Tzeadim › 6–12 months

Sleep · Practice

Sleep training — the options, if you want them

Most children: 6m–12m

What it is

From about 6 months: graduated check-ins, the chair method or bedtime fading. All are considered safe, and all are optional.

Start preparing

1. Graduated check-ins: put the baby down awake, return after growing intervals, comfort briefly without picking up.
2. Chair method: sit beside the cot and move the chair a little further away every few nights.
3. Bedtime fading: start at the time the baby actually falls asleep, then move it 15 minutes earlier every few nights.
4. Night feeds can continue alongside any of them, and stopping after two nights is a fine answer too.

Why it matters

Studies of these methods find better sleep for the baby and the parents, with no sign of harm to attachment.

Related

• Put down drowsy but awake — sometimes
• Night waking is still normal

Sources

• Bedtime routines: dose-dependent association with sleep outcomes (Sleep 38(5), n=10,085) — Mindell et al., Sleep · checked 01-09-2026
• Parent sleep guidance (naps, schedules, drowsy-but-awake) — AAP HealthyChildren · checked 01-09-2026

Last reviewed 16-09-2026 · Confidence: medium

Compiled with AI assistance from the public sources listed above. Not yet reviewed by a clinician — check anything important against the source, with Tipat Halav or with your doctor.