Kidpedia - sponsored by Goodnite Moon

I traveled a ton for work before I owned this store.  I still have a lot of guilt that my daughter’s first 5 years are compiled for me by snippets I caught from her Peruvian nanny, my husband and my parents.  What resulted in my gut wrenching guilt for being away so much in their earliest years, are the little monster sleepers I created.  They of course have no recollection at this point that I was in Germany when she first attempted walking, and NY when my son said “Dog!”

All of our friends gave in to one method or another of “Ferberizing.”  I just could not do it.  My daughter had a peaceful nursery, with a lovely crib - that she never spent a moment in.  We dragged our guest room mattress in her room, and this is where I ended up with her around 1am…..every night!  One peep….and I was running to her room to immediately pick her up and console her.  I justified plopping down with her to get back to sleep since I had to get up and be a functioning person early the next day.  Hannah is now 6, and has slept though the night for a solid year.  Yep, that’s right people - she woke up EVERY NIGHT for 5 years.  My son?  No better situation there.  He is 4 now, and still wakes at least once every night.

I know where you think this is going - BUT, no - I am not some crazed person walking around with a sandwich board as a reformed “Ferber person.” I have found there is no “soothing way” to put a baby down to sleep.  I tried every book, every method.  How about the whole “sit in their room, say “shhhhh” but never make eye contact” strategy???????  Well, after about 40 minutes of that, it will send even the strongest willed person to their breaking point.

Surprisingly (even to me), after I have put myself through years of sleepless nights, if I did it all over again I would never resort to the “cry it out” routine.  I know it works.  But why does it work?  Because you put your child through a boot camp of extreme “once that door closes, I am outta here and nothing you can do will bring me back!”  It is too much for me.

So, here I am - talking to new parents everyday that face their own sleep issues that ask me what I did.  I simply say “I worked it out somehow.”  Yeah, they slept - I didn’t.