Dr. Ferber, the principal creator of the so-called "cry it out" method, and Dr. Sears, a supporter of attachment parenting, share two very different philosophies when it comes to teaching babies to sleep.
Prior to Sleep Training
Prior to any sleep training, parents need to address the following:
- Is your child at least six months of age?
- Does your child have a conditioned fear of being left alone?
- Does your child have any health problems, which would cause him sleep interference?
- Have the child’s individual temperament and personality been considered prior to choosing a sleep method?
- Do all parents and caregivers understand the method and resolve to be consistent?
Who is Dr. Richard Ferber?
Pediatrician Richard Ferber is the director for the Center of Pediatric Sleep Disorders at the Children’s Hospital in Boston. He authored "Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems" in 1985, and published a revised edition in 2006.
What is the Ferber Method?
According to Babycenter, parents should choose a week that they can afford to lose some sleep. The first night, parents should put their child to bed awake after a relaxing bedtime routine. If he starts crying, parents should let him cry for five minutes, and then re-enter the room to console him for only a short period. Ferber does not recommend that parents pick up, rock, or feed the baby. The second time parents leave the room, they should wait ten minutes before returning to comfort baby. The third time wait fifteen minutes, and then wait fifteen minutes throughout the night until the child goes to sleep.
The second night, parents should begin with a ten-minute interval, increasing to a fifteen-minute and then twenty-minute interval, staying with the twenty-minute interval all night. The third night, parents would begin with a fifteen-minute interval, and so on.
Ferber’s method for teaching babies to sleep has often been synonymous with "crying it out," though Ferber has stated that he does not recommend a child to cry for long periods in bed alone and without comfort.
Ferber also recommends that if the child vomits or defecates out of frustration, that it should not interfere with the sleep training. They should be cleaned up and placed back into bed.
Debating the Ferber Approach
Positives:
- Some parents swear by the Ferber method. While it wasn’t fun, their once troublesome baby now sleeps through the night.
- The child may be less likely to throw bedtime tantrums.
- The child may be less likely to awaken his parents at night.
- Parents who were sleep-deprived and frustrated may now see an improvement in their stress level, mood, and relationships with both child and spouse.
- The child’s daytime behavior may improve.
Negatives:
- Some experts claim the Ferber method creates lifelong emotional scars, and that letting a child cry to sleep results in feelings of abandonment, rage, and insecurity.
- Crying can be physiologically stressful, increasing a baby’s blood pressure and heart rate.
- Particularly sensitive children who may have difficulty coping with negative emotions may find the Ferber method highly distressing.
- Letting a child cry may seem to violate a parent’s deepest instinct.
Who is Dr. William Sears?
Pediatrician William Sears owns a private practice in Pasadena, California and is the assistant professor of pediatrics at USC. He is also the author of, "Nighttime Parenting: How to Get Your Baby and Child to Sleep," "The Attachment Parenting Book," and "The Baby Book," among several others.
What is the Sears Method?
Sears advocates a more gentle approach to sleep coaching. Rather than setting a model of teaching baby to sleep, Sears asks parents to make the sleep environment an enticing place for baby. This involves a number of methods:
- Sleep in the same room, or the same bed as baby. Be sure to follow all safety standards.
- During the day, carry the baby and cuddle him often.
- Maintain a consistent nap routine.
- Use a calming approach before bedtime. Give the baby a warm bath, massage him, nurse him, or rock him until he falls asleep.
- Do not put the baby into bed until he is in a deep sleep and his limbs are limp.
- If baby awakens, comfort, rock, nurse or change his diaper.
Debating the Sears Method
Positives:
- Parents and babies may enjoy the bonding time, especially if parents work outside of the home.
- Parents can use this method from birth.
- It is more convenient to respond to baby’s needs if he is in the same room or the same bed.
- The baby does not have to cry alone for extended periods of time.
- Some experts believe that when the baby feels comforted and secure, he will automatically begin putting himself to sleep for longer periods.
Negatives:
- Babies do not learn to soothe themselves initially.
- Babies rely on parental care for any length of time.
- Parents may begin to feel frustrated and resentful over their lack of sleep.
- Some experts believe that babies will sleep more soundly and awaken less if they fall asleep by themselves.
Choosing a sleep training method is a personal decision that involves many factors, including how long baby has had sleep difficulties, how often he wakes up, how frustrated the parents may feel and what the pediatrician suggests. There is no "right" or "wrong" choice. Parents must do what is right for their particular situation.
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