Sleep training your baby is offered in different forms and techniques, but the most popular method to easily put your baby to sleep is the Ferber sleep method. Created by Dr. Richard Ferber, who is the director of The Center of Pediatric Sleep Disorders and the Children’s Hospital Boston, the method is a highly effective way that aids the infant to learn to sleep all through the night.

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In the Ferber method to sleep, an infant is sleep trained by weaning them away from sleep associations they form and help them learn to sleep without the parent’s help. Once the child learns to sleep without your help, they sleep through the night instead of waking up for weaning or cuddling as they know how to fall back to sleep then.

 

This is how the Ferber method works:

 

  • Begin this method when the child is at least 4 months old.

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  • Prepare the baby to sleep as their routine is, fulfilling all their nighttime rituals.

 

  • Leave the baby in bed at night and leave the room.

 

  • Return after intervals to check in on them, and gradually increase the intervals to sooth and comfort the baby. Do not pick him or her up.

 

  • After each subsequent night, the interval time for check in has to be increased than the previous night.

 

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The plan for the timed check ins are given below:

 

  • Day 1: 3 minutes for the first interval, 5 minutes for the second, and 10 minutes for the rest of the night, till the baby is asleep.

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  • Day 2: 5 minutes for the first interval, 10 minutes for the second, and then 12 minutes for the remaining intervals.

 

  • Day 3: 10 minutes for the first interval, 12 minutes for the second, and then 15 minutes for the remainder.

 

  • Day 4: 12 minutes for the first, then 15 minutes, and 17 minutes for the remaining night.

 

  • Day 5: 15 minutes for the first interval, 17 minutes for the second, and then 20 minutes for the rest.

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  • Day 6: 17 minutes for the first, 20 minutes for the second, and then 25 minutes for the remainder night.

 

 

 

  • Day 7: 20 minutes for the first, 25 for the second, and 30 minutes till the baby is asleep.

 

The interval timings can be adjusted and decreased or increased according to your preference.

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