Ferber sleep method
05.10.06
Who is Richard Ferber?
Invented by Dr. Richard Ferber, the Ferber sleep method, for good reason, is the most popular way of weaning your child away from the mother, in terms of his/her sleep habits.
One of the most important things for you and for your baby, is for your baby to learn to sleep on his or her own. It is so difficult for parents, with many parents of a newborn suffering from interrupted or sleepless nights – this is because babies, at first, are not used to sleeping on their own, and when they wake up in the middle of the night and cry for their mothers it is because this is only way they know how to get to sleep.
It is natural that this transition from sleeping with the mother, to sleeping on his own, will take some time for your baby to adjust. Many baby sleep tips involve setting up a strict almost military nighttime routine, and introducing toys or objects – such as stuffed animals – into the bed that your baby can associate with going to sleep. Try to incorporate this “transitional object” into the bedtime routine If you find after some time that your baby still will not sleep on their own, you can try the famous Ferber sleep method.
What exactly is the Ferber sleep method?
Chances are you’ve heard about Ferber’s method for teaching babies to soothe themselves to sleep, a method so closely associated with him it’s often called “Ferberizing.” Invented by the aforementioned Dr. Richard Ferber, this method is the most common way of training a child to sleep through the night without parent intervention. It is usually successful within just a couple of weeks. Nevertheless, it is important that you choose a week where you can afford to lose some sleep to begin the Ferber method. Especially at the beginning of the process, the Ferber sleep method does require that you spend a lot of time listening to your baby crying, and if you attempt it at a time when you are desperate to sleep, you run the risk of breaking down and allowing your child to sleep with you, or sleeping in the room with him. If you do so you risk undoing a lot of work that you will have put into the method. Most parents feel a few sleepless nights at the beginning are worth it for many years of peaceful nights!
Why is Ferber’s approach so controversial?
Over the years, Ferber’s method of sleep training has sparked controversy among parents, pediatricians, and sleep experts alike. The first night you attempt the Ferber method, put your child to bed as you normally do. Your baby should be tired but still awake when you put him to bed, so that he is left to fall asleep on his own. After you leave the room, the baby will inevitably start crying. Allow him to cry for about 5 minutes, then re-enter the room to console him. It’s important that you stay in the room for only a short time – even if he is still crying – and that you don’t pick him up or rock him. This second time you leave the room, wait 10 minutes before returning in the same manner. The third time wait 15 minutes, and set this as a maximum wait time for the rest of the night.
Can I modify the Ferber method?
Sticking to a routine is fundamental to Ferber’s method and to most sleep methods, for that matter. Still, Ferber acknowledges that there are times, for example, if your child is ill, or you’re on holiday, staying in a hotel, or you have a babysitter, when the approach will have to be flexible. Going to BedEvery time thereafter, enter the room briefly and then allow your child to cry for 15 minutes. Eventually, he will fall asleep on his own during one of the 15 minute intervals in which you are out of the room. The second night, you should begin with a 10 minute wait before re-entering the room, followed by 15 and then 20 minutes. In a similar fashion, increase your initial and subsequent wait times by 5 minutes each night.
Using Ferber sleep method your child will soon learn to go to sleep on his own. Although it can be difficult to listen to your baby cry, understand that the Ferber sleep method is a safe and effective way of getting your baby to learn to sleep on his own.
An updated and expanded version of Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems, published in 2006, has once again brought Ferber and his approach to sleep into the public eye.
