Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Ferberization at a Glance

Sleepless nights. Nightly tantrums. Groggy mornings. Do any of these sound familiar? For a lot of new parents, this is the story of their lives for the first year of their baby’s birth. But these issues can be addressed and resolved by initiating the Ferber Method...well, according to some parents. Ferberization or the Ferber method is sleep resolution training technique for infants that are 5 months and above.

The Ferber method relies on a few key principles which include; 

Alone Time: This is the period of time when the infant is left alone in the room. Some or a lot of crying is expected when the baby is left alone. The length of time starts at 5 minutes for the first 3 days then increases by 5 minutes every night until the baby assimilates the training.

Check in time: This is the short length of time when the parent can check in on the baby and offer some comfort. The parent may choose to sing a lullaby to give the baby reassurance of not being abandoned.

It’s also best to make sure the infant is comfortable by feeding him and keeping the environment free from distress-causing factors. It is also suggested that the lights are put out and a night light used instead.

It’s easy to throw in the towel after a few nights but persistence, as Dr.Ferber thinks,is the key. Endeavour to seek the permission of a pediatrician before practicing the Ferber Method

For more information on the Ferber Method, refer to the infographic below from www.babyinastroller.com.