Some children fight to go to bed or wake up during the night. However, these problems have become widespread but can be handled easily. You decided to give sleep training to your baby so that you can start receiving a few more winks. If you compare different methods and approaches, the Ferber Method Sleep Training can be one of the best options. Many young children have benefited from the more than three-decades-old Ferber sleep training approach, which has shown them how to fall asleep independently. Dr Richard Ferber, a paediatrician and the head of the Centre for Paediatric Sleep Disorders at Children’s Hospital Boston, created the Ferber method as a sleep-training technique.

What is the Ferber method?

The Method is also called graduated extinction. It’s a sleep-training method. When using this method, parents let their kids fall asleep independently but return to soothe them at specific times. The Ferber technique teaches kids to fall asleep by themselves and return to sleep when they wake in the middle night. Even if their baby cries for a long time, some parents who sleep train their child to cry it out and choose not to enter their baby’s room. Since the Ferber approach includes continually checking in on your kid when she’s screaming, it’s seen as a more kind method. You can talk to your child to calm them down or pat and gently stroke her. But your visits should last a minute or two, and you should not pick the baby up or feed them.

How Does the Ferber Method Sleep Training Operate?

The Ferber Method is also called graduated extinction. When using this method, parents let their kids fall asleep independently but return to soothe them at specific times. The Ferber technique teaches kids to fall asleep by themselves and return to sleep when they wake in the middle night. Even if their baby cries for a long time, some parents who sleep train their child to cry it out and choose not to enter their baby’s room. Since the Ferber approach includes continually checking in on your kid when she’s screaming, it’s seen as a more kind method. You can talk to your child to calm them down or pat and gently stroke her. But your visits should last a minute or two, and you should not pick the baby up or feed them.

How can you start your infant with the Ferber method?

Five to six months, babies tend to be ready to get sleep training habits, including using techniques like Ferber. They are in a phase of development where they can soothe themselves; at this age, these babies can sleep through the night without being fed. However, discuss it with your child’s paediatrician if you have any concerns.

Ferber sleep-training method Chart

The Ferber method is regarded as an easier take on cry-it-out sleep training since it enables you to visit your infant at predetermined intervals and soothe her when she cries using loving words and touches.

Ferber recommends doing check-ins at the following times:

Day 1:

First check-in: 3 minutes after putting baby down

Second check-in: 5 minutes after the first check-in

Third check-in: 10 minutes after the second check-in

Subsequent check-ins: Every 10 minutes

Day 2:

First check-in: 5 minutes after putting baby down

Second check-in: 10 minutes after the first check-in

Third check-in: 12 minutes after the second check-in

Subsequent check-ins: Every 12 minutes

Day 3:

First check-in: 10 minutes after putting baby down

Second check-in: 12 minutes after the first check-in

Third check-in: 15 minutes after the second check-in

Subsequent check-ins: Every 15 minutes

Day 4:

First check-in: 12 minutes after putting baby down

Second check-in: 15 minutes after the first check-in

Third check-in: 17 minutes after the second check-in

Subsequent check-ins: Every 17 minutes

Day 5:

First check-in: 15 minutes after putting baby down

Second check-in: 17 minutes after the first check-in

Third check-in: 20 minutes after the second check-in

Subsequent check-ins: Every 20 minutes

Day 6:

First check-in: 17 minutes after putting baby down

Second check-in: 20 minutes after the first check-in

Third check-in: 25 minutes after the second check-in

Subsequent check-ins: Every 25 minutes

Day 7:

First check-in: 20 minutes after putting baby down

Second check-in: 25 minutes after the first check-in

Third check-in: 30 minutes after the second check-in

Subsequent check-ins: Every 30 minutes

Remember to adapt the intervals based on your baby’s needs and comfort level, and consult your paediatrician for personalized advice. Consistency and patience are very important when you implement the Ferber method to establish healthy sleep habits for your baby.

How long does your child respond to the Ferber sleep method?

Every child responds to sleep training differently, and some quickly adapt to the new bedtime routine than others. However, you can expect the sobbing will stop after around three nights. And it will likely end somewhere between nights four and seven. Your child can face periodic difficulties even after sleep training, such as when they are ill, teething, or even working towards a significant developmental milestone. But now that she has a strong foundation from sleep training, it should be quite simple for her to return to her regular sleeping schedule after the problem has passed.

When Can You Start ‘Ferberizing’ Your Baby?

The ideal age to start any sleep-training technique is between 4 and 6 months old. Up to age 2, you can do it, but the older your child gets, the more difficult it will be. According to Dr Richard Ferber, babies often scream the most on the second or third night for extinction-based sleep training techniques, including the Ferber method. It is an extinction burst, frequently occurring when many parents leave this method. Usually, I advise individuals that their sobbing would likely worsen three to four days following the intervention and then normally go away.

Ferber method sleep-training tips

1. Take the sleep training process seriously.
2. Set the stage for success.
3. Consider your starting time carefully.
4. Sleep training can be a big deal for you and your baby.
5. Avoid sleep training while travelling as well; doing so will frustrate your efforts.
6. Stop feeding at night.
7. Create a nighttime routine if you don’t already have one.
8. Your baby can settle down for the night with the help of calming activities like a bath, a book, and cuddles.
9. To reduce the possibility of your baby falling asleep at the breast or the bottle during the night ritual, try moving the feeding earlier in the schedule.
10. Stick with the crib for bedtime and naps.
11. The crib is the most obvious place to sleep at night.
12. Be consistent with your baby’s cry.

To wrap it up

The Ferber Method (the graduated extinction) is a gentle but effective sleep training method. Parents can create healthy sleeping habits by gradually teaching their babies to self-soothe and fall asleep independently. The Ferber Method is a framework that parents can use to help their children achieve independent sleep. Each child will respond differently, and every parent’s child may be unique. Parents can teach their children to sleep at night with patience and consistency.