Age of "Ferberizing"?

[Ma(tt)Daddy]

I have a three and a hlaf month old who is WEARING US DOWN because of his horrible sleeping patterns, night wakings and lack of naps. Thos of you who Ferberized: how old was your child when you decided that it was time to let him cry?

I'm desperate to try anything including "ferberizing" but I am afraid he is too young, and my wife says she is not ready yet.




:?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?:

Matt

[Twins+1]

Sometimes you just have to let them cry. it is heartbreaking the first few times. but letting a child screem in your ear for long periods of time will make you crazy :shock: When it comes to cring at bedtime, i am a fan of the 10min rule. First of all make sure there is really nothing wrong(like sick, hurt or something) then you let them cry for 10 minutes and then go in and hold them and calm them down. then put them back in bed. if they start cring again wait 10 min and repete. i never had to go more than 2 maybe 3 times before the baby fell asleep.

by the way- what is "ferberizing"


my home biz- www.alabamapreamberalert.com

[Sonnie Bee]

this was a TOD (topic of discussion) in another thread recently. we used the Ferber method for one child, but refused for the second. sure, it was tough, but my kids (3 & 4 yo) sleep just fine in their own rooms, in their own beds, all through the night, and have for a couple of years now.

before you try letting your child scream for comforting, here's my suggestion:

go to Target... buy a $10-20 dollar Sound Machine, and try some of the settings on it. it's got Rolling Stream, Gentle Rain, Crickets, Heartbeat, Ocean Waves, and the one that worked like a charm for my daughter, your basic White Noise.

i discovered it one night during a fit of night colic while watching television. i stumbled onto a "white noise" channel and suddenly, he went completely calm. as soon as i turned it off, he was back to the fit.

the next day we bought the Sound Machine.

try it, if it doesn't work, return the thing to the store.

i am just in the belief that the Ferber method is more often unintentionally mispracticed by most parents - including me!

hope this was helpful!

[Jackson's Dad]

The general suggestion is that 4-6 months is a good time to start. Old enough so that they can learn, but not so old that they have built up strong sleep habits (needing to fall asleep in a certain way). As always, I recommend you both read Ferber's book, talk about it, and come up with a detailed plan before you try it.

When we started it, I put my experiences up in a bunch of posts: check them here (http://www.dadstayshome.com/dadforum/viewtopic.php?t=470&start=0).. Maybe they'll help out.

We did it at 5 months. I remember that around 3 and 4 months, Jack's sleep was really bad and erratic. What got us through it was finally figuring out a schedule that let us deal with it. For example: I can stay up late and wake up early, but I can't wake up in the middle of the night (I am useless). My wife is the opposite. So I would stay up until 2 am, whether Jack slept or not, and go in and take care of him. Then Cara would take the 2-5am shift (he'd usually sleep from 4 to 6am, no prob), then I'd wake up early if need be (meaning, every day). Once we figured out a schedule that fit our own habits, we were both tired, but much happier.