Setbacks and regressions
Sleep regression after Ferber: getting back on track
A sleep regression after Ferber is common and usually temporary. Rule out illness, keep your response the same, and run a few nights of the chart again.
For weeks your baby went down awake and slept through. Then, almost overnight, bedtime turned into a fight and the 2 a.m. wakings came back. It is easy to feel like all that work has been lost.
A sleep regression after Ferber is common, usually temporary, and rarely means you are back at the start. First rule out illness and teething. Then respond the way you did during training, with the same routine and the same short check-ins, and, if needed, run a few nights of the Ferber chart again. Many families find a second run is shorter than the first. If the setback lasts for weeks or comes with new symptoms, talk to your pediatrician.
Why sleep can slip after Ferber
Sleep training changes how a baby falls asleep. Your baby keeps growing, catching colds and going through changes afterward, and any of those can shake up sleep for a while.
HealthPartners describes sleep regressions as sudden periods of unexplained sleep disruption caused by physical or mental development, and lists common triggers including new motor skills, object permanence (understanding that you still exist when you leave the room), separation anxiety and nap transitions. The NHS adds that growth spurts, teething and illness can all affect how a baby sleeps. Travel, a new daycare, a move or a new sibling can do the same.
There is also a behavioral side. The Sleep Foundation notes that children can have “post-extinction bursts,” suddenly going back to behaviors that seemed to be gone, and that this is normal. Our article on what an extinction burst is explains why old patterns can resurface after a habit has changed.
First, rule out illness and teething
Before you treat a rough patch as a regression, make sure your baby is well. A sudden change in sleep is sometimes the first sign of an ear infection, a cold or a tooth on the way.
The guide to teething, illness and when to pause covers how to tell teething from other causes, and how to restart once your baby is better.
Keep your response the same
Once you are confident your baby is well, the most useful thing you can do is respond the same way you did when training was going well.
- Same bedtime routine. Same steps, same length, same time. It is tempting to add extra rocking or a longer feed, and those additions can become the new minimum.
- Same check-ins. Short, calm and boring. A few quiet words, perhaps a pat, then leave.
- Same rules at night. If you used the chart for night wakings, use it again.
- Same adults on the same plan. If one parent goes back to picking up and the other does not, the setback tends to last longer.
The Sleep Foundation’s advice for post-extinction bursts is to stay consistent until the old pattern fades again. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also recommends putting babies to bed drowsy rather than already asleep, and notes that babies need time to learn to fall back asleep on their own. That still holds during a regression.
If your baby is learning a new skill, such as rolling, sitting or pulling to stand, they may practice it in the crib. Give them plenty of time to practice during the day. Keep placing them on their back at bedtime. The AAP’s safe sleep guide says that once a baby can roll both ways, back to tummy and tummy to back, you do not need to keep turning them onto their back again.
Run a short re-arc on the chart
If a few nights of consistent responses have not settled things, many families run the Ferber chart again for a few nights. A second run is often shorter, because your baby already knows what the waits and check-ins look like.
Start at a night that matches how your baby is doing now. If bedtime crying is short, a later night with longer waits may be enough. If things have slipped a long way, start nearer the beginning. Then move up one night at a time until bedtime is back to where it was.
| Night | 1st wait | 2nd wait | 3rd wait, then every wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Night 1 | 3 min | 5 min | 10 min |
| Night 2 | 5 min | 10 min | 12 min |
| Night 3 | 10 min | 12 min | 15 min |
| Night 4 | 12 min | 15 min | 17 min |
| Night 5 | 15 min | 17 min | 20 min |
| Night 6 | 17 min | 20 min | 25 min |
| Night 7 | 20 min | 25 min | 30 min |
Waits are in minutes. After the third wait, keep repeating the third value until your baby is asleep. If your baby wakes later in the night, start again from that night's first wait.
The guide to sleep regressions has a step-by-step version of this re-arc and covers the 8-month, 12-month and 18-month patterns, and the troubleshooting page on sleep falling apart after success walks through the most common triggers in order.
Expect the first night or two of a re-arc to be noisy. Crying often rises for a night before it falls, the same way it may have during the first week.
What tends to make regressions last longer
A few well-meant responses can stretch a short setback into a long one.
Bringing your baby into your bed. Exhaustion makes this tempting at 3 a.m. The AAP advises room sharing without bed sharing. If you want to be closer, keep your baby in their own crib or bassinet in your room, on their back, on a firm, flat surface with no soft bedding. The AAP’s safe sleep guide has the details.
Adding back a night feed by default. If you think your baby is genuinely hungry, for example during a growth spurt or after an illness, check with your pediatrician. A feed they want kept can sit alongside the chart.
Switching methods in the middle of it. It is fine to choose a different approach, but a regression is a hard time to start something new. The approach your baby already knows is often the quickest route back.
Changing the rules each night. Your baby learns fastest when the response is predictable.
When it is more than a regression
HealthPartners says sleep regressions can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks. If a setback drags on for weeks while you are responding consistently, talk to your pediatrician. HealthPartners also suggests contacting your provider if sleep problems come with pain, fever or illness, or if night wakings are affecting your ability to look after yourself or your baby.
That second point matters. Regressions are hard on parents too. If you are running on very little sleep and feeling low for more than a few days, tell your own doctor. Asking for help is part of looking after your baby.
One thing to do tonight
Write down what bedtime looked like when sleep was going well: the time, the steps of the routine, what you said at check-ins. Tonight, do exactly that, and compare notes with anyone else who puts your baby down.
The Ferber app keeps a sleep history of every night you run and suggests the next night from that history, which helps when you are deciding where to pick up a re-arc.
Common questions
Is it normal for sleep to fall apart after Ferber worked?
Yes. Many babies have setbacks after sleep training, often around developmental changes, illness, travel or a change in routine. The Sleep Foundation notes that children can suddenly go back to behaviors that seemed gone, and that this is normal.
Do I have to redo the whole Ferber method after a regression?
Usually not. Many families run a few nights of the chart again, starting at a night that matches how your baby is doing now and moving up from there. A second run is often shorter than the first because your baby already knows the routine.
How long does a sleep regression last?
It varies. HealthPartners says sleep regressions can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks. If a setback goes on for weeks while you are responding consistently, or comes with new symptoms, talk to your pediatrician.
Should I go back to rocking or feeding to sleep during a regression?
Comfort your baby when they are sick or in pain. Otherwise, try not to bring back an old sleep habit as the everyday answer, because the new habit can outlast the regression. A calm, consistent response tends to get you back on track sooner.