Comparing methods

Bedtime fading: a gentler first step before Ferber

Bedtime fading moves bedtime later, to when your baby actually falls asleep, then earlier in small steps. How to do it, what a 2016 trial found, and its limits.

The Ferber team September 27, 2026 6 min read

Bedtime is at 7, and every night it turns into an hour of crying, rolling and standing in the crib. By the time your baby actually falls asleep, it is closer to 8, and everyone is worn out.

Bedtime fading is one answer to that pattern. You temporarily move bedtime later, to the time your baby actually falls asleep quickly, so there is little to fight about. Then you move it earlier in small steps, often 15 minutes at a time, until you are back at the bedtime you want. In a randomized trial, bedtime fading and graduated extinction (the approach the Ferber method uses) both led to large decreases in how long babies took to fall asleep. Only graduated extinction also cut night wakings.

How bedtime fading works

The idea is simple. A baby who is put down before they are truly sleepy has a long stretch of awake time in the crib, and that is often when the protest happens. If you start with a bedtime that matches when your baby naturally falls asleep, the protest has less room.

The trial registration for the main infant study describes bedtime fading as gradually reducing infants’ time in bed to more closely match their total sleep time, with 15-minute changes to bedtime made once per night until the desired bedtime is reached (ANZCTR registration).

The approach has older roots. An early study used a version called faded bedtime with response cost, in which bedtimes were delayed to make quick sleep onset more likely, then gradually moved earlier (Piazza and Fisher, 1991). That early study was small, with 4 individuals with developmental delays. Its “response cost” step, which removed the person from bed for an hour if they did not fall asleep quickly, was part of that clinical protocol. It is not part of the infant approach described here, and you should not take a baby out of the crib for long stretches at night.

What the research found

The best infant evidence is a 2016 randomized trial from Australia. Researchers assigned 43 babies aged 6 to 16 months to bedtime fading, graduated extinction or a sleep-education control group, and measured sleep with parent diaries and actigraphy, a wristband that tracks movement (Gradisar et al., 2016).

Falling asleep. Both bedtime fading and graduated extinction produced large decreases in sleep latency, the time it takes to fall asleep, compared with the control group.
Night wakings. Only graduated extinction produced large decreases in the number of night wakings and in time awake during the night.
Stress. Infant salivary cortisol, a stress hormone, showed small-to-moderate declines in both the bedtime fading and graduated extinction groups compared with controls. Mothers’ stress showed small-to-moderate decreases in both the bedtime fading and graduated extinction groups over the first month, with no differences in mood.
A year later. At the 12-month follow-up, there were no significant differences between groups in emotional or behavioral problems or in secure versus insecure attachment.

A 2006 review of 52 studies for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine also listed bedtime fading with positive routines among the approaches with research support (Mindell et al., 2006).

The trial was small, about 15 babies per group, so its findings are encouraging rather than final. Our research page puts it alongside the other trials.

How to try bedtime fading, step by step

Keep a short sleep log for 3 or 4 nights. Note when you put your baby down and roughly when they actually fall asleep. Keep the routine and bedtime as they are while you watch.
Find the real sleep time. Look for the time your baby usually falls asleep. That becomes your temporary bedtime.
Start the routine so your baby is in the crib at that time. Do your usual calm routine, then put your baby in the crib awake. Starting at the true sleep time gives your baby a good chance of dropping off fairly quickly.
Hold the wake-up time steady. Keep the morning start the same, so you are only changing one thing.
Move bedtime earlier in small steps. Once your baby is falling asleep quickly at the new time, move bedtime 15 minutes earlier. The trial changed bedtime once per night. You can wait a couple of nights between steps if things feel wobbly.
Stop at your target. When you reach the bedtime you want, hold it there.

The AAP recommends that babies 4 months and older go to bed drowsy but awake, because babies who are held or rocked to sleep may struggle to go back to sleep when they wake in the night (HealthyChildren.org). Bedtime fading works best when you combine it with that: a calm routine, then the crib, awake. Our guide to getting started covers routines in more detail.

Where bedtime fading fits, and its limits

It mainly helps bedtime. In the 2016 trial, bedtime fading shortened how long babies took to fall asleep but did not reduce night wakings. If 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. are your hard times, bedtime fading alone may not be enough.

Finding the starting time takes some trial and error. Babies vary from night to night, and naps change the picture. A late or long afternoon nap can push the real sleep time later. Our article on Ferber and naps touches on how naps and bedtime connect.

A temporarily late bedtime is a real cost. Evenings get shorter for a week or two, which can be tough for parents who need that time.

There may still be some crying. Bedtime fading reduces the fight for many babies, but your baby may still protest for a while at the new time.

Using bedtime fading before Ferber

Bedtime fading can work well as a first step because it asks less of everyone. It can also make a later Ferber week easier: a baby who is genuinely sleepy at bedtime may cry less on Night 1.

A common sequence looks like this:

Use bedtime fading for a week or two until bedtime is calm and at a time you are happy with.
If night wakings are still a problem, start the Ferber method, keeping the same bedtime and routine.
Change one thing at a time, and give each change a few nights before you judge it.

Some families never need the second step. Others find bedtime fading does little and move on to Ferber sooner. Both are fine. Our method comparison sets bedtime fading next to the other approaches.

A next step for tonight

Tonight, keep everything the same and just write down two times: when your baby goes into the crib, and when they actually fall asleep. After three or four nights, you will know whether bedtime fading has something to work with.

If you later move on to Ferber, the Ferber app runs the interval chart for each night, alerts you at check-in time and keeps a sleep history you can compare against your notes.

Common questions

What is bedtime fading?

Bedtime fading is a sleep approach where you temporarily move your baby's bedtime later, to the time they actually fall asleep quickly, and then move it earlier in small steps over the following nights until you reach the bedtime you want. A sleepier baby tends to protest less at bedtime.

Does bedtime fading work?

In a 2016 randomized trial of 43 babies aged 6 to 16 months, bedtime fading led to large decreases in how long babies took to fall asleep compared with a control group. Graduated extinction did the same and also produced large decreases in night wakings, which the trial reported only for graduated extinction.

How much should I move bedtime each night with bedtime fading?

The 2016 trial's registration describes moving bedtime in 15-minute steps, with one change per night, until the target bedtime is reached. It can help to move earlier only once your baby is falling asleep quickly at the current time.

Can I do bedtime fading and then the Ferber method?

Yes. Some families use bedtime fading first to make bedtime easier, then use the Ferber method if night wakings continue. Change one thing at a time and give each step a few nights.

Sources

Written by The Ferber team. Educational information, not medical advice. If you are worried about your child’s health, feeding or growth, talk to your pediatrician.

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