Parenting is a long journey full of surprises and challenges, especially when the parents want to sleep-train their child. There are many methods out there, but the most popular one is the Ferber method of sleep training.
While the Ferber method has proven to be effective for many families around the world, it does not deny the fact that it is also not an easy process as a whole. There can be days that can test parents’ patience, determination, and emotional resilience.
In this blog, we are going to find out what is the hardest day of Ferber method. I will give some tips to make these days more manageable.
The hardest day of the Ferber method:
Generally, the initial days are considered to be the hardest, but according to Dr. Canapari (Director of the Yale Paediatric Sleep Center), the 2nd and the 3rd nights of the ferber method are the hardest for the parents and the child. The child will cry the hardest and it is also known as an Extinction burst.
So the second and third nights tend to be challenging for most families, as it involves allowing the child to cry for gradually increasing intervals before offering comfort. This can be emotionally demanding for parents as they listen to their child’s distress.
This is the time when most parents give up and discontinue the method, as they cannot see their child crying and screaming inside the room. Most parents fear that something terrible can happen to their baby child because of extreme crying.
Reasons why the 2nd And 3rd Days of the Ferber method are hardest:
During the first night of the Ferber method, parents typically start with a brief comforting visit, then leave the room, and wait for a predetermined interval before returning to provide comfort again if the child is still crying.
On the second and third nights, the waiting intervals between comforting visits become longer, which can be more difficult for both the parents and the child.
The child may protest or cry more intensely during these longer intervals because he is used to receiving immediate comfort.
The parents, on the other hand, may find it emotionally challenging to hear their child cry for extended periods without intervening right away.
Featured Posts:
10 Clever Tools (GADGETS) for Moms Of Newborns & Toddlers (Game-Changers)
8 Cool Things That Ensure A Baby’s Restful, Deep Sleep
15+ Expert Sleep Training Tips For Super Restful Nights
Tips to make these days more manageable:
Here are some quick tips that will help you to ease off the difficulties you would face in the initial days.
1- Take off from your work for a week.
It is very important for you as a parent that your mind has to be free from big responsibilities. So if you are a working parent, take off for about a week or at least for 2 to 3 days.
Even if you are just supporting your partner in this process, taking off from work could bring a lot of progress.
2- Prepare the meal on the weekend and start the method from Monday.
When you decide to start the Ferber method to sleep train your child, give yourself time to prepare the meals on the weekend and start the training from the fresh weekday.
3- Do all the grocery and sort it:
Finish grocery shopping for the coming one to two weeks and sort it. Arrange all the necessary items so that you don’t need to rush to the store for one or two important things.
Get yourself some snacks to munch on hard nights.
4- Don’t plan to get together at home or visit someone.
Do not plan for a get-together at your home or accept an invitation from anyone for around a week or two to be on the safe side.
It is because going out or people coming over can impact the routine of your child who is under sleep training.
5- Sleep when your child sleeps in the daytime.
Initial nights are going to be tough so you must take rest or nap when the baby is sleeping.
6- Sort clothes for the family for the whole week.
To catch some rest in the daytime, keep yourself free from every sort of work that you can do before you start the training.
Sorting clothes and laundry for the family for the whole week would give you a lot of peace during the training week.
7- Take help from your partner for the things that must be done on time.
It is very important to involve your partner in the training process. Mainly mothers are the ones who take up such responsibilities, so all the dads out there must help their wives whenever they need help.
It may be taking turns for check-ins, taking care of other kids if you have any, or helping with stuff that can not be done before.
8- Most importantly, don’t give up unless there’s an emergency.
During the training, there will be times when you would be on the edge of giving up on the process, especially on days 2 and 3. Always remind yourself that you are doing it for a child’s wellness and putting him in temporary stress for a long-term healthy habit.
So don’t give up less you notice there is an emergency like sickness, extreme distress, or no progress for the whole week.
Summary:
The second and third nights of the ferber method are generally the hardest. Because during the first day, the check-in intervals are quite short but as you move forward, the intervals become longer and the baby starts feeling uncomfortable.
However, with some consistency, planning, and patience, you should be able to overcome this phase and successfully sleep-train your baby.
