What Is the Ferber Method?
The Ferber method, developed by Dr. Richard Ferber at Boston Children's Hospital, is a graduated extinction approach to sleep training. You put your baby down awake and leave the room, then return at timed intervals to briefly reassure them. The intervals get progressively longer, teaching your baby to self-soothe while knowing you're still nearby.
Step-by-Step Process
- Complete your consistent bedtime routine (bath, book, song, etc.).
- Put your baby down drowsy but awake in their crib.
- Say a brief, loving goodnight and leave the room.
- Wait the prescribed number of minutes before your first check-in.
- During check-ins, enter the room and briefly reassure your baby (1-2 minutes) with your voice and a gentle pat. Do not pick them up.
- Leave the room again and wait for the next interval.
- If your baby falls asleep during an interval, do not wake them for a check-in.
- Use the same approach for any middle-of-the-night wakings after a feeding window.
Ferber Interval Table
Each night, the wait times before check-ins increase. After reaching the maximum interval for that night, continue using that same maximum until your baby falls asleep.
- Night 1: 3 minutes / 5 minutes / 10 minutes (then 10 min repeat)
- Night 2: 5 minutes / 8 minutes / 12 minutes (then 12 min repeat)
- Night 3: 8 minutes / 12 minutes / 15 minutes (then 15 min repeat)
- Night 4: 10 minutes / 15 minutes / 20 minutes (then 20 min repeat)
- Night 5: 12 minutes / 18 minutes / 25 minutes (then 25 min repeat)
- Night 6: 15 minutes / 20 minutes / 25 minutes (then 25 min repeat)
- Night 7: 20 minutes / 25 minutes / 30 minutes (then 30 min repeat)
What to Expect Each Night
Night 1 is typically the hardest, with crying lasting 30-60 minutes. Night 2 is often somewhat easier, and many parents see significant improvement by night 3. Around night 4, some babies have an "extinction burst" where crying temporarily increases before rapidly improving. Most babies fall asleep within 10-15 minutes by the end of the first week.
The extinction burst (usually around night 3-4) is a normal part of the learning process. It does not mean the method is failing. Stay consistent through it.
Common Mistakes
- Picking baby up during check-ins. The purpose is brief reassurance, not soothing to sleep.
- Staying too long during check-ins. Keep them under 2 minutes. Lingering can escalate crying.
- Giving up on night 3-4 when the extinction burst hits. This teaches your baby that prolonged crying eventually works.
- Starting Ferber during illness, teething, travel, or other disruptions.
- Inconsistency between parents. Both caregivers must follow the same intervals and check-in rules.
- Not having a consistent bedtime routine before starting. A predictable pre-sleep sequence helps your baby understand sleep is coming.
Ferber is most effective for babies 6 months and older. If your baby is 4-5 months, consider starting with a gentler method like the Chair method first.
See our comprehensive guide: /sleep-training
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