asleep. I would rock him and sing to him, but nothing seemed to make him tired. I was singing with my eyes burning because I was so sleepy. That’s why I ended up just camping out on the couch almost every night. It was so irritating. The night before last, I totally took steps back, and I got into my bed with him because I was too tired to even try anymore. That sounds terrible, but it’s the honest truth. Change can be so exhausting.

Last night I decided to keep trying to transition to the crib. He fell asleep at 10:00pm. I put him in his crib, I crossed my fingers, and got in my bed. I had been missing my bed all week! He ended up sleeping all night! We all had a great night sleep for the first time in like 5 nights.

I feel very proud of persevering this week because it has not been easy. My baby boy is growing so fast, and things are always changing. We both need our own place to sleep for growth and comfort. My mommy heart would have wanted him to stay in my room forever with me, but I know that isn’t what is best for him. I feel very accomplished that we had a successful night last night, and I hope he will continue to do well with the transition from co-sleeping to the crib!