What is Ferber method? Does Ferber method works for all babies? When to stat Ferber method? How to do Ferber method step by step? All this question must be popping up in your mind.
Ferber method is a way in which you can teach your baby to soothe himself to sleep when he’s physically and emotionally ready for it. This can be applied to 3-5 months of baby.
Well in this end of the article you will opt to know about a brief information of what is Ferber method and how to do Ferber method step by step.
What is Ferber Sleep Method?
As I mentioned above Ferber method is a way in which you can teach your baby to soothe himself to sleep when he’s physically and emotionally ready for it. This can be applied to 3-5 months of baby.
This method was founded by Richard Ferber. As per him if we follow a warm, loving bedtime routine and then putting the baby in bed awake and leaving him even if he cries for gradually longer periods of time, then it will successfully lead to sleep the baby by his own.
The theory goes that after a few days to a week of gradually increasing the waiting time, most babies learn to fall asleep on their own, having realized that crying earns nothing more than a brief check from you.
Ferber method (R) is also known as Ferberizing. The Ferber Method of sleep training can be an effective way to help your child learn to sleep better.Well the baby is trained this way is described as ‘ferberized’.
You can read also: Ways to make baby to fall a sleep at night
Who is Richard Ferber?
Pediatrician Richard Ferber is the founder and former director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at Children’s Hospital in Boston. The publication of his book Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems in 1985, he’s become known as a leading and controversial expert on children’s sleep.
Ferber’s method of teaching babies to soothe themselves to sleep is a method so closely associated with him it’s often called “Ferberizing.” This method and its variations are also referred to as “cry it out,” although Ferber himself never calls it that.
Over the years, Ferber’s method of sleep training has sparked among parents, pediatricians, and sleep experts alike: Some swear by the Ferber approach, while others claim that it creates lifelong emotional scars.
An updated and expanded version of Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems, published in 2006, has continued to keep Ferber and his approach to sleep in the public eye. Hence after that it made his aspect of theory as an important sleep training method for the toddlers.
Does Ferber Method Works For All Babies?
As we knew from the above points that it is a check and console method, that gradually teach the child how to fall asleep without any assistance or help through a series of incremental check-ins. But matter here is that it doesn’t work for every babies at the same way.
It differs from babies to babies. It is mostly followed for the babies who are of 3-5 months old. It all depends up on the different temperaments of the babies.
The Ferber Method of sleeping is mainly for kids who have poor sleep associations. It likely won’t work as well if your child is sleeping poorly for some other reason.
The Ferber sleep method also does work with-
- It is not appropriate for too young babies below 3 months old as they need to feed at night and their sleep wake patterns are still immature.
- It is not appropriate for babies who have a conditioned fear of being left alone in their beds or who have a conditioned vomiting response.
- The Ferber method is not appropriate for the babies or children who have sleep problems which include such as-
- nighttime fears and separation anxiety
- daytime stress
- nightmares
- snoring and other forms of sleep-disordered breathing
- nocturnal headaches and other painful medical conditions
- circadian rhythm sleep disorders
- sleep walking and/or night-terrors
- sleep schedule problems caused by bedtimes that are too early
When to Start Ferber Method?
As per Dr. Ferber stated that you shouldn’t start it too young for the babies who are less than 6 months old of age. If the infant isn’t sleeping well since then that is the time when most of the infants are able to sleep through the night.
It is not wise for too young babies below 3-5 months old as they need to feed at night and their sleep wake patterns are still immature. It is better to practice the sleep training before the baby reaches to one year of age.
Talk to your doctor before starting a sleep-training program. As you can be sure with regards to your baby is growing well and can sleep through overnight feedings.
Ferber Method Chart By Age:
This chart will helps you to figure out the Ferber method of sleep training as per the age guidelines. This also shows how long a baby take before you soothe him;
| DAY | FIRST INTERVAL | SECOND INTERVAL | THIRD AND SUBSEQUENT INTERVALS |
| One | 3min | 5min | 10min |
| Two | 5min | 10min | 12min |
How To Do Ferber Method Step By Step?
The Ferber method has lay out a very specific and progressive regimen for getting the baby to sleep at night. The Ferber sleep training starts with-
- Create a bedtime routine for your babies to follow every night. It will teach the child when sleep time is coming. The routine may include a bath, dressing up to night dress, reading story etc.
- Next put the babies to bed while still awake and then leave the room. Make sure you don’t sleep in the same room as the child will feel comforted when the parent returns.
- Allow the child to cry for longer periods of time each night before returning to soothe the child at least for the initial days. You can refer the above chard by age. With each passing night time goes by, allow the child to cry for longer periods of time. This routine is called “progressive waiting.” it allows to make the process gentle and smooth by the next step.
- When comforting the child, do not pick him/her up. Instead pat the child on the back. Comfort the child for only a minute or two and then leave the room again.Make sure to leave the light off and on a zero power light or some dim lights. Don’t make the room completely dark.
- Stay out of the room a little longer each time and only return to comfort for a minute or two each time. Continue to repeat until the child falls asleep.
What If Ferber Method Doesn’t Work?
Ferber method is one of the important method of sleep training for babies, but if this method doesn’t work you can try of something like-
1. Modified Ferber method:
This is another method of sleep training for kids.In this method, the parent goes to check on the baby every five minutes until the baby falls asleep. It is about a consistent of waiting interval of five minutes between each minute of long visit.
After few times then the parent may decide to check on the baby only when he cries again. This method is also called controlled cry it out method as the parent is able to modulate the baby’s crying through frequent and short visits.
2. No Tears Method:
In this method the parent puts the baby in the crib, pulls a chair, and sits next to the baby till the little one falls asleep. The next night, the parent sits with the chair farther away than the previous night.The parent increases the distance gradually every night and eventually leaves just the chair in the room.
It gives a pseudo-assurance to the baby that the parent is near him. It does not make a baby cry till exhaustion , and that is the reasons it is called no tears method . It is also referred to as “camping out”.
3. ‘Sleep Lady’ Shuffle:
It is an modified version of no tears method. In this method the parent distances the chair ultimately placing it outside the door yet sitting on it till the baby falls asleep. The distance is increased till the baby feels the presence of his parents.
From the next night, the parent leaves the door open, and probably the chair as well, but does not sit on it. The baby assumes that the parents is seating somewhere beyond the door and feels comfortable and safe. This makes them to feel sleepy.
4. Bedtime Fading Method:
This is another sleeping training methods for kids is behind bedtime fading method. In this method the parents wait for the baby to be extremely exhausted and thus fall asleep. The main key point of this method is that the more the baby is tried the more they sleep.
The parents put the baby in the crib and the time is noted. They puts the infant to bed exactly at the same time every night. Maintaining a schedule makes the baby sleepy at a fixed time and makes it easier to for him to get sound sleep. This is the practice that mostly moms or parents does with their babies.
5. Weissbluth Method:
This method was proposed by a pediatrician, Marc Weissbluth (R). In Weissbluth method, you have to put the baby to bed the moment he shows the first signs of drowsiness. Once placed in the bed, you leave the babies all alone and do not attend to him no matter how badly the baby cries.
In this method the baby are completely on his own to self-soothe and fall asleep.However, experts believe consistent utilization of this procedure can yield favorable results in making the baby to fall asleep.
If the babies successively attended to Ferber sleep training method then go for it other wise as mentioned in above article you can go for further sleep training method. Make sure to one point it may works for different babies at different form. If you need any help then do refer to your doctor.
