Life

How Long Till The Pick Up, Put Down Method Works?

by Autumn Jones

Teaching your baby the best way to fall — and stay — asleep takes just the right mix of dedication, patience, and faith. But even after you've mixed those ingredients together, the process can feel likes it's stretching into eternity. As wonderful as it would be to have the baby sleep thing locked down in a weekend, that's not reality for most. Which is why groggy-eyed parents everywhere are asking how long does the Pick Up, Put Down method take to work? Because you need to know there is a light at the end of the sleep training tunnel.

Due to the nature of the Pick Up, Put Down method, there's no strict timeline on how many nights it will take for your little one to find her groove. According to the website Baby Sleep Advise, Tracy Hogg, better known as The Baby Whisperer, created the Pick Up, Put Down method as way to teach babies to sleep in their crib alone, but also feel comforted in the process. Since this approach puts soothing baby at the forefront, each child is going to respond differently, which means the amount of time it takes is going to vary from baby to baby.

In order to have success with Pick Up, Put Down, you'll need to stick to the guidelines for the method. Healthline explained the steps of Pick Up, Put Down like this: after putting your baby to sleep in her crib, stay close by and listen for fussing and crying. If your little doesn't settle herself in a few minutes or becomes extremely worked up, go ahead and pick her up. Once she is calm but still awake, place her back in the crib. Repeat the process of picking up and putting down until your baby is completely asleep.

This method will jive better with some babies more than others. One way to get a rough idea of how long this method might take for your bambino is to consider her temperament and personality. As Baby Sleep Site noted, "some babies find being picked up and put down so often overstimulating, and they gradually become worked up, instead of relaxed." In these instances, the Pick Up, Put Down method may take longer than it would for a child who finds the on-again/off-again soothing to be relaxing.

Even though there's no magic formula to how long it will take before you see results from the Pick Up, Put Down method, if the approach is a good match for your family, you will eventually see results.