Parenthood is beautiful. You love your baby. They make life worth living. They add so much joy to your life. But they may also take the joy known as sleeping from your life.
Babies are notorious for causing their parents to lay awake at night, trying to respond to their tantrums, at times, unsuccessfully. This can greatly impair the parents’ quality of life, especially if they have other children and jobs as well.
So, for parents who have crying babies, trying the Ferber method can be an option. However, you also first must ascertain if the baby is legitimately crying from distress, in which case, you should consult a Pediatrician in Karachi.
What is the Ferber method?
Most people confuse Ferber method with cry is out method, which is not entirely accurate. The cry it out method has been more popular previously, and the core message was let the baby cry.
Parents were led to assume that if they consoled the child, that would have spoiled them. So, parents would literally let their children cry themselves to sleep, which is can cause distress in the child and is not recommended.
The Ferber method is different. It basically involves putting the child to the bed or crib when they are drowsy. Then, you let the child be, and consoling them at various intervals. So, the child knows that their parent has not abandoned them.
How to practice Ferber method?
For to practice Ferber method, you should put your baby to their bed just before they are falling asleep. Don’t put them to bed when they have already slept, as then waking up in their crib with be disconcerting for them; naturally, imagine yourself sleeping somewhere and waking up elsewhere.
After putting a drowsy baby to bed, leave them be. If they start to cry, wait for a few minutes. For the first time, try to cap the waiting time at 3 minutes. And then subsequently checking up after every few minutes. When the baby has completely dozed off, you can increase the intervals. Note these times.
The next day, follow the same routine, but increase the time interval for when you go to the baby. Continue this way, by increasing the time so that the baby learns to comfort themselves, and since you always turn to the baby, they know that they are not being abandoned.
Another important tip that you need to remember is that you must comfort the baby in the correct way. You should not pick them up or turn on the light etc. That could make your child more active, instead of lulling them to sleep. Similarly, this also makes them less self-sufficient; the child needs to be able to console themselves instead of expecting intervention from your end.
Instead, try to comfort them by talking or singing to them to reassure them. Or soothingly touch them so they feel your presence.
You can try to Ferberize your baby when they are around 6 months. You may take this practice till the age of 2 years, however, this technique will not last for long, since it is harder to train older children this way.
What are the advantages of Faber Method?
Faber method is better than letting the child cry to sleep. It also helps in enforcing discipline, as parents stick to a sleep routine. It allows children to experience quality sleep, alongside learning self-reliance.
Moreover, Faber method is also helpful for the parents; they also need precious sleep time.
What are the disadvantages of Faber Method?
There is a chance that this method will not work for your child. During the phase that they are teething, it might not work for them. Similarly, when they are not feeling well, and have been to the Best Child Specialist in Lahore already, this method might also not suit them since they need all the comfort they can get during this time.
