Not medical advice. This is general educational information, not a substitute for professional guidance. Always rule out medical issues (such as an ear infection or teething) first, and most experts suggest waiting until at least 4–6 months before starting formal sleep training. If you have any concerns, talk to your pediatrician.
Sleep training helps a baby learn to fall asleep independently — and to resettle on their own when they wake in the night. All three methods below share the same foundation: a consistent, calming bedtime routine, a dark and quiet sleep space, and placing your baby in the crib drowsy but awake. Where they differ is how much you stay present and how you respond to crying. Start with evening sleep first; naps usually follow once nights improve.
Before you start, it is worth checking the basics. An overtired baby fights sleep harder, so make sure the day is built on age-appropriate wake windows and that total sleep is roughly in the range for their age — see how much sleep a baby needs. If the night wakings started suddenly around four months, read the 4 month sleep regression guide first: that is a permanent change in sleep architecture, not a habit, and it responds well to these methods. Also confirm the sleep space follows safe sleep guidelines.
Reading a method is the easy part. Night four is not. NapNap turns any of these into a day-by-day plan with a one-minute morning check-in, so you can see progress instead of guessing.
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1. The Chair Method (Camping Out)
The gentlest of the three. You stay in the room while your baby falls asleep, then gradually move your chair farther away every few nights until you are out of the room entirely. It trades a faster result for more parental presence and reassurance.
Step by step
- Complete your bedtime routine and place your baby in the crib drowsy but awake.
- Sit in a chair beside the crib. Offer calm, low-key reassurance (a quiet "shh," a gentle pat) but avoid picking your baby up or making it playful.
- Stay until your baby falls asleep. Keep interaction minimal and boring so the crib — not you — becomes the sleep association.
- Every few nights, move the chair farther from the crib, following the withdrawal schedule below.
- Keep the same response for night wakings. Return to your current chair position rather than going back to the crib-side.
- Once you reach the hallway or outside the room, your baby is falling asleep independently.
Chair position progression
| Days | Chair position |
|---|---|
| Days 1–2 | Next to crib |
| Days 3–4 | Halfway to door |
| Days 5–6 | At the doorway |
| Days 7–8 | Just outside the room |
| Days 9–10 | In hallway / own room |
Younger babies (under 6 months) usually progress more slowly — about 3 days per position (next to crib → next to door → in the doorway → in the hallway → out of the room).
What to expect
- Nights 1–2 will likely have the most crying as baby adjusts.
- Nights 3–5 usually show significant improvement.
- By week 2, most babies settle much faster.
- Naps may take 2–4 weeks to fully consolidate.
- Expect a "response burst" — a night where crying temporarily increases.
2. The Ferber Method (Graduated Check-Ins)
A middle-ground approach. You leave the room, then return for brief, reassuring check-ins at gradually increasing intervals. The wait times grow across the night and across the week, so your baby gets steadily more practice self-settling.
Step by step
- Place baby in crib drowsy but awake, then leave the room.
- If baby cries, wait the 1st wait time — then enter for a brief, boring check-in.
- Keep check-ins to 1–2 min: calm voice, no picking up, leave before baby fully settles.
- If crying continues: wait the 2nd wait, then use the 3rd+ wait for the rest of that night.
- Intervals reset each new night — the table shows how wait times grow over the week.
Wait-time intervals (minutes)
| Night | 1st wait | 2nd wait | 3rd+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Night 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| Night 2 | 5 | 8 | 12 |
| Night 3 | 8 | 12 | 15 |
| Night 4 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
| Night 5 | 12 | 18 | 25 |
| Night 6 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| Night 7 | 20 | 25 | 30 |
What to expect
- Nights 1–3 are the hardest. It gets better quickly.
- Most families see dramatic improvement by night 3–5.
- Naps typically improve 1–2 weeks after nights.
- A "response burst" (temporary increase in crying) is normal and expected.
3. Cry-It-Out (Extinction)
The fastest but most intensive method. After the bedtime routine you say goodnight and do not return until morning (or a planned feed), giving your baby uninterrupted space to learn to fall asleep on their own. It is not for every family — but for some it works quickest.
Step by step
- Complete a consistent, calming bedtime routine and make sure your baby is fed, dry, and comfortable.
- Place your baby in the crib drowsy but awake, say a warm goodnight, and leave the room.
- Do not return to resettle. Allow your baby to fall asleep without check-ins.
- For night wakings, keep the same approach — unless it is a scheduled feed. Before 6am is still night: keep the room dark and interaction minimal.
- Keep any planned night feeds calm and businesslike, then place your baby back down awake.
- After 6am, do a "dramatic" wake-up — lights on, cheerful voice — to mark the clear start of the day.
What to expect
- Night 1 is the hardest. Many babies cry 30–60 minutes.
- By night 3–5, most babies fall asleep with minimal crying.
- Naps usually follow within a week of night success.
- A "response burst" around night 3–4 is normal — don't give up.
Which method should you choose?
There is no single "best" method — the right one is the one you can apply consistently. Gentler methods like the Chair take longer but involve less crying at any one time; faster methods like Cry-It-Out resolve in days but are more intense up front. Consistency matters more than the method: pick an approach, give it about two weeks, and stay the course through the normal response burst.
NapNap Baby builds a personalized, day-by-day sleep training plan around whichever method fits your family, with a daily check-in and progress tracking.