Ferber Method

Sleep Training Baby 2010-03-12 12:00:04
sleep

Do You Believe Parents Can Influence Babies' Sleep Habits?

Some parents would give their right arm just to get their lil one to sleep through the night.
by babysugar

Some parents would give their right arm just to get their lil one to sleep through the night. They read books, consult the web, and even hire trainers to come in and coach their nocturnal tykes. While there are various philosophies when it comes to coaching your wee one to sleep through the night, Dr. Richard Ferber's self-soothing techniques continue to prevail among sleep-deprived parents.

A new study conducted by Canada's Today's Parent found that 69 percent of parents believe that controlled-crying techniques work if parents implement them properly, but more than half of the parents surveyed said it didn't work for them, meaning most parents don't believe they are implementing the philosophy correctly. A further look at the study showed that parents who enter sleep training with the belief that they can influence how their tot gets his shut-eye were more likely to be successful with the process.

Do you believe that mom and dad can train a baby to sleep?

Do You and Daddy Use the Same Parenting Methods?
Modern Family

Do You and Daddy Use the Same Parenting Methods?

On this week's Modern Family new dads Cameron and Mitchell differ on their preferred plans for soothing daughter Lily to sleep.
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On this week's Modern Family new dads Cameron and Mitchell differ on their preferred plans for soothing daughter Lily to sleep. Mitchell wants to use the Ferber Method, which says a child can be taught to put herself to sleep with self soothing techniques, but Cameron can't stand to hear the baby whimper in her crib. In fact, he cries a little himself and says, "It's torture . . . torture! It's just hard if you happen to be a person who hates to hear another person suffer." While hilarious on screen and an exaggeration of the Ferber Method (to some extent), it's a conundrum most parents battle. You read one suggestion or study. He reads another. One of you reacts with emotion, the other with a well-thought out plan. The challenges of coparenting ensue.

My husband and I talked about how we would raise our kids before we got married, and the conversation continues as different issues come up, but we still face bad cop/good cop moments. Do you and your partner fundamentally use the same methods, have completely different parenting styles, or a balanced combination?
Photo copyright 2010 ABC, Inc.

Training Baby to Sleep Through the Night
Baby

Two Methods For Training Baby to Sleep

When baby sleeps through the night for the first time in his life, it is a milestone to be celebrated by the whole family and perhaps, the neighbors!
by babysugar

When baby sleeps through the night for the first time in his life, it is a milestone to be celebrated by the whole family and perhaps, the neighbors! The lucky experience this momentous occasion early in infancy while other mums are dragged through the torture of sleepless nights into toddlerhood. Parents desperate to get a full night's rest may resort to sleep training to get baby on a lengthy snooze cruise.

There are two basic training methods — crying it out and not crying it out. While Dr. Emmett Holt, author of The Care and Feeding of Children described cry-it-out back in 1895, it is often credited to Dr. Richard Ferber, Director of The Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders. Careful not to describe his style as CIO, the Ferber method preaches that a child can be taught to put himself to sleep with self soothing techniques somewhere between four and six-months-old. In order for the baby to learn the steps to self soothing, they need to be put down while still awake. If he rouses during the night, parents are instructed not to pick him up, but to comfort and pat him after set periods of time. It is up to the family to decide how long the intervals should be and how often the wakings. Theoretically, baby learns how to handle his own falling asleep and learns that mommy will only check on him — not rescue him.

Critics of the Ferber tactics argue that tots left to cry themselves to sleep endure long-lasting damage to their nervous systems. Researchers from a recent Harvard study claim CIO makes children more susceptible in later life to anxiety disorders, including panic attacks.

To see what the opposing technique is, read more

What Do You Know About the Ferber Method?
quizzes

What Do You Know About the Ferber Method?

Early in a baby's life, a new mother wonders how soon her child will sleep through the night.
by babysugar

Early in a baby's life, a new mother wonders how soon her child will sleep through the night. Some children snooze on their own volition early on while others can take months to get a good night's rest. Dr. Ferber came up with a system now called the "Ferber method" to help new families get some shut eye.

Take my quiz to see what you know about the Ferber method.
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