How does no-cry sleep training work?
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Written by the Watch My Baby team. Each method's duration and steps come from its own author's book or website, and so do the age limits, except the 4-month floor for cry it out, which is ours because its author favors starting earlier. This page has not been reviewed by a physician; it is for information only and its sources are listed at the end.
No-cry sleep training is the approach in Elizabeth Pantley's book The No-Cry Sleep Solution. You never leave your baby to cry alone; you keep a sleep log and reduce the habits that put your baby to sleep (nursing, bottle, pacifier, rocking) in small steps. The book's plan is for 4 months to 2 years and moves in 10-day steps. There is the least crying, but results take weeks.
- Age
- 4 months–2 years
- Duration
- 21+ days
- Crying
- Very little
- Parent
- Beside the baby
Step by step
- Keep a sleep log first. Before you start, note for a few days when your baby sleeps, how often they wake and what puts them back to sleep. You build your plan on this log.
- A calm routine and an early bedtime. Do a predictable, calm bedtime routine in the same order every night, and put your baby down when sleepy, before they get overtired.
- Use the gentle removal plan. If your baby falls asleep at the breast, on a bottle or with a pacifier, gently take it out when the sucking slows. If they protest, give it back and try again a few seconds later. Over time your baby learns to fall asleep without something in their mouth (Pantley 2002).
- Comfort in the crib. Rest a hand on them, sing or talk softly. Over time these small comforts take the place of your arms.
- Cut your help step by step. Reduce the help that gets your baby to sleep in small steps: from holding to touch, from touch to voice, from voice to simply being there.
- Review the log every 10 days. Follow the plan for 10 days, then fill in the log again and compare. See the progress, adjust the plan if needed and move on to the next 10 days.
Pros
- The least crying; your baby is never left alone.
- If listening to crying is very hard for you, it may be the easiest method to keep going with.
- Gives a direct plan for babies who fall asleep nursing or with a pacifier.
Cons
- Results take weeks.
- Change comes in small steps, so progress is hard to see; it takes logging and consistency.
- No controlled study has tested this method directly.
What does the research say?
We found no controlled study that tests this method directly; its source is the method author's book (Pantley 2002).
Another gentle technique that doesn't ignore crying, bedtime fading (putting the baby down when they are naturally sleepy and moving bedtime earlier step by step), clearly shortened the time it took babies to fall asleep (Gradisar 2016). No-cry training is different, but this shows that gentler approaches that don't rely on ignoring crying can help too.
Frequently asked questions
Will my baby not cry at all?
Babies can cry in response to any change. With this method your baby is never left alone while crying; your being there helps them settle.
How long does no-cry sleep training take?
Pantley builds the plan in 10-day steps: at the end of each 10 days you compare the logs and adjust the plan if needed. Progress is slow but steady and usually takes several weeks.
Does staying with my baby stop them sleeping independently?
No. By reducing your help a little each night you make room for them to fall asleep on their own. The change is gradual and built on trust.
Can it be used with babies under 4 months?
Pantley's book has a separate section for newborns: at that age the aim is not training but good habits such as a regular routine, telling day from night and trying to put down awake. The main plan is for 4 months and older.
Other methods
- Chair method (14–21 days)
- Cry it out (3–4 nights)
- Ferber method (3–7 days)
- Pick up, put down (At least 3 days)
Follow the program night by night.
The sleep coach suggests a method and a backup for your baby in seven questions. Every night of the program you choose, with its wait times and a timer, is in the app.
Sources
- Pantley E. (2002). The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night. (Method's author)
- Gradisar M. et al. (2016). Behavioral interventions for infant sleep problems: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics, 137(6). (Research)