What Is the Best Sleep Training Method?
Jul 08, 2025
If you’ve been googling “best sleep training method” or “how to sleep train my baby”, you're not alone.
As a certified sleep consultant working with families across the world (especially in Singapore and India), I often get asked:
“Which sleep training method is the best?”
Here’s the truth:
There’s no one-size-fits-all method.
But there is a method that’s right for your baby, your parenting style, and your sleep goals.
💭 First, What Is Sleep Training?
Sleep training is the process of helping your baby or toddler learn to fall asleep on their own and sleep through the night.
It doesn’t mean ignoring your baby or withholding comfort.
It simply means giving your child the tools to self-settle,without needing to be rocked, fed, or held back to sleep every time they wake.
If your baby always falls asleep while being nursed or rocked, they’ll likely need that again when they wake in the night. Sleep training gently breaks this habit,so everyone gets better sleep.
🧸 The 4 Most Common Sleep Training Methods
Here are the four main sleep training methods,from most responsive to least:
1. Pick Up, Put Down Method (PUPD)
Best for: Infants under 4 months
- You pick baby up when they cry, soothe them, and put them back down awake.
- Very gentle and responsive, best used to start creating sleep associations without full self-settling expectations.
- Perfect for babies still developing the ability to self-soothe.
2. Chair Method (Camping Out)
Best for: Babies above 5 months to preschoolers 4–5 years
- You sit near your baby’s crib and gradually move the chair away over nights.
- Works well if your baby is used to sleeping near you (bedsharing or co-sleeping).
- Ideal for toddlers too, because it keeps you present without too much stimulation.
3. Leave & Check (also known as the Ferber Method)
Best for: Babies 5–24 months
- You leave the room and return at pre-set intervals to check on your baby.
- Provides structure and encourages self-soothing with reassurance.
- Not recommended after 2 years of age, as toddlers may find it overstimulating and upsetting when parents keep leaving and returning.
4. Cry It Out (Extinction Method)
Not recommended in my programs
- Baby is placed in the crib and left alone until morning without checks.
- Many parents find it emotionally distressing.
- This approach doesn't align with the responsive, supportive sleep philosophy I follow and teach.
🧠 So Which Method Is the Best?
There isn’t one “best” sleep training method that works for everyone.
The right method depends on:
✔ Your Baby’s Age
- 0–4 months: PUPD is gentle and appropriate
- 5–12 months: Chair Method or Leave & Check
- 12 months to 4–5 years: Chair Method is most effective and calming
✔ Your Baby’s Temperament
- Sensitive, alert babies may need more physical presence (Chair Method)
- Easygoing babies may do well with Leave & Check
✔ Your Parenting Style & Cry Tolerance
- If hearing crying is hard, choose the Chair Method
- If you're okay with brief protest crying, Leave & Check may work faster
🚫 Why I Don’t Recommend Cry It Out
While CIO may work for some families, I don’t use it or teach it.
Why?
Because most parents I work with can’t follow through emotionally. The method becomes inconsistent, and it doesn't support parent-baby connection.
I didn’t use CIO with my own child, and I wouldn’t ask you to either.
🧘♀️ What I Recommend Instead
Inside my infant sleep training program, we use:
- Holistic routines
- Age-appropriate day schedules
- Gentle, responsive sleep training (NOT CIO)
- One-on-one guidance to help you choose the method that’s right for you
Whether your baby is 6 weeks or 16 months, I’ll help you sleep train in a way that protects your bond and gets everyone the rest they need.
💬 Don’t Just Take My Word for It
💡 Want to Start Sleep Training?
Click below to explore my 1:1 infant sleep training program,designed to fit your baby’s age, needs, and your parenting approach.
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