🌙 Sleep Lab · Pharmacy-Reviewed
Sleep Training Methods — What the Evidence Says
Ferber, chair method, and cry-it-out — a clear look at the evidence on safety, effectiveness, and when to start.
Ferber, chair method, and cry-it-out — a clear look at the evidence on safety, effectiveness, and when to start.
Sleep training is one of the most divisive topics in parenting. Parents are told by one camp that it damages their child permanently and by another that it is the only solution to chronic sleep deprivation. The evidence sits somewhere more nuanced than either position.
Sleep training is any approach that aims to help a baby develop the ability to fall asleep independently. It is not the same as letting a baby cry indefinitely — that is one specific approach within a wider range of methods.
Graduated extinction (controlled crying): Parents respond with increasing time intervals. Evidence shows it is effective and that short-term cortisol responses do not result in long-term stress markers or attachment difficulties. The most studied approach.
Fading: Gradually reducing parental presence. Takes longer but may suit parents who find controlled crying distressing to implement.
Not appropriate for babies who are unwell, going through a developmental leap or regression, or who have underlying medical conditions affecting sleep. Address medical causes first.
Your health visitor can provide personalised support. In many areas, specialist sleep programmes are available on the NHS — ask what is available in your area.
NHS Baby sleep · NICE CG37 · RCPCH · Reviewed April 2026.