The Ferber method is not a new term for most parents. And the worst part is a huge misconception lying around the parent’s minds. They think of it as a cry it out method till the child gets exhausted and sleeps.
But the fact is the Ferber method is completely misunderstood by almost all parents. For a child, sleep regression is a phase that occurs repeatedly.
Want to know more?
Parents must know beforehand how to tackle it rather than stressing over it. The best practice is to read out the book first to gain max information.
Yet today we will share a brief introduction to the Ferber method and everything you need to know. So without further delay, let’s dig in!
What is the Ferber Method?
Richard Ferber is the genius who blessed parents with a sleep-training strategy. He is the director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders as well as a pediatrician. Currently working at Children’s Hospital Boston, he wrote a best-seller book in 1985.
Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems is the book he wrote initially. But in 2006 the book went under update and Ferber detailed his methods.
According to Ferber, you must let your babies self-soothe and then fall asleep. By letting them learn this in their own practice, they become independent. So even if they wake up at night, they won’t look around for you.
Start by putting your sleepy child in the crib and leave the room. Check on them if they cry but keep increasing the intervals. First, leave them for a few minutes, then add more time to that. The goal is to soothe them but let the team do the most part.
The common issues faced by infants that causes sleep disruption are:
- nighttime fears
- nightmares
- night terrors
- sleepwalking
- bedwetting
- disruptions in sleep schedules
- bedtime routines
Apart from these issues, the actual problem is sleep associations. Before getting towards the effect of the Ferber method, take a look at sleep associations.
Sleep Associations
Sleep Associations According to sleep experts, the major issue is sleep associations. Due to this problem the infants can’t get a sound sleep.
In simple terms, behaviors, and items used by a child to sleep at night. These are what we term as sleep associations. For some babies, it can be singing, rocking, etc.
Now, the little mind associated sleeping with rocking. When at night the babies can’t feel the same associations, they won’t sleep. Hence now you know that actually problem arises at night.
All you need to do is let your baby sleep on his own. This will develop a habit in them. When they would wake up at night, rather than crying out loud.
You would see that your child will sleep on his own. This is what we refer to as self-soothing. Through this approach, Ferber wants to develop a habit among babies.
Does It Work?
Now, there are 50% chances that the method will work for you and 50% chances that it won’t. For some parents, this method turned out to be blissful. Whereas others couldn’t get through it despite various trials.
But a set of 19 different studies by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found it worthy. It claimed that all results showed a certain decrease in the night waking. So the method does actually work on the babies.
What’s a Parent to Do?
Being a parent your concern is permissible and there are other options if the methods fail you. So in such a scenario, you need to put in a little extra effort for the sake of your child.
Also, the method might sound extreme but give it a try before discarding it. Otherwise, you can opt for various sleep methods and tips.
Conclusion
Your goal is to let the child self-soothe and ultimately fall asleep. This might seems to be a challenge but is only a matter of time. Soon your baby would be able to sleep peacefully throughout the night. We hope this method would work out for you also. In case of further queries, contact us.