Sleep Training Methods: The Ferber Method

After several months of sleep deprivation, moving your baby to their own room can feel like a big step.

And while it’s a milestone moment, it can make the sleep deprivation worse. You’re no longer able to reach over to your baby’s moses basket, comfort them, and roll back over to get back to sleep. Now, you need to get up out of bed and head to their bedroom - you’re that much more awake, and it’s that much harder to get back to sleep. 

Sleep training becomes an important process for parents as we seek better nights’ sleep. But with so many different methods, how do you know which to pick? Over the course of this guide, we’ll take a deep dive into the Ferber Method. 

What is sleep training?

Sleep training is effectively the process of helping your baby learn how to fall asleep on their own, and self-soothe when they wake during the night - all with the goal of having them sleep through the night. 

There are a range of methods and approaches to this; each with their own principles, positives and negatives. There is no right or wrong method. What works for one baby may be totally useless for another. 

Typically, sleep training takes around a week, regardless of which method you use.

What is the Ferber Method?

One of the most popular methods of sleep training, the Ferber Method was created by Dr Richard Ferber in the 1980s, published as part of his book Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems. 

Historically, there were two binary approaches to sleep training. The first idea being that you should let your baby cry because if you go rushing to them every time, they’ll cry every time, knowing it will get attention. The second being that providing comfort to your baby will help them feel calm, thus more likely to sleep.

The Ferber Method offers a balanced approach; somewhere between letting your child cry and consoling them.

How does the Ferber Method work?

There are two fundamental principles in the Ferber Method. 

The first is that you must have an established bedtime routine for your child. It’s widely accepted that routine helps babies and children, especially when it comes to sleep. That regular routine helps the mind to recognise that it’s time for sleep. We can also use it to create a calm, comforting environment to help the baby relax and wind down. Think nice warm bath, snuggly pyjamas, ambient lighting, bedtime stories, and so on. 

If you don’t already have a bedtime routine in place, tonight is the perfect time to start.

The second fundamental principle is to put your baby down while they’re awake. This really is the core principle of the Ferber Method, and is essential to your baby’s sleep training. After all, how can we expect our babies to go back to sleep on their own at night when they don’t do it themselves at the start of the night? 

Once you place your baby in their cot, say goodnight and leave the room. 

If (more likely ‘when’ for the first few days) your baby cries, you return to the room to comfort them without picking them up at growing intervals. At first, you may want to return after just a couple of minutes, then increase it to five minutes, then 10 minutes, then 15 minutes etc. 

You should follow the same approach if and when they wake during the night. 

In time, your baby will learn to self-soothe, which will help them fall asleep in the first place and help them fall back asleep when they wake in the night.

An example Ferber Method routine

With bedtime routines such an important part of sleep training and the Ferber Method, let’s take a look at a good example. 

It’s important to note that the specifics of your routine will be tailored to you, your baby and your circumstances. Timings and exact activities may differ. 

6:00pm - Bath time: Start your bedtime routine with a warm bath. It’s recognised that warm water helps to induce sleep.

6:10pm - Pyjamas: Get your baby wrapped up in a fluffy bath towel, maybe give them a quick baby massage, and get their snuggly pyjamas on.

6:15pm - The last feed: Try to give the final feed at least 30 minutes before putting your baby to sleep. This will help to avoid them associating milk with sleep.

6:45pm - Final preparations: Take your baby to their room, dim the lights and place them in their swaddle blanket or sleep sack.

6:50pm - Bedtime story: Keep your voice soft and gentle as you read their bedtime story. At this age, it doesn’t matter what the story is, as long as your voice is quiet and calming.

6:55 - 7:00pm - Time for sleep: Place your baby into their cot, you can rub their head or sing a lullaby for a minute if you want (just don’t do it until they fall asleep). Say goodnight and give them a kiss. 

7:02pm - Return 1: If your baby is crying, wait two minutes before returning to the room. Console them with your voice and/or rubbing their head. Don’t pick them up. Leave the room. 

7:07pm - Return 2: If your baby is still crying, wait five minutes before returning. 

7:17pm - Return 3: Next, wait 10 minutes…

7:35pm - Return 4: Then 15 minutes…

7:55pm - Return 5: And so on…

It’s important to ensure you wait from the moment they start crying, not from the last time you left the room. For example, you’ve done the second return after five minutes and next up is the 10 minute interval. Your baby remains quiet for eight minutes before they start crying. You should wait 10 minutes from that moment, rather than returning two minutes later.

Pros and cons of the Ferber Method

The benefits of the Ferber Method lie in two key areas; setting clear routines and teaching your baby to self soothe. 

As we know, routines are an important part of getting ready for sleep - for the whole family, not just babies. Making sure you have a consistent routine is vital to help calm your baby and prepare their mind and body for sleep. When their mind is aware it’s time for sleep, it’s a whole lot easier for them to fall asleep. 

Self-soothing really is the key to better sleep when you’re a parent. It’s inevitable that your baby will wake up at this age - they’ll continue to do so for quite some time. What you all need is them to be able to self-soothe and get back off to sleep.

The only real con with this method is that it can be emotionally draining for you as a parent. Naturally, we never want our children to be upset. So it can be incredibly distressing to leave them crying until the next interval.

When can you start the Ferber Method?

The Ferber Method, like any sleep training method, can be started after your baby turns six months old. Most parents link sleep training with the transition to their baby’s room because that also generally happens around six months of age.

You may hear of parents starting sleep training before six months, but in reality this is typically futile. The reason is that your child’s circadian rhythm is not yet established. Their sleep cycles are not capable of learning how to sleep through the night, and they have no concept of object permanence - so their parents not being present when they wake will cause them stress. 

Although six months is the milestone everyone discusses, it’s really the earliest possible time. Some babies may not be ready. If your baby is capable of falling asleep independently - without you rocking or soothing them - it’s a pretty good indication that they’re ready for sleep training.

FAQs

Is the Ferber Method the best sleep training method? 

There is a no ‘right or wrong’ answer when it comes to sleep training. Each method has its own pros and cons. The Ferber Method is certainly one of the most popular, because it is considered to be a balanced method. 

There is no definitive answer as to which method is the best.

How long does the Ferber Method take? 

Any sleep training method should take roughly a week before your baby starts falling asleep themselves and self-soothing at night. If you’re not seeing an improvement after a week, your child may not be ready - so take a break and try again in a few weeks.