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

What is the Ferber method, and does it work?

The Ferber method, also called graduated extinction or timed checks, means putting your baby down awake, leaving the room, and returning for brief checks at gradually longer intervals until they fall asleep. It has randomized-trial support in babies 6 to 16 months. It is not cry it out, because you keep checking, but it does involve crying, and it does not suit every baby.

What it is

Graduated extinction is a set script. After the bedtime routine your baby goes into the crib awake and you leave. If your baby cries, you return briefly at set intervals that lengthen over the night and over the week, offering a calm word but not picking up or feeding to sleep. The same script applies at night wakings, apart from planned feeds.

Does it work? What the research says

A review of 52 studies for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found support for graduated extinction; its strongest support was for unmodified extinction and preventive parent education. In a 2016 randomized trial of 43 babies aged 6 to 16 months, graduated extinction produced large reductions in the time to fall asleep and in the number of night wakings compared with a control group. Infant cortisol showed small-to-moderate declines compared with controls, and 12 months later the groups did not differ in emotional or behavioral problems or in attachment.

So the method can work. The question for a parent is whether it is the right fit for this baby, in this family, right now.

Who it tends to fail for, and why

Babies who escalate at every check. For some babies, a parent appearing and leaving again is more upsetting than no visit at all. The script keeps sending you in.
Parents who know they will pick up after a long cry. Holding out for 40 minutes and then rocking to sleep teaches a baby to cry for 40 minutes.
Babies whose schedule is working against them. An overtired or under-tired baby protests any method. The intervals do not fix the timing.
Babies with unclear night-feed needs. The script cannot tell a hungry waking from a habit waking. Your pediatrician has to decide which feeds stay.
Families who apply it at bedtime only, and feed or rock back to sleep later in the night.
Young babies, or any baby who is ill. The trial evidence is in babies 6 months and older.

The method is a general script. It does not know your baby’s temperament, feeds, bedtime or room, and those matter as much as the intervals.

How Actually Sleeping is different

Actually Sleeping does not hand you an interval chart. Dr. Sam writes a plan for your baby from a detailed intake: age, feeding, temperament, how your baby falls asleep now and your family’s schedule. It is not cry it out and not wait it out. You get bootcamp-style coaching before night one, so you already know how to make the decisions that usually derail timed checks. Daily 1:1 check-ins adjust the plan as your baby responds, and naps are 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. Many families come to us after a check-based method stalled; their stories are on our reviews from families who had already tried other sleep training.

Safety, whatever approach you use

Your baby sleeps on the back, alone, on a firm, flat, non-inclined surface without soft bedding, as the AAP advises. Always go in for illness, vomiting, or anything that sounds different from protest. Ask your pediatrician about night feeds before changing anything.

If you would rather not run a script and hope it fits, book a free consultation and Dr. Sam will walk you through what a plan for your baby would look like.

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

What age can you start the Ferber method?

The trial evidence for graduated extinction comes from babies 6 to 16 months. Many younger babies still need night feeds, so ask your pediatrician first. Actually Sleeping works with babies and toddlers, starting with newborn foundations, with a plan matched to your baby’s age.

Is the Ferber method the same as cry it out?

No. In the Ferber method you return for brief, timed checks. In cry it out, or unmodified extinction, you do not return until morning apart from planned feeds and safety needs.

How long does the Ferber method take?

It varies with the baby, the schedule and how consistently it is applied, and naps usually take longer than nights. A script cannot promise a timeline for your baby, because it does not know your baby’s feeds, schedule or temperament.

What if the checks make my baby cry harder?

That happens with some babies, and it is a sign the script does not fit them. Switching methods night to night makes it worse. A plan written for your baby, adjusted daily, is how Actually Sleeping handles a baby who escalates with checks.