Compare methods
Sleep-training methods, compared
Ferber, cry it out, the chair method, pick up and put down, and bedtime fading, side by side. No method is right for every family.
Every sleep-training method is trying to do the same thing: help a baby who can only fall asleep with help (rocking, feeding, holding) learn to fall asleep, and fall back asleep, on their own. They differ in how much you are in the room, how much crying there is, and how long it takes.
We make an app for the Ferber method, so read this knowing that. We have tried to be fair to every approach, including the ones we do not build for.
At a glance
| Method | You are in the room | Crying | Pace | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferber method | Brief visits only | Some, alone, between visits | Often within three to seven nights, per the Sleep Foundation | Supported by a large review and randomized trials |
| Cry it out | None until morning | Usually the most intense at first | Varies, and depends heavily on consistency | Strong support in the research review |
| Chair method | In the room, gradually less | Often less on a given night, but over more nights | Usually slower | Limited research on its own |
| Pick up, put down | Hands-on, throughout | Some, with you holding them | Varies, can be slow and tiring | Little formal research |
| Bedtime fading | Your usual routine | Often little | Gradual, over days to weeks | Supported by the review and a randomized trial |
"Pace" and "crying" are general patterns, not promises. Babies vary, and so does how consistently any plan can be followed at 3 a.m.
The Ferber method (graduated extinction)
You put your baby down drowsy but awake and leave. If they cry, you wait a set interval, go in for a short, calm check-in without picking them up, and leave again. The waits grow: on the classic chart, Night 1 is 3, 5, then 10 minutes, and by Night 7 it is 20, 25, then 30. It was popularized by Dr. Richard Ferber in Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems.
Why families choose it. The check-ins let you see that your baby is fine, and let your baby know you are near. The structure removes decisions from a tired night. It is one of the most studied approaches.
What is hard. There is crying, and you hear it from outside the room. Nights 2 or 3 can be harder than Night 1. Check-ins can wake a baby who was close to sleep, and some babies get more upset when a parent comes and goes.
Who it tends to suit. Parents who want a clear plan, can tolerate some crying, and want to be able to check on their baby.
The Ferber method, explained in full
Cry it out (extinction)
You follow your routine, put your baby down awake, and do not go back in until a set time in the morning, apart from checking for safety or illness.
Why families choose it. It is simple and consistent, with no decisions during the night. The 2006 American Academy of Sleep Medicine review found the strongest evidence for this approach and for parent education.
What is hard. Many parents find it very difficult to hear crying with no way to respond. If a parent gives in after a long stretch of crying, the baby can learn that crying longer works, which makes the next night harder.
Who it tends to suit. Parents who are sure they can stay consistent, and babies who get more worked up by visits than by being left to settle.
The chair method (adult fading or camping out)
You sit on a chair by the crib, offering as little interaction as possible, until your baby falls asleep. Every few nights you move the chair farther away: to the middle of the room, to the door, then outside it.
Why families choose it. Your baby is never alone while they fall asleep, and many families find there is less crying on any given night.
What is hard. It is slow, and it asks you to be in the room at every bedtime and waking for longer than other methods. Research on the chair method on its own is limited, so it is hard to say how it compares. Your presence can itself become the thing your baby needs to fall asleep, and some babies find a parent who is close but not picking them up more frustrating, not less.
Who it tends to suit. Parents who cannot face crying alone, have the time for a longer process, and whose baby calms with a parent nearby.
Pick up, put down
When your baby cries, you pick them up and hold them until they are calm, then put them back down awake. You repeat this as many times as needed.
Why families choose it. It is the most hands-on approach. Your baby is comforted every time they cry.
What is hard. It can take many repetitions a night and a lot of stamina. For some babies, being picked up and put down again is stimulating. It has had very little formal research, so we cannot say how well it works compared with other methods.
Who it tends to suit. Parents who want to stay physically involved, and who have the patience for a slower, less predictable process.
Bedtime fading
You temporarily move bedtime to when your baby actually falls asleep quickly, even if that is late, then bring it earlier in small steps over the following nights.
Why families choose it. A baby who is truly sleepy protests less, so there is often little crying. In a 2016 randomized trial, bedtime fading and graduated extinction both shortened how long babies took to fall asleep. Graduated extinction also reduced night wakings.
What is hard. It mainly helps with bedtime, not necessarily with night wakings, and it takes some trial and error to find the right starting time.
Who it tends to suit. Babies who fight bedtime for a long time, and parents who want to try a gentler step first. It can also be combined with other approaches.
Not sleep training at all
This is a real option too. Plenty of families feed, rock or hold their baby to sleep and are happy that way. If the way your family sleeps is working for you, there is nothing to fix. Sleep training is for when it is not working: when everyone is exhausted, a parent’s mood is suffering, or the nights are getting harder rather than easier.
How to choose
- How much crying can you tolerate, honestly? If hearing crying alone is unbearable, a chair method or bedtime fading may be easier to stick with, and sticking with it matters more than which method you pick.
- Can every adult follow the same plan? Two parents doing two different things is harder on a baby than either method alone.
- How does your baby respond to you in the room? Some babies calm when a parent is near. Others get more upset each time a parent appears and leaves.
- Is this the right week? Avoid starting during illness, travel, a move or a new daycare.
On long-term safety: in the trial that followed families for five years, children whose parents had been taught behavioral sleep techniques as babies showed no differences in emotional or behavioral problems, stress, or their relationship with their parents, compared with children who had not (Price et al., 2012). A smaller study raised questions about infant stress during extinction (Middlemiss et al., 2012); we cover both on the research page.
Sources
- Mindell JA et al. Behavioral treatment of bedtime problems and night wakings in infants and young children. Sleep. 2006;29(10):1263-76.
- Gradisar M et al. Behavioral interventions for infant sleep problems: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics. 2016;137(6):e20151486.
- Price AMH et al. Five-year follow-up of harms and benefits of behavioral infant sleep intervention: randomized trial. Pediatrics. 2012;130(4):643-51.
- Hiscock H, Wake M. Randomised controlled trial of behavioural infant sleep intervention to improve infant sleep and maternal mood. BMJ. 2002;324(7345):1062-5.
- Middlemiss W et al. Asynchrony of mother-infant hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity following extinction of infant crying responses induced during the transition to sleep. Early Hum Dev. 2012;88(4):227-32.
- Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems, New, Revised, and Expanded Edition (Richard Ferber, 2006)
- Sleep Foundation: The Ferber Method
- American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org): A Parent’s Guide to Safe Sleep