Ferberization is a technique invented by Dr. Richard Ferber to solve infant sleep problems. Dr Richard Ferber is the director of The Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at Children's Hospital Boston. Insomnia is a symptom of a sleeping disorder characterized by persistent difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep despite the opportunity
Primarily, it involves progressively training children to put themselves to sleep autonomously (in other words, fall asleep on their own). While some regard it as a cold, callous approach, most experts regard it as simply one of many possible approaches in dealing with children who have difficulty falling asleep alone. Some people do not feel that getting a baby to sleep alone is a worthwhile objective, and instead advocate the "family bed" or co-sleeping approach. Co-sleeping, also called the family bed, is a practice in which babies and young Children Sleep with one or both parents.
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"Cry It Out"
The "Cry It Out" (CIO) approach can be traced back to a baby sleep-training book written by Dr. Emmett Holt in 1894. CIO is any sleep-training method which allows a baby to cry for a specified period of time before the parent will offer comfort. "Ferberization" is one such approach. Though it has come to be synonymous with CIO, Ferber does not advocate simply leaving a baby to cry. Other parenting book writers, however, view any version of CIO as unnatural, unnecessary and potentially damaging to a baby. [1]. However, there is no existing scientific evidence that proves leaving your baby to cry for a few minutes will damage them.
Ferberization summarized
Dr. Richard Ferber discusses and outlines a wide range of practices to teach an infant to sleep. The term Ferberization is now popularly used to refer to the following techniques:
- Take steps to prepare the baby to sleep. This includes night-time rituals and day-time activities.
- At bedtime, leave the child in bed and leave the room.
- Return at progressively increasing intervals to comfort the baby (without picking him up). For example, on the first night, some scenarios call for returning first after three minutes, then after five minutes, and thereafter each ten minutes, until the baby is asleep.
- Each subsequent night, return at intervals longer than the night before. For example, the second night may call for returning first after five minutes, then after ten minutes, and thereafter each twelve minutes, until the baby is asleep.
The technique is targeted at infants as young as 4 months of age, but preferably at least 6 months. A few babies are capable of sleeping through the night at 3 months, with training, and most are capable of sleeping through the night at 18 months. Before 8 months of age, the baby may still need to feed during the night and it is probable that the baby will require a night feeding before three months.
Ferber made some modifications in the 2006 Edition of his book "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems". He is now more open to sleep-sharing and feels different approaches work for different families/children.
References in pop culture
- In the Judging Amy episode Adoption Day ( airdate 16 Jan 01; season 2 episode 10), Gilian and Amy discuss ferberizing baby Ned. Judging Amy is an American television Drama that aired from September 19, 1999 until May 3, 2005
- The Ferber method was humorously highlighted in the comedy movie Meet the Fockers where Robert De Niro's character tries to instill the Ferber method in his grandson. Meet the Fockers ( 2004) is a Comedy film and a Sequel to Meet the Parents starring Robert De Niro, Ben Robert Mario De Niro Jr (born August 17 1943 is a two-time Academy Award -winning American Film Actor, director and producer Dustin Hoffman's character spoofs this when he says he "Fockerized" Gaylord (Ben Stiller's character). Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8 1937 His brother Ronald is a lawyer and economist Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller (born November 30 1965 is an Emmy Award -winning American Comedian, actor Film producer and director
- In an episode entitled "The Conversation", Mad About You's Paul and Jamie Buchman attempt the Ferber method. Mad About You is an American Sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999 The episode was shot in one continuous take and shows the couple debating the psychological and moral implications of Ferberization.
- In the Psych episode Rob-a-Bye Baby (airdate 7 Sep 2007; season 2 episode 23), Gus questions a prospective nanny of her opinion on ferberizing babies. Psych is an American Comedy-drama Television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. Burton "Gus" Guster is a character on the USA Network television dramedy Psych played by American actor Dulé Hill. The nanny misunderstands the question and replies, "Oh my God, never. That's disgusting. "
Notes
- ^ Sears, William M. D. et al. , The Baby Sleep Book, Little, Brown and Company, 2005
External links
- The Ferber Method Helps Some Children Sleep Longer research results
- Q&A With Dr. Ferber
- Slate Article arguing against the Ferber Method
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