What It Means
Sleep training is the process of teaching a baby to fall asleep by themselves, at the start of the night and again when they wake up during it, as Cleveland Clinic defines it. Families pick one method and use it the same way every night, from leaving the room entirely to staying close and fading out. All of the methods begin by laying the baby down tired but not yet asleep.
Try It: Compare Four Sleep Training Methods
Tap a method to see how it works, as Cleveland Clinic describes it.
| Parent stays in the room | Comfort while baby cries |
|---|---|
| No | None once baby is down for the night |
| No | Brief check-ins at timed intervals that lengthen |
| Yes, in a chair by the crib | Your presence; the chair moves farther away every few nights |
| Yes | Picked up to soothe, laid back down before falling asleep |
Safe sleep applies whichever you choose: on the back, alone, on a firm, flat surface.
How Parents Say It
- "We're starting sleep training this weekend."
- "Did you do cry it out or the chair?"
- "Night three was so much better than night one."
The Breakdown
By age, from the sources
| Age | What the sources say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| NewbornNewbornA baby in the first 28 days of life, the stage doctors also call the neonatal period. See more | Not a time to sleep train: short sleep cycles, night feeds still needed, no self-soothingSelf-soothingCalming yourself when you're upset by deliberately using one of your five senses, like a warm drink, a soft blanket or a favorite song, to ease the distress. See more yet | Cleveland Clinic |
| About 4 months | Often ready, as sleep cycles mature and the body clockCircadian rhythmThe body's roughly 24-hour cycle of physical, mental and behavioral changes, such as sleepiness at night, kept in time by a clock in the brain that follows light. See more starts to take effect; some babies earlier, some nearer 6 months | Cleveland Clinic |
| About 6 months | Brief night waking is normal; give a few minutes before going in | HealthyChildren.org |
The main methods
- Cry it outCry it outA sleep training method, also called extinction, where a baby is put to bed awake and not comforted again until morning. See more (extinction): no comforting once the baby is down for the night.
- Ferber (graduated extinctionFerber methodA sleep training method, also called graduated extinction, where parents check on a crying baby at timed intervals that lengthen over time. See more): check-ins at timed intervals that lengthen night by night.
- Chair: you sit by the crib until your baby is asleep, moving the chair farther away every few nights.
- Pick up, put down: you lift your baby to soothe them and lay them back before they drift off.
When to talk to the doctor. Cleveland Clinic suggests checkingChecking accountA bank or credit union account for everyday money going in and out, used by debit card, checks, transfers and direct deposit. See more with your pediatrician before you start if you have any doubt your baby is ready, and that's also the call to make if your baby seems ill or feeding changes.
Good to Know
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine calls graduated extinction, the approach behind the Ferber method, an effective and recommended treatment for bedtime problems and night wakings. A 2016 randomized trial in Pediatrics, the AAP's journal, found graduated extinction and bedtime fading improved infant sleep with no adverse stress responses and no long-term effects on attachment, emotions or behavior. HealthyChildren.org says you can still go in to feed, change a dirty diaper or comfort a baby who is sick. Safe sleepSafe sleepThe AAP's rules for lowering the risk of SIDS and suffocation: baby on the back, alone, on a firm flat surface in their own sleep space, every sleep. See more rules never pause during training: back to sleep, in the baby's own sleep space, on a firm, flat surface with only a fitted sheet.
FAQ
What age should you start sleep training?
Cleveland Clinic says babies are often ready at about 4 months, with some a little earlier and others closer to 6 months. It says newborns shouldn't be sleep trained, and to ask your pediatrician if you're unsure.
Does sleep training harm attachment?
A 2016 trial published in Pediatrics found graduated extinction and bedtime fading brought no adverse stress responses and no long-term effects on parent and child attachment, emotions or behavior.
Which sleep training method is best?
No single method suits every family. Cleveland Clinic describes several, from cry it out to gentler ones like the chair methodChair methodA gradual sleep training method where a parent sits in a chair by the crib until the baby falls asleep, moving it farther away every few nights. See more, and the one you can repeat the same way every night is the one to choose.
Do It in Buhata
Reminders and Notes
Write your chosen method and each night's result in Notes (Premium) in Buhata, and set a Reminder for the same bedtime every evening.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Ferber method
A sleep training method, also called graduated extinction, where parents check on a crying baby at timed intervals that lengthen over time.
- Chair method
A gradual sleep training method where a parent sits in a chair by the crib until the baby falls asleep, moving it farther away every few nights.
- Cry it out
A sleep training method, also called extinction, where a baby is put to bed awake and not comforted again until morning.
- Gentle sleep training
Everyday name for sleep training methods that keep a parent close or step back slowly, such as the chair method or pick up, put down.
- Pick up put down
A sleep training method where you lift a crying baby to calm them, then lay them back in the crib before they fall asleep, repeating as needed.
- Drowsy but awake
Laying a baby down in the crib when they're sleepy but still awake, so they practice falling asleep on their own.
Sources
Cleveland Clinic, "Sleep Training Your Baby: When and How"; Cleveland Clinic, "What Is the Cry-It-Out Method of Sleep Training?"; Cleveland Clinic, "What Is the Ferber Method of Sleep Training Your Baby?"; Cleveland Clinic, "How To Do the Chair Method of Sleep Training for Babies"; Cleveland Clinic, "Pick Up Put Down Sleep Training Method"; HealthyChildren.org (AAP), "Getting Your Baby to Sleep"; Gradisar and colleagues, "Behavioral Interventions for Infant Sleep Problems: A Randomized Controlled Trial," Pediatrics, 2016; AAP, "Safe Sleep and Your Baby"
- health.clevelandclinic.org/when-and-how-to-sleep-train-your-baby
- health.clevelandclinic.org/cry-it-out-method
- health.clevelandclinic.org/ferber-method
- health.clevelandclinic.org/chair-method-sleep-training
- health.clevelandclinic.org/pick-up-put-down-method
- www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/getting-your-baby-to-sleep.aspx
- publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/137/6/e20151486/52401/Behavioral-Interventions-for-Infant-Sleep-Problems
- publications.aap.org/patiented/article/doi/10.1542/peo_document088/79989/Safe-Sleep-and-Your-Baby-How-Parents-Can-Reduce
Last updated .