Check and console is a sleep technique where you put your baby into the cot awake, leave the room, and go back for short, calm checks at set intervals that get gradually longer. It goes by several names: controlled comforting, controlled crying, graduated extinction and, especially in the US, the Ferber method. The RACGP's controlled crying FAQ recommends it for healthy babies aged 6 months and over, gives example check intervals of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 minutes, and says it takes around five to seven nights to work.
It is one of several options. For a side-by-side comparison, see our sleep training overview.
What are the Ferber method, controlled comforting and controlled crying?
They are names for the same approach.
- Controlled comforting is the term most Australian health services use. The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne (RCH) names it as one of two evidence-based settling techniques, alongside camping out.
- Controlled crying is the older name. The RACGP says controlled crying is "also known as 'controlled comforting' or 'graduated extinction'".
- Graduated extinction is the term used in research, such as the 2016 Australian trial by Gradisar and colleagues.
- The Ferber method (or "Ferberizing") is the name commonly used in the US. It refers to Richard Ferber, who wrote about night waking and night crying in infants and toddlers in the 1980s (Ferber, 1987).
Check and console is not the same as cry it out. The RACGP explains that in extinction, the parent "never goes back into the bedroom" after settling their baby, while in controlled crying you keep returning to reassure them.
What age can you start controlled comforting?
The RACGP recommends techniques like controlled crying for babies aged 6 months and over. It says babies under 3 months are not expected to settle themselves, and that between 3 and 6 months you shouldn't leave them to cry for more than a couple of minutes. The RCH adds that there is no evidence behavioural sleep interventions help babies under 6 months.
Before you start, the RACGP says your baby must be well. It suggests starting when you have a few clear nights without major commitments. The Victorian Government's factsheet recommends talking to your maternal and child health nurse before you try controlled comforting. That conversation is a good time to check whether your baby still needs night feeds (see night weaning) and, if your baby was born early, whether to go by corrected age.
How do you do check and console, step by step?
These steps follow the RACGP's description.
- Do your usual calm bedtime routine, then put your baby on their back in the cot.
- Talk to or pat your baby until they are quiet, or for about one minute. Say goodnight and leave the room.
- Give your baby a chance to settle. Ignore grizzling.
- If your baby starts to cry, wait for your first set interval, for example 2 minutes, before going back in.
- Reassure them for no more than about a minute, or until they are quiet but not asleep. Try to soothe them without picking them up.
- Leave again while they are calm but still awake, and wait for the next, longer interval.
- Keep going in and out at your planned intervals until your baby falls asleep.
- If your baby wakes overnight, follow the same routine.
Example check intervals
| Example | Wait before each check |
|---|---|
| RACGP example 1 | 2, then 4, 6, 8 and 10 minutes |
| RACGP example 2 | 5, then 10 and 15 minutes |
These are examples, not targets. Pick a sequence you can repeat calmly every time. Many families write the intervals down, because time can feel very long when your baby is crying.
What should you do when you go in for a check?
The RACGP describes a check as brief reassurance: a calm phrase such as "goodnight, it's sleep time" and a pat, for no more than about a minute. The aim is to let your baby know you are nearby, not to settle them to sleep yourself.
Keep checks low-key. Lights low, voice quiet, the same few words each time. If your baby has stood up, you can lie them back down on their back. Leave while they're calm but awake so they get the chance to fall asleep on their own.
If checks seem to wind your baby up rather than calm them, that is useful information. The RACGP notes that some babies respond better to camping out, where you stay in the room.
How long does controlled comforting take to work?
The RACGP says it takes around five to seven nights. The first few nights are often the hardest, and babies "may cry/protest for up to two hours before falling asleep". After that, the time taken to fall asleep tends to reduce quite quickly.
The RACGP also says controlled crying works for about 80% of babies, and that the other 20% may respond better to other techniques such as camping out. Judge progress across the week rather than night by night, as a hard night in the middle is common.
When should you stop or change approach?
You can stop at any time. The RACGP says it is okay to pick your baby up if they are crying, give a brief feed or cuddle, and resettle them, or even cuddle them to sleep and try again the next night.
Stop, pause or get advice if:
- your baby is unwell; the RCH says it's fine to pause during illness and start again when they are better
- you see no improvement after five to seven nights, which the RACGP says is the point to seek professional advice
- your baby's crying sounds different, they seem to be in pain, or you're worried about them
- it feels wrong for you, or you can't manage the crying; gradual retreat and responsive settling are gentler alternatives
Is controlled crying harmful for babies?
Australian randomised trials have looked at this closely.
- In the Gradisar trial, 43 babies aged 6 to 16 months were randomised to graduated extinction, bedtime fading or sleep education. Graduated extinction shortened the time to fall asleep and reduced night wakings. Infant cortisol (a stress marker) fell modestly, and at 12 months there were no differences in emotional or behavioural problems or attachment.
- The Price five-year follow-up included 225 families who had one to three nurse consultations about controlled comforting or camping out when their babies were 8 to 10 months old. At age 6 there were no differences in emotional or conduct problems, stress, the parent–child relationship or maternal mental health.
These trials were in healthy babies over 6 months. They don't tell us about newborns, and they don't show that controlled comforting is better than gentler approaches.
How do you keep check and console safe?
Safe sleep comes first, every night. The AAP's safe sleep guidance says to put your baby on their back for every sleep until 1 year, on a firm, flat surface in their own cot, with no pillows, bumpers, soft toys or weighted products, in a smoke-free home, and to share a room for at least 6 months.
If the crying is getting to you, put your baby in the cot, step out, and take a few minutes to calm down. Never shake a baby. For support, contact a parenting support service (Tresillian or Karitane in Australia, your health visitor in the UK, your pediatrician's office in the US).
Book a GP or child-health nurse visit soon if your baby snores or seems to pause their breathing in sleep, which the RCH says needs a doctor's review. The AAP sleep apnoea guide says to call an ambulance if breathing stops for more than 20 seconds or your baby turns pale, blue or grey, so call your local emergency number (000 in Australia, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US). See your GP or child-health nurse too if feeding, weight or your own coping is a worry.
What is worth noting while you try it?
Write down bedtime, how long settling took, how many checks you made and each night waking. Comparing the week before you started with the week after shows the trend more clearly than any single night, and it's useful to bring if you see your child-health nurse.
