Key Notes
- Ferber Method is a well-respected and effective method to sleep train your toddler
- It does require you to out in effort at first but once your baby is trained, it would be great for you
It was developed by Dr. Richard Ferber, who published his findings in “Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems” in 1985.
The book was written for parents with babies and young children aged six months to four years old, but it can be applied to any child regardless of age or problem.
This article will give you step-by-step instructions on Ferber method sleep training!
What Is The Ferber Method?
The Ferber method is based on the idea that it takes time for babies and children to learn how to fall asleep, which is why they don’t just drop off when you lay them down.
It also teaches parents how to create good sleep habits by using beneficial techniques such as leaving a dim light or white noise playing in their bedroom while they are sleeping.
How to Use the Ferber Method?
Ferber recommends putting your child down awake but drowsy at bedtime (so make sure not too early) instead of taking him back out if he wakes up during the night.
Then leave him until he falls asleep again before returning again briefly every few minutes until morning.
If you stay with your baby each time he cries after being put in his bed, you are teaching him that he needs his parent to fall asleep.
This leads to all sorts of sleep problems in the future!
Each time your baby wakes up between midnight and six am, try waking him for a feeding or playtime at about five thirty am so that he learns not to expect someone to come in when he cries.
If this is difficult because you have an especially sleepy child who just wants cuddles rather than food when they wake during the night then it might be better if you go into their room briefly but don’t interact with them too much – just give them some reassurance by stroking their back etc.
Try leaving your child’s bedroom door open slightly while they are sleeping so they can see there is no danger and it helps them feel secure.
If you are using the Ferber method then you should keep in mind that you have to check in on your child at times intervals.
You can set the time intervals yourself as well however if you want to follow the exact Ferber Method then you can follow the following table;
Day 1
1st check-in should be after: 3 minutes
2nd check-in should be after: 5 minutes
3rd check-in should be after: 10 minutes
Subsequent check-in after: 10 minutes
Day 2
1st check-in should be after: 5 minutes
2nd check-in should be after: 10 minutes
Third check-in after: 12 minutes
Subsequent check-in after: 12 minutes
Day 3
1st check-in should be after: 10 minutes
2nd check-in should be after: 12 minutes
3rd check-in should be after: 15 minutes
Subsequent check-in after: 15 minutes
Day 4
1st check-in should be after: 12 minutes
2nd check-in should be after: 15 minutes
3rd check-in should be after: 17 minutes
Subsequent check-in after: 17 minutes
Day 5
1st check-in should be after: 15 minutes
2nd check-in should be after: 17 minutes
3rd check-in should be after: 20 minutes
Subsequent check-in after: 20 minutes
Day 6
1st check-in should be after: 17 minutes
2nd check-in should be after: 20 minutes
3rd check-in should be after: 25 minutes
Subsequent check-in after: 25 minutes
Day 7
1st check-in should be after: 20 minutes
2nd check-in should be after: 25 minutes
3rd check-in should be after: 30 minutes
Subsequent check-in after: 30 minutes
How Long Does It Take To Work?
Most babies will be fully trained to sleep through the night after about four days but if your child is older or has special needs then you might need longer than that.
If, for example, your baby wakes up at five am every morning regardless of whether he slept well during the night then leave him until six thirty before getting him up because this shows him that even when his parent doesn’t get back to him in the night he still gets fed!
Ferber warns against over-tiredness so try not to let things go on too long otherwise children learn bad habits which are hard to break later down the line!
Tips for Ferber Sleeping Method
The following tips would help you with better implementation of the Ferber Method.
Develop A Bedtime Routine For Your Baby.
Develop a ritual for bedtime and stick to it every night.
This will help your baby associate going to sleep with these activities and eventually get into a pattern of doing that.
Also, make sure you have some time before actually putting him in his crib or somewhere else where he sleeps because if you rush through the routine or skip anything then it may confuse him or frustrate him which is not good!
Be Consistent With The Ferber Method And Keep A Check On Your Temperament.
Babies love consistency so don’t overreact when they cry at times during the process but also remember their cries are different from adults’ – it’s just how babies communicate so do be careful about what message you send them by reacting excessively!
Also, don’t get frustrated if they cry a lot because that will just make the whole process annoying and painful for you as well.
Do Not Get Distracted By Your Baby’s Crying And Keep A Check On The Time You Leave Him To Cope With It Alone!
Make sure your baby knows he is not alone by checking on him every now and then but do refrain from picking him up or trying to calm him down too much otherwise it defeats the purpose of this kind of training which works only when babies remain in their cribs until they fall asleep (otherwise all that crying would be pointless)!
Also remember: they need to learn how to sleep through the night without someone constantly caring for them so this might take some time anyway!
Do Not Accustom The Baby To Nighttime Feeding Otherwise They Will Always Wake Up At Night!
If you want your baby to sleep through the night then do not feed them during nighttime unless they are genuinely hungry otherwise it may result in waking up at night for milk!
If you have been doing this so far, try to reduce feeding times slowly until he is only taking one meal a day.
Also remember that if you give him water or any other drink throughout the whole day then he should be okay without food even at nighttime – just make sure what works for you and your family before trying out these tricks though which might take some time anyway since babies can be quite fussy about their eating schedules sometimes!
Set A Good Starting Time and Stick To It
You should always start at the same time every night and if you can, end it at a similar time too but avoid leaving your baby for more than the usual amount of time (for example: don’t put him down after twenty five minutes in one day then wait an hour before trying again next day).
This is to ensure that he gets used to what his routine will be like when this method takes effect!
Remember – consistency is key here so keep your child’s eating schedule, sleeping patterns etc. as consistent as possible until they get old enough to understand what sleep means properly which may take some time anyway since babies are still learning how their bodies work during these years!
