Ferber method

Have you thought about pick up put down instead? I used this when I wasn’t keen on Ferber. How old is your LO?

@Elena 8 months old. Did this work for you? Did it take long? Were you up a little beforehand?

Yep, this is what’s got mine to self settle. Took around a week to see improvements in day time naps and then about 2 weeks for night time sleep. He still wakes once in the night for a bottle between 3:30/4:30 but he drinks a whole bottle so I know he’s hungry so I have no issues with this.

@Elena thank you for this, it’s really useful. Can I ask how old your little one was when you did this? Were they waking a lot prior to this?

Started it at 5 months and he’s now just over 6 months. We went from 3 hourly wake ups to sleeping through at 14 weeks then once the 4 month regression hit we were doing 3 wakes up a night. It was no where near awful but it was still hard. It then dropped to 2 wake ups and now it’s just the one for a feed which I just think he will naturally drop as he gets older and is eating more during the day.

I’d avoid any sleep training method that leave the baby alone at 8mo as the sleep regression at that age is linked to separation anxiety (they realise they’re a different person from their mum) and they don’t have the concept of object permanence so if they can’t see something/someone for them it’s gone forever. So leaving the baby to cry could make things worse/affect them.

It will affect them as they believe they've been abandoned and after hours of crying without their needs being met they will emotionally shut down. Have a look at the Beyond Sleep Training Project group on Facebook. They have loads of helpful strategies for coping with this without sleep training.

It is still normal for babies to wake up.tbe night. The thing to look at is how your little one is falling asleep and if there are any sleep associations.