If you are reading this article, then your baby is probably not sleeping through the night. There is no way to sugar-coat the fact that newborns wake up frequently and rarely go more than 3 hours at a time. Yes, it sucks! But before you try "sleep training" your baby, you should try to figure out what's going on. Is your child waking up to feed or is he waking up for his pacifier? Maybe he needs to be changed or maybe he just wants to say hello. If he has a medical condition, such as acid reflux, then you are probably not going to be getting a restful night's sleep for a while. Also, if your child is not six months yet, then you are also going to have to wait before you decide to organize a sleep intervention. 

There are many different methods to train your baby to sleep. None are 100% guaranteed for all babies. It's all about trial and error. If it doesn't work, then move onto the next method. The "Cry it out" approach is a popular (and slightly controversial) way to getting your child to sleep through the night. You may know this method by another name - i.e., the Ferber Method. Developed by Dr. Richard Ferber, this method advocates a gradual approach to getting your child to learn to sleep on his own. Dr. Ferber has written an entire book on this method. Check it out...it's a good read. In the meantime, here is a quick summary of the Ferber method.

Remember that this method is not appropriate for infants who are less than 6 months old.

The Ferber method is a ‘progressive approach' in which you allow your child to ‘cry for gradually longer periods of time before returning to him briefly.' The first night, after placing your child in bed to fall asleep alone, you should leave the room and allow him to cry for about five minutes. If he is still crying after that time, you can return to his room to reassure him that you are still there. You can speak to him briefly and pat his back a few times, but avoid picking up or rocking your child. After two or three minutes you are to leave the room again (even if he is still crying). If your child continues to cry now for ten minutes, you can again return to his room briefly for reassurance, but be sure to leave after two or three minutes. If she is still crying after fifteen minutes you can return again, and the rest of the night wait for a maximum of fifteen minutes. Your child will probably fall asleep during one of these fifteen minute periods. If your child wakes up again during that first night, you can use the same method of letting him cry for five, ten, and then fifteen minutes. The next night you will start off by waiting for ten minutes and increasing by five minute intervals to a maximum of twenty minutes. Each night, you will increase the ‘First Wait' by five minutes.