"Ferberize"- The Ferber Method

There is a school of thought called the Ferber method that, in a nutshell, says you can teach your baby to soothe himself to sleep when he's physically and emotionally ready. Per the Ferber method, you put your child to bed awake and leave her (even if she cries) for gradually longer periods of time. Parents are instructed to pat and comfort their baby after each predetermined period of time, but not to pick up or feed their baby. This routine is called "progressive waiting." After a few days to a week of gradually increasing the waiting time, the theory goes, most babies learn to fall asleep on their own, having discovered that crying earns nothing more than a brief check from the parent.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_the-ferber-method-demystified_7755.bc?page=1

So, after bath time, feeding, story and prayer, we decided to give the Ferber method a go. Let me tell you, it was HORRIBLE!! Katy, you cried for a total of 36 minutes (we waited five minutes, checked on you, waited six minutes, checked on you, etc.) at the top of your lungs- wailing and howling. Then, when we had finally had enough, we did pick you up to soothe you but at that point you were so worked up that you were wide awake, clinging to our shirts because you didn't want us to leave. By the end of this ordeal, you were upset, my nerves were shot and Daddy and I ended up eating dinner close to nine PM. The Ferber method earns a Ferber-don't from me!