--- title: "The Chair Method: Gentle Sleep Training, Step by Step | Dalo Baby" description: "The chair fade night by night, what a randomised trial of 91 infants found comparing it with graduated extinction, and how to stop the fade stalling." canonical: https://dalofamilyapps.com/learn/sleep/chair-method --- [Home](/)/[Knowledge Hub](/learn)/[Sleep](/learn/sleep) # The chair method: gentle sleep training, step by step [Dalo Baby Editorial](/learn/editorial-policy)Published September 4, 2026Last reviewed September 4, 20265 min read The chair method, known in research as camping out, means sitting beside the cot while your baby falls asleep and moving the chair further away every few nights. A trial of 91 infants found it improved sleep as well as graduated extinction did, and worked better for babies with high separation anxiety. ![The chair method: gentle sleep training, step by step](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F87uht7oc%2Fproduction%2F343a6209694428529f2e909c632df5cd061760d9-1376x768.jpg%3Frect%3D176%2C0%2C1024%2C768%26w%3D800%26h%3D600%26fit%3Dcrop%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75) ## Key takeaways - The chair method is camping out in the literature — defined by parental presence being maintained rather than withdrawn. - A trial of 91 infants aged 9–18 months found both camping-out and graduated extinction improved sleep and held it at six months. - Separation anxiety did not change under either method, but it moderated which worked better: high-anxiety infants benefited more from camping-out. - Move the chair on schedule even when it feels early — a stalled fade turns the method into co-sleeping in a chair. - Expect two weeks and up, against roughly one for graduated extinction. The slowness is the trade, not a fault. In this article 1. [What it is](#what-it-is) 2. [What the evidence shows](#what-the-evidence-shows) 3. [The chair positions](#the-chair-positions) 4. [The two ways it goes wrong](#the-two-ways-it-goes-wrong) 5. [Who it suits](#who-it-suits) 6. [When to switch](#when-to-switch) The chair method is usually sold as the gentle alternative — the one you pick when you cannot do Ferber. That framing undersells it. In the one trial that put the two head to head, the chair method was not the consolation prize: for a particular kind of baby it was the better treatment, and the trial can tell you which kind. ## What it is You sit in a chair beside the cot while your baby falls asleep, offering as little help as they need rather than as much as they want. Every few nights the chair moves further away, until it is outside the door and then gone altogether. Your baby learns to fall asleep on their own, but never alone in the room while they are learning. Look for it under "camping out" The chair method barely appears in the literature under that name. Researchers call it camping out, and it is defined by the thing that makes it different: parental presence is maintained throughout, rather than gradually withdrawn as in graduated extinction. If you want evidence rather than opinion, that is the term to search. ## What the evidence shows A randomised trial took 91 infants aged 9 to 18 months with diagnosed paediatric insomnia and assigned them either to checking-in — graduated extinction, where the parent gradually separates — or to camping-out, where parental presence is maintained. Sleep was measured with actigraphy as well as parent reports, and infant separation anxiety was observed in a laboratory rather than estimated by parents.[\[1\]](#ref-kahn) 91 infants randomised to camping-out or graduated extinction; both improved sleep and held it at six-month follow-up (Kahn et al., 2020)[\[1\]](#ref-kahn) Both interventions improved sleep, and both held at six-month follow-up. Two further findings matter more than the headline. Separation anxiety did not change as a result of either treatment — neither method made anxious babies more anxious. But separation anxiety **moderated** which treatment worked better: infants with high separation anxiety benefited more from camping-out than from graduated extinction.[\[1\]](#ref-kahn) The authors' recommendation is unusually direct for a sleep paper: clinicians should assess infant separation anxiety and favour gentler approaches such as camping-out for highly anxious infants.[\[1\]](#ref-kahn) That is the strongest available reason to choose this method, and it has nothing to do with how much crying you can tolerate. ## The chair positions Three nights per position is the common pattern, but the schedule is a scaffold rather than a prescription — the trials did not test a specific number of nights per chair position. Move when your baby is settling reliably from where you are, not when the calendar says so. Nights Where the chair goes What you do from there 1–3 Beside the cot, within touching distance Shush, a hand on the chest, voice. Minimum help that works. 4–6 Arm's length away, no longer touching Voice only. Resist reaching in — that is the step being learned. 7–9 Halfway to the door Occasional quiet reassurance, mostly just present. 10–12 At the door, still visible Present and boring. Say less each night. 13–15 Outside the door, within earshot Check in only if distress escalates rather than grumbles. A typical fade, roughly two weeks ### How a night runs Your job is to be present and profoundly uninteresting. The most common mistake is helping so much that you become the thing your baby needs in order to sleep. 1. 1 Full routine, then down awake Genuinely awake. If your baby falls asleep on you and wakes in the cot, they have practised nothing. 2. 2 Sit down and stay put Take the position for tonight and hold it. Moving the chair mid-night restarts the fade. 3. 3 Give the minimum help that works Escalate only as far as you must: quiet voice first, then shushing, then a hand. Come back down as soon as you can. 4. 4 Do not make eye contact or chat Presence is the reassurance. Interaction is a reason to stay awake. 5. 5 Stay until asleep, then leave For the first week or so, leave after your baby is asleep rather than before. 6. 6 Use the same position for night wakings Whatever the chair is doing at bedtime, it does at 2am too. Consistency within the night is what the method runs on. ## The two ways it goes wrong - You become the sleep association. If your baby can only settle with you in the chair, the fade has stalled — move the chair on schedule even when it feels early, or the method quietly becomes co-sleeping in a chair. - You give up because it is slow. Two weeks of sitting in a dark room is genuinely hard, and the middle nights feel like nothing is happening. That is the shape of the method, not a failure of it. - Inconsistency between adults. One parent fading and one parent picking up produces no learning at all — the baby is receiving two different sets of rules on alternate nights. - Starting during illness, teething or a house move, which is the same mistake with every method. Slower is the trade, not a bug Expect two weeks and up, against roughly one for graduated extinction. You are paying in nights for a method with less crying in it. If two weeks of sitting in the dark is not sustainable for your household, that is worth knowing before night three rather than after night nine. ## Who it suits - Babies with high separation anxiety, which is where the trial evidence specifically points. - Parents for whom leaving the room is the part that is not survivable — a legitimate constraint, and this method is not a lesser option for it. - Households where a slow, predictable change is easier to hold than a fast, intense one. - Babies who escalate rather than settle when a parent leaves and returns, as in [the Ferber method](/learn/sleep/ferber-method). - Anyone who has tried an interval method and abandoned it partway — an abandoned method teaches nothing, so a slower one you will finish is better. ![](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fnap-plan-icon.webp&w=256&q=75&dpl=dpl_HDQuuA58EiAncPne4fumhEvNhdFC) Dalo Sleep See the fade actually moving Dalo Sleep logs settling time and night wakings against where the chair was, so you can tell whether position four is genuinely working or whether you have been parked there for a week. [Dalo Sleep](/apps/dalo-sleep) ## When to switch If nothing has improved after two weeks of consistent fading, the problem is usually the day rather than the night — check [wake window stacking](/learn/sleep/wake-window-stacking) and the timing of the last nap before changing method. If bedtime is the only battle and night wakings are fine, [bedtime fading](/learn/sleep/bedtime-fading) targets that more directly and takes less out of you. And if you want to see how all of these compare on evidence rather than on tone, [the methods compared](/learn/sleep/sleep-training-methods-compared) sets them side by side.[\[3\]](#ref-mind) Whichever way you go, the reassurance from the wider literature applies here too: a five-year follow-up of behavioural sleep intervention found no differences from controls on any outcome, including attachment and child-parent closeness.[\[5\]](#ref-price) The choice between these methods is a choice about your household, not a wager on your child's development.[\[6\]](#ref-sl1) In this article 1. [What it is](#what-it-is) 2. [What the evidence shows](#what-the-evidence-shows) 3. [The chair positions](#the-chair-positions) 4. [The two ways it goes wrong](#the-two-ways-it-goes-wrong) 5. [Who it suits](#who-it-suits) 6. [When to switch](#when-to-switch) ## References & disclaimer We link every source we used. Where guidance differs by country, we cite the authority that applies where you are. 1. 1. [Behavioral interventions for pediatric insomnia: one treatment may not fit all](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31676910/) Sleep (Sleep Research Society) · 2020 · Study 2. 2. [Behavioral Interventions for Infant Sleep Problems: A Randomized Controlled Trial](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27221288/) Pediatrics (AAP) · 2016 · Study 3. 3. [Behavioral treatment of bedtime problems and night wakings in infants and young children](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17068979/) Sleep (American Academy of Sleep Medicine) · 2006 · Review 4. 4. [Practice parameters for behavioral treatment of bedtime problems and night wakings in infants and young children](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17068980/) Sleep (American Academy of Sleep Medicine) · 2006 · Guideline 5. 5. [Five-year follow-up of harms and benefits of behavioral infant sleep intervention: randomized trial](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22966034/) Pediatrics (AAP) · 2012 · Study 6. 6. [Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: A Consensus Statement](https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/full/10.5664/jcsm.5866) Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (AASM) · 2016 · Guideline 7. 7. [Baby sleep patterns](https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/baby-safety/being-a-parent-or-caregiver/baby-sleep-patterns/) The Lullaby Trust · Organisation * * * Before you act on this Sleep training is a choice, not a requirement. This guide describes how a method works and what the evidence does and does not show. No method suits every family, and choosing not to use one is an equally valid decision. If your baby's sleep is worrying you, speak to your health visitor or paediatrician. ## Questions, answered How long does the chair method take? Usually two weeks or more, against roughly one week for an interval method. The common pattern is three nights per chair position across five positions, but move when your baby is settling reliably from where you are rather than when the calendar says so. Is the chair method as effective as Ferber? In the one head-to-head trial, both improved sleep and both held at six-month follow-up. Which worked better depended on the baby: infants with high separation anxiety benefited more from the chair method, which is a reason to choose it on fit rather than on tolerance for crying. What if my baby only falls asleep with me in the chair? That is the fade stalling, and it is the method's main failure mode. Move the chair to the next position on schedule even if it feels early, and cut back the help you give from wherever you are sitting — voice before shushing, shushing before a hand. Can I use the chair method for night wakings too? Yes, and you should — whatever position the chair is in at bedtime is the position it takes at 2am. Consistency within a night is what the method runs on, so changing approach halfway through the night gives your baby two different rule sets to learn at once. ![Dalo Sleep](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fnap-plan-icon.webp&w=128&q=75&dpl=dpl_HDQuuA58EiAncPne4fumhEvNhdFC) Get it on your phone Dalo Sleep [Dalo Sleep](/apps/dalo-sleep) Part of [Baby sleep schedules and wake windows: 0–24 months](/learn/sleep/baby-sleep-schedules-and-wake-windows) ## Keep reading [ ![](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F87uht7oc%2Fproduction%2Fb1ca8afb24ddd4867a003f21634e57f3713cfc54-1376x768.jpg%3Frect%3D7%2C0%2C1363%2C768%26w%3D440%26h%3D248%26fit%3Dcrop%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75) ### The Ferber method: intervals, timeline and what the evidence shows In the research it is called graduated extinction, and that is where the evidence lives. The interval schedule, what happens night by night, and what trials found about stress and attachment. ](/learn/sleep/ferber-method)[ ![](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F87uht7oc%2Fproduction%2F82e02aecc9d0a96177cbb0aadf2f2b74de87d4dd-1376x768.jpg%3Frect%3D7%2C0%2C1363%2C768%26w%3D440%26h%3D248%26fit%3Dcrop%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75) ### Bedtime fading: fixing a bedtime that is too early An hour of bedtime protest usually means bedtime is too early, not that your baby resists sleep. Measure the real sleep-onset time, start there, and walk it back — the supported method with almost no crying in it. ](/learn/sleep/bedtime-fading)[ ![](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F87uht7oc%2Fproduction%2F4040cb604782bc0058db4d4e95796f4d22ff5adc-1376x768.jpg%3Frect%3D7%2C0%2C1363%2C768%26w%3D440%26h%3D248%26fit%3Dcrop%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75) ### Sleep training methods compared, without the judgment Parents choose between branded methods; researchers test behavioural categories. Mapping one to the other — plus what the trials actually found on harm, and a decision rule that is about your baby. ](/learn/sleep/sleep-training-methods-compared)[ ![](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F87uht7oc%2Fproduction%2F578eb7b0a50d77606876dc160b56e3e46e07dd4a-1376x768.jpg%3Frect%3D7%2C0%2C1363%2C768%26w%3D440%26h%3D248%26fit%3Dcrop%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75) ### Wake window stacking: why the last one should be longest Wake windows across a day are not equal. Sleep pressure builds with time awake, so the stretch before bed decides how the night goes — and it should be the longest of the day. ](/learn/sleep/wake-window-stacking) ## Try the free tools - [Baby wake window calculator](/tools/wake-window-calculator) ## Development milestones - [9-12 months](/learn/milestones/9-12-months) - [12-18 months](/learn/milestones/12-18-months) [← All sleep guides](/learn/sleep) [Read as Markdown](/api/markdown?path=%2Flearn%2Fsleep%2Fchair-method)