Q&A: Is it okay to try the Ferber Method at three months?

Q My three month old has been sleeping through the night for about 4 weeks. However, the only place she will sleep is in her car seat. I would like make the transition to her crib, but when I attempt this when she is either drowsy or asleep, she wakes up after a few minutes and begins to cry. Is it ok to try the Ferber method at this age? Any other suggestions? Thank you

A Yes, you can let them cry when you are trying to teach them new sleep habits at this age. She has just gotten used to sleeping in the car seat, and this is her crutch. You can go in after 5 or 10 minutes and then extend the times before you check on her. I find that most babies will sleep through in less than a week, and often less.

Christine Wood, MD

Click here to Ask Dr. Christine Wood questions about your baby's health

Dr. Christine Wood is a practicing pediatrician in Southern California. She attended the University of Detroit for her undergraduate degree in chemistry and received her medical degree from the University of Michigan. She completed her pediatric residency at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. She was Chief Resident there and then worked in the emergency room at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. After three years doing pediatric emergency room medicine she went into private practice. She received her lactation educator certification from the University of California, San Diego.

She is the author of "How to Get Kids to Eat Great and Love It," a book that addresses the issues of why and how to feed kids healthy. The book also covers information about environmental threats and the role of nutritional supplementation for children. She lives in Southern California with her husband and son.

Christine is also the cofounder of Call Your Ped.com a website designed to give concerned parents with non-emergency medical questions, solid, no-nonsense information that can give them information in deciding when to call the doctor and some home treatment advice. You can visit her website at http://www.callyourped.com

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Justine

02/06/2011 2:00 am

Three months is too young to let them cry themselves to sleep! they still need night feeds untill 6 months. three months is growth spurt time as is 4 months. your baby needs more at this time so may wake more in the night. give your baby what they need!

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