The arrival of a baby brings immeasurable joy but often comes hand-in-hand with the universal challenge of sleep. As exhaustion sets in, many parents turn to the topic of sleep training, a landscape filled with varying philosophies and seemingly endless advice.

This article aims to cut through the noise, and offer a comprehensive overview of popular sleep training strategies while emphasizing the crucial element of finding an approach that truly resonates with your baby and your family values.

What is Sleep Training?

Sleep training is a particular method to teach your baby to self-soothe and fall asleep on their own without help from their parent or caregiver. The sleep training methods teach a baby to not only fall asleep but keep sleeping on their own. For the first year of their life, babies need approximately 9 to 12 hours of sleep per day, in addition to regular naps. Sleep training aims to help your baby become comfortable sleeping independently for extended periods throughout the night. If they wake up, they’ll learn to fall back asleep on their own.

There are various sleep training methods, it may take a few tries to find out which one works for you and your family. To effectively sleep train your baby, establish a consistent bedtime routine, create a comfortable surrounding for falling asleep, and choose a sleep training method that is suitable to you and your family.

Various Methods of Sleep Training

Paediatricians and sleep experts have developed several sleep training methods. With some methods, babies learn to fall asleep on their own within a matter of days. With others, particularly gentler methods the process can be slower and more time-consuming. While there isn’t one single correct method for sleep training, consistency and patience are crucial for achieving positive results.

Let’s look at a few popular methods and techniques that you can choose from, based on your need. If you feel one method won’t work for you, you can try others.

The Cry-It-Out Method (CIO)

This highly popular sleep training technique also called the extinction method, involves putting your drowsy but awake baby to bed to encourage self-soothing. In this method the parents or caregiver just lets the baby be alone in the crib until they fall asleep. Though psychologically this method requires the parents to be tough and control the urge to mollycoddle the baby, it works the fastest.

The Chair Method

This sleep training method involves as the name suggests – a chair. This method is also known as the fading method, camping out, or the sit-back method. In this method, put your baby in their crib while they’re drowsy, and then, sit in a chair next to them. Remain in the room until your baby falls asleep, then leave quietly. If they cry, return and sit in a nearby chair. Repeat this process regularly while removing the chair bit by bit until you’re outside the room.

The Pickup-Put Down Method

In this method, you can pick up the baby and pat them when they cry. But be sure not to linger when you pick them up. Go in, pick them up, and soothe them so that they settle down, but then, put them back in the crib and leave the room.

The Ferber Method

Undoubtedly the most popular sleep training method the Ferber method is adopted by most parents around the globe. If you can’t bear the idea of letting your little one cry themselves to sleep, this gentler technique may be more suitable for you.

The Ferber method, developed by Dr. Richard Ferber, involves checking on and briefly reassuring your baby at increasing time intervals during the night. This method is also known by other names such as graduated extinction, controlled crying, progressive waiting, the interval method or the check and console method.

In this method, once the baby gets tired and sleepy the parents put them into the crib and leave. Then the parents visit the room at designated intervals to check on the baby without picking them up. The time intervals are gradually increased. While some babies are soothed by the timed check-ins, others become more agitated by their parents’ intermittent presence.

The Best Sleep Training Method for Babies

There is no particular method that can be pinpointed as the best sleep training method for babies. The Ferber method though is one of the most popular methods among parents all over because it does not involve the baby crying or going through any emotional turmoil while trying to fall asleep on its own. This particular method might take a longer time to work but parents do not mind that. Also, parents toil between various methods to formulate their own proffered combination which suits their regular habits.

What is the Best Age to Sleep Train a baby?

This is a very common question. Most physicians recommend starting sleep training between 4 and 6 months of age when babies are developmentally ready to learn to self-soothe and sleep for longer stretches without needing to eat overnight. While 4-6 months is a common recommendation, every baby is different, so some may be ready slightly earlier or later. However, starting sleep training before the baby is 4 months of age is not recommended, as babies have shorter sleep cycles and may not be able to sleep through the night without feeding.

Sources:

• https://www.themotherbabycenter.org/blog/2023/07/sleep-training-methods/
• https://www.sleepfoundation.org/baby-sleep/sleep-training
• https://www.themotherbabycenter.org/blog/2023/07/sleep-training-methods/
• https://health.clevelandclinic.org/when-and-how-to-sleep-train-your-baby
• https://huckleberrycare.com/blog/what-are-the-most-common-sleep-training-methods