Before we delve into a discussion of sleep training methods with their “pros” and “cons”, here is a helpful reminder about ABCs of sleep. The safest sleep for infants is Alone, on their Back, and in the Crib.

This is a standard recommendation given to parents of a newborn child across the United States, the rationale for the recommendation being the need to reduce the likelihood of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). 

Sleep is a basic human need, and it varies depending on the baby’s age. Lucile Packard’s Children’s Hospital at Stanford published the following recommendations with regard to sleep duration:

The name Richard Ferber is probably familiar to most parents.

Ferberization is often equated with the “cry-it-out” approach, i.e., closing the nursery door and not responding to the infant’s crying with an ultimate goal of extinction of crying. However, what Dr. Ferber was really advocating for  was giving the infant time to self-soothe by offering support and comfort at predetermined intervals of time. Dr. Ferber also cautioned parents against starting this form of training too soon, his recommended starting point was 5-6 months of age. The original resource containing the description of technique is Solve your Child’s Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber. The steps of this technique include:

(1)  establishing a consistent bedtime routine 

(2) leaving the child in their crib at bedtime and leaving the room

(3) returning to check on the child at predetermined intervals of time that increase as sleep practice progresses 

(4) increasing intervals between check-ins with each night of training. However, it is important to remember that each baby is unique, and if a parent feels that increasing time intervals between checking up on their infant isn’t possible every single night, then it’s okay too. Each parent considers the best interests of their child. 

Different babies are able to sleep through the night at different stages, some babies may be able to do so when they are 3-4 months of age, however others may need longer to adjust their sleep-wake cycle to the environment.

Pediatric practitioners in the US will often recommend to wait with sleep training until the baby has doubled their birth weight. For instance, if your baby weighed 6 lbs at birth, wait until they weigh 12lbs to sleep train them. Doubling of the weight would indicate accumulation of fat and energy necessary to support vital functions between the feedings. 

An alternative approach to dealing with nighttime awakenings is the co-sleeping.

Please note that per American Academy of Pediatrics, co-sleeping is considered hazardous due to risk of suffocation and SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). However, it should be noted that the same organization promotes room sharing without bed sharing.