How to Use the Ferber Method to Sleep Train Your Baby

The Ferber method, also known as “graduated extinction,” is often conflated with “crying it out.” Let’s dig into the ins and outs of this method, how effective it is, and whether it’s the right fit for your baby.

Dr. Richard Ferber first described his method in the book “Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems.” As the title suggests, the Ferber method is a sleep training technique designed to help children learn to fall asleep independently.

How does it work?

The Ferber method operates on the principle that many sleep issues stem from your baby associating actions like being rocked, fed, or held with falling asleep. Like other sleep training approaches, the goal of the Ferber method is to break these associations and let your child learn to self-soothe and fall asleep on her own.

This method’s core is a progressive waiting approach, often called “controlled crying.” It involves putting your child to bed while she’s drowsy but still awake and then leaving the room.

If she cries, you return after a set interval to offer brief reassurance without picking her up or feeding her. You’ll then gradually increase the length of each interval, night by night.

Once your baby stops associating sleep with your comforting presence, she’ll be able to fall and stay asleep alone, without relying on you. Best of all, your baby will start sleeping through the night, and you’ll finally get that much-needed rest yourself.

Is the Ferber method effective?

When the Ferber method is implemented consistently, it can be effective. Research supports the use of graduated extinction methods for improving sleep in children. 1

However, no sleep training method is one-size-fits-all. Some children respond to some methods better than others, and the Ferber method may not be the right choice for your baby.

Moreover, all that crying can make it hard to actually stick to the Ferber method, and if you aren’t able to do it “right,” that’ll reduce its effectiveness. If you prefer a gentler parenting approach, other methods might suit your preferences better and be just as effective for your child.

Is the Ferber method safe?

Many parents are scared that the Ferber method could be harmful to their babies. Don’t worry—sleep training won’t negatively impact your baby’s well-being if you do it correctly. 2

One concern you may have heard about the Ferber method is that babies’ cortisol levels increase during periods of crying. Cortisol is the “stress hormone,” and long-term stress can be harmful to children’s development. 3

However, a 2016 study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) found that babies who were sleep-trained through graduated extinction actually ended up with lower cortisol levels than children who weren’t sleep-trained at all. 4 Other research also suggests that the Ferber method isn’t harmful when implemented appropriately. 1

Babies begin to develop regular sleep-wake cycles at around 4 to 6 months. Each sleep cycle lasts for roughly 6–10 hours during this stage, so they can often make it through the night without needing to be fed. 5

This is when your baby can learn to self-soothe (i.e., fall back asleep independently) when she wakes during the night, which makes it a good time to start sleep training.

Don’t rush into it earlier than this, since newborns aren’t developmentally ready to self-soothe. Instead, you can try techniques like the pick-up/put-down or chair method to slowly teach your baby how to fall asleep without your help.

Note that some babies may need more time before they’re ready, so you don’t need to treat the 4–6-month mark like a hard deadline. If you’re not sure if your baby’s ready for sleep training, consult with your pediatrician for guidance.

Sleep regression and inconsistency

Even if you successfully sleep-train your baby, she may backslide later on. Sleep regressions are normal and can happen when she starts teething or when she’s sick. It can also correlate with major developments, like learning to sit up or crawl. 6

Luckily, you can apply the Ferber method to your toddler, too. However, you may want to add a gate to her room, and make sure it’s thoroughly childproofed.

Ready to give the Ferber method a try? Here’s a breakdown of how to implement it for babies 6 months and older:

1. Establish a consistent bedtime routine: This will let your baby know when it’s time to wind down. It might include a bath, putting on pajamas, a story, or a lullaby—just make sure you do it in the same order and time each day.
2. Put your baby down when she’s awake: After the bedtime routine, set your child in her crib or bed while she’s drowsy but still awake. This teaches her to associate her sleep space with falling asleep. Say goodnight and leave the room.
3. Follow the timed check-in chart: If your child cries or fusses, refer to the Ferber method chart below this list and wait for the designated amount of time before checking in. You don’t need to follow the exact intervals—it doesn’t matter if your first check-in is at 2 minutes or 3 minutes, for example—but it’s best to keep your chosen times consistent. Here’s a sample Ferber chart:
4. Keep check-ins brief: Visit your baby for only 1–2 minutes. You can reassure her with soothing words, but avoid picking her up. The goal is to comfort her without directly helping her fall asleep.
5. Restart the process after night wakings: If your child wakes up in the middle of the night, start back at the top of your chart with the shortest wait time. However, if she wakes up needing to be fed, ignore the chart and feed her. Don’t skip any feedings as part of sleep training.
6. Apply the method to the daytime: You can apply the Ferber method to your baby’s naps, too. Make sure her other caregivers know about the sleep plan and how to follow it. If your baby won’t settle down for a nap after 30 minutes, it’s okay to comfort her until she falls asleep; delaying naps can disrupt her sleep cycle and make falling asleep at night even harder.
7. Don’t start the day too early: Try not to give in and turn the lights on too early; this can create a new rhythm of early waking for your baby, which you probably don’t want.

Some children respond to the Ferber method in a few days, and some can take more than a week to get with the program. If your baby doesn’t seem to respond after a week, or you just don’t think it’s the right fit, you can stop using the Ferber method without doing any harm. 7 2

Ferber method sample chart

The table below shows a typical schedule you might use with the Ferber method. Again, it’s fine to adjust the intervals a bit if you find that a shorter or longer period works better for your baby.

Here are some more tips to keep in mind to give you a smoother experience with the Ferber method:

• Be patient: Adjusting to a new sleep routine takes time. No one likes sitting around and listening to their baby cry, but you’ll need to stay consistent for this method to work.
• Don’t rush in: Babies can be noisy sleepers, even when everything’s fine! Give your child a few minutes to settle back to sleep before rushing in, even if she’s being noisy.
• Use a video monitor: Watching your baby via video lets you tell whether she’s crying because there’s a real problem or just because she wants company.

If the process feels overwhelming, just focus on using the Ferber method to establish a regular bedtime first and then expand to naps and night wakings after a few days.

Alternatives to the Ferber method

Again, if the Ferber method isn’t working for your family, it’s okay to pause and try another approach. There are other sleep training methods that might be a better fit: 8

• Bedtime fading: This gentle technique involves putting your baby to bed 30 minutes after she typically falls asleep. Each subsequent night, you put her to bed 15 minutes earlier than the previous night until you hit a target bedtime.
• Pick-up/put-down method: This method is suitable for younger infants. Place your baby in her crib when she’s drowsy but awake. If she starts to fuss, wait a few minutes, pick her up to console her, and repeat the up-and-down until she falls asleep.
• Chair method: Also known as the “gradual withdrawal” method, this involves placing a chair beside your child’s crib. When she wakes up, sit next to her and reassure her. Each night, move the chair a little further away, reducing your presence until she can fall asleep without you.
• Extinction method (“cry it out”): Often confused with the Ferber method, the extinction or cry it out method involves putting your child to bed awake and not returning until morning. While this can be it’s definitely more intense than the other methods and may not suit your parenting style.

There’s no one right approach; pick one based on your child’s temperament and what you’re comfortable with. You can also easily combine these methods into something new.

While the Ferber method may not be for everyone, there’s a fair amount of evidence that it can teach your child she can fall asleep on her own.

If you struggle to get your baby to sleep, you can always get guidance from a sleep consultant or your pediatrician. Through it all, try to stay patient. Sleep training can be a challenge, but those coveted nights of uninterrupted sleep aren’t as far off as they might seem.