Give Baby a Chance

How the method works

The parent puts the child in bed when showing signs of sleepiness and leaves the room for a short while. If the child is calm and seems able to settle, they are left. If the child becomes upset or doesn't settle, the attempt is stopped without letting the child cry, and the parent tries again at the next sleep opportunity. The method aims to discover whether the child already has the ability to fall asleep without active help.

What the research says

The method lacks specific research in the form of controlled studies. It can be seen as an informal first step before more structured sleep training is considered. The concept is based on observing the child's own abilities rather than active behaviour change.

Potential benefits

• No crying – the attempt is stopped if the child becomes upset
• Gives the parent information about the child's ability to fall asleep independently
• Can be used as a first, low-intensity step
• Requires no strict plan or schedule

Challenges

• –Rarely produces results on its own if the child doesn't already have some ability to self-settle
• –May need to be combined with other methods for lasting change
• –Unclear guidelines for how long to wait