Published by Actually Sleeping · Reviewed by Dr. Samantha Abrahamson, PharmD · Review policy · Updated 2026-11-10

What is the chair method of sleep training?

In the chair method you put your baby down awake and sit in a chair beside the crib until they fall asleep, then move the chair farther away over a period of nights until you are out of the room. It is also called camping out or gradual withdrawal. It suits parents who want to stay present, but it is slow, it is not tear-free, and it stalls easily.

What it is

The chair method gradually withdraws your presence. You start right beside the crib, offering a quiet voice and limited touch, and move the chair toward the door in stages until your baby falls asleep without you in the room. Night wakings get the same response from wherever the chair is that night.

Does it work?

The chair method has less direct trial evidence than extinction, graduated extinction or bedtime fading, which are the approaches the American Academy of Sleep Medicine review lists with support. It rests on the same principle: your baby does the final step of falling asleep while your help is reduced. A Melbourne cluster randomized trial in which nurses taught 328 mothers behavioral sleep strategies found fewer infant sleep problems at 10 months (56% vs 68%) and 12 months (39% vs 55%) than usual care, and fewer maternal depression symptoms.

Who it tends to fail for, and why

Babies who are more upset with you in the room. Some babies are frustrated that you are right there and not picking them up. Your presence keeps them awake.
Families who stall at one position. Staying in the same spot for a week creates a new habit: needing you in the chair.
Parents who slide back into doing too much from the chair: picking up, lying down next to the crib, holding hands through the slats.
Babies whose schedule is off. If bedtime is wrong for the baby, the chair just means you sit through the protest.
Exhausted parents. It is slow, and 2 a.m. in a chair for weeks is hard to keep up.

Where it does fit, it tends to be with toddlers, children with separation anxiety, and families who share a room. Even then, the details decide whether it works: when to move, how much to say, what to do when a toddler climbs out.

How Actually Sleeping is different

Actually Sleeping does not give you a chair schedule and wish you luck. Dr. Sam writes a plan around your child: age, feeding, temperament, how they fall asleep now, your room setup and your family’s schedule. It is not cry it out and not wait it out. You get bootcamp-style coaching before night one, daily 1:1 check-ins that adjust the plan as your child responds, and naps coached until solid.

The result is guaranteed in writing: We guarantee that your baby will sleep 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days of consistent, correct implementation of your sleep plan. Full refund if not. Parents of children 12 months and older describe their results on these video reviews.

Safety

Your baby sleeps on the back, alone, on a firm, flat, non-inclined surface without soft bedding, as the AAP advises. Talk to your pediatrician about night feeds and any health concerns before changing how your baby sleeps.

If the chair method has stalled for you, or you want a plan that does not depend on one, book a free consultation with Dr. Sam.

Want this fixed for your baby?

Actually Sleeping is 1:1 coaching: a sleep plan written for your baby by Dr. Sam, bootcamp-style coaching before the first night, and daily check-ins until it is working. 700+ families coached, 129 video reviews, and a written guarantee: 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days, or a full refund.

Book your free consultation → See what families say

Frequently asked

How long does the chair method take?

It is one of the slower approaches, and it often stalls at one chair position. With Actually Sleeping the timeline is in writing: 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days of consistent, correct implementation of your sleep plan, or a full refund.

Is the chair method the same as camping out?

Yes. Camping out, gradual withdrawal and the chair method describe the same approach: a parent sits near the crib and moves away over a period of nights until they are out of the room.

Does the chair method work for toddlers?

It can, and it is often used for toddlers, including those in a bed. Toddlers also test limits and climb out, so the details matter. Actually Sleeping works with babies and toddlers from newborn on and writes the plan around your toddler and their bed setup.

Can I touch my baby during the chair method?

Brief touch is part of many versions early on, but touch can easily become the new way your baby falls asleep. How much, and for how long, depends on your baby. That is a detail Dr. Sam sets in your plan and adjusts daily.