Is 3 Months Too Early?
Yes. Formal sleep training is not recommended at 3 months. Your baby's sleep architecture is still immature, and they likely need 1-2 night feedings. However, this is a great age to start building healthy sleep foundations that will make future training easier.
What You Can Do Now
- Start a consistent bedtime routine (bath, feeding, book, song).
- Practice drowsy-but-awake placement. Even if it only works 1 in 5 times, you're building the skill.
- Use shush-pat to calm your baby in the crib instead of picking up immediately.
- Establish day/night differentiation: bright and active during the day, dim and quiet at night.
- Keep wake windows short (75-90 minutes) to avoid overtiredness.
At 3 months, your only goal is to lay groundwork. Don't stress if your baby still needs extensive help falling asleep. Formal methods can start at 4 months.
Methods to Avoid at This Age
Ferber, Cry It Out, and any method that involves leaving your baby to cry alone are not appropriate at 3 months. Your baby does not yet have the developmental capacity for sustained self-soothing. The only structured approach that can be gently introduced is a modified Chair method with extensive shush-patting.
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