Latest news with #FerberMethod
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Barack and Michelle Obama had major parenting disagreement
Michelle Obama and her husband, Barack, hugely disagreed on using a controversial sleep training technique when Sasha and Malia were babies. The former First Lady reflected on their use of the Ferber Method in a conversation with social psychologist Jonathan Haidt on Wednesday's episode of her IMO podcast. The practice, invented by physician Richard Ferber, involves allowing a child to cry for predetermined intervals of time before receiving external comfort, Page Six reported. Haidt was discussing how he 'ferberized' his son when Michelle admitted that she and Barack 'did the same thing' despite initially not seeing eye-to-eye on the approach. 'I didn't want to do it,' Michelle said. 'Barack did it and I don't know that I could have done it because I wasn't sure about it — the notion that you just let the little person that you love cry and cry.' Michelle, 61, said that she 'couldn't even' deal with the thought of letting her kids cry — theorising that it may have had something to do with her oestrogen levels post-partum. 'We set it up where Barack took the night shift. I went to bed, which was helpful because it got me some sleep,' she said. Michelle said she would 'literally' cover her ears so she wouldn't hear her daughters crying at night. 'It took no longer than a week [for the method to work] and it was really after the first two nights, because we started early,' Michelle admitted. They had turned to Ferberization after weaning one of her daughters off of breastfeeding at about four or five months old, she explained. Michelle and the 63-year-old politician, who tied the knot in 1992, welcomed Malia, 26, and Sasha, 24, in 1998 and 2001, respectively.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Michelle Obama admits she and Barack clashed over popular parenting technique
Michelle Obama has revealed that she and her husband, former President Barack Obama, clashed over implementing one parenting technique with their daughters when they were younger. During the latest Wednesday episode of her IMO podcast, which she hosts with older brother Craig Robinson, the former first lady admitted that she and Barack ran into some trouble as they didn't see eye-to-eye on the Ferber Method. The Ferber Method is a technique made popular in 1985 by Dr. Richard Ferber, and it's used to sleep-train babies by teaching them how to self-soothe, per Cleveland Clinic. One of the main ideas of the technique is to only check on your sleeping child in certain, timed intervals, even if they're crying. However, it was something that Barack was in favor for and Michelle against when it came to parenting Malia, now 26, and Sasha, now 24. The topic came about as the sibling pair were interviewing social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt on the latest episode. 'Well, I didn't want to do it. Barack did it. I don't know that I could have done it, because I wasn't sure about it, the notion that you just let the little person that you love the most cry and cry and cry,' Michelle shared. 'Maybe it was something about estrogen and my response to the crying, so we set it up where Barack took the night shift, I went to bed, which was helpful, because it got me some sleep,' she shared. 'I would have to cover my ears so I couldn't literally hear the crying.' However, it turned out that the method worked quite well for their family, as it took no longer than a week for the girls to get used to it. At the time they started to implement the Ferber Method, their daughters were about four or five months old. Haidt shared that he had the same experience with his children as the Obama's did when it came to implementing the Ferber Method. The admission came just weeks after Michelle had previously opened up about her relationship with her two daughters and how they started 'pushing away' from her and her husband when they were teenagers. The couple, who have been together for over 30 years, welcomed their firstborn Malia in 1998, and Sasha in 2001. The mother-of-two explained that she believes her daughters distanced themselves because they wanted to 'distinguish themselves' from their famous parents as they became adults during a recent appearance on the Sibling Revelry podcast hosted by Kate and Olivia Hudson. 'Our daughters are 26 and 23, they are young adult women. But they definitely went through a period in their teen years… it was the "push away."' Michelle noted that she has found that this is something that often happens to celebrity kids. 'They're still doing that, and you guys know this of children with parents who are known,' she continued. 'You're trying to distinguish yourself. It's very important for my kids to feel like they've earned what they are getting in the world.' While striving to make her own path, Malia dropped her last name when she premiered her short film at Sundance in 2024, per OK! Magazine. 'We were like, "They're still going to know it's you, Malia,"' Michelle said of her decision. 'But we respected the fact that she's trying to make her way.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michelle Obama Says She Disagreed With Barack's Parenting Style
Michelle Obama Says She Disagreed With Barack's Parenting Style originally appeared on Parade. Michelle Obama revealed that she was not on board with a specific parenting technique husband Barack Obama used on their daughters, Sasha and Malia, when they were younger. The Ferber Method, created by Dr. Richard Ferber, instructs new parents to let their infants 'cry it out' for a certain amount of time before going to comfort them. 'I didn't want to do it,' the former First Lady told social psychologist Jonathan Haidt on the June 25 episode of her 'IMO' podcast. 'Barack did it and I don't know that I could have done it because I wasn't sure about it — the notion that you just let the little person that you love cry and cry. Maybe it was something about estrogen and my response to the crying.' Michelle continued, 'We set it up where Barack took the night shift. I went to bed, which was helpful because it got me some sleep. I would have to cover my ears so that I couldn't literally hear the crying.' Fortunately, Michelle said that the method 'took no longer than a week' for it to work and it was 'really the first two nights' that were the hardest. She and Barack began using the method shortly after they weaned one of their daughters off of breastfeeding at around 'four or five months old.' 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 'It was very early so she learned quickly,' she added. 'The sooner that you start, sort of, removing the symptom, the quicker you start to implement the action, the more responsive the child is sooner.' Barack and Michelle began dating in 1989, shortly after they met at the Chicago law firm Sidley Austin. He got down on one knee two years later and proposed. The longtime couple officially tied the knot in 1992, and six years later they welcomed their first daughter, Malia. Three years later, Sasha was born. Michelle Obama Says She Disagreed With Barack's Parenting Style first appeared on Parade on Jun 25, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
The Sun
25-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
The real reason your baby is waking up at 4am despite you following the ‘correct' bedtimes – there's sleep science to it
A GENTLE sleep consultant has revealed the reason why your baby might be waking up at 4am, even if you're following what you believe to be the 'correct' bedtime routine. Hannah Hiles took to her TikTok account ' ittakesavillagebabysleep ' to explain the sleep science behind it and how to overcome the problem. 1 Speaking to her followers, she said: 'If you're putting your baby to bed at 7pm and expecting them to sleep until 7am, you might be in for a surprise when they wake up as early as 4 or 5am.' She continued: 'I've helped hundreds of families get sleep with no sleep training. I've never used Ferber method, cry it out or any extinction method, only sleep science." The Ferber method, for those unfamiliar, is a sleep training technique where parents gradually increase the time they wait before comforting a crying baby or child. The aim is to help the baby learn to self-soothe and fall asleep independently by allowing them to cry for short, increasing periods before receiving external comfort. Hannah explained: 'So babies under six months old, their average night-time sleep is nine to 10 hours. 'So if you are putting your baby to bed at 7pm it is very reasonable that they wake up at 4am. 'Now over six months the average night-time sleep is 10 to 11 hours. Same thing if you put your baby to bed at 7pm it's reasonable that they wake up at 5am. 'Or what can happen is they can be super super restless and wakeful throughout the night and then sleep a little bit later in the morning. 'But either way you are either going to get a very busy night or start the day before the birds. What you want to do is push out that bedtime." Hannah explained that one of the reasons parents struggle to do this is because their babies either have too few naps for their age or their naps are too close together and often too short. Molly-Mae swears by £22 Dunelm buy she 'can't go anywhere without' for great sleep & says it's the 'best thing' she owns She said: 'So what you want to do is stretch out your wake windows. 'In the morning it is fine to stretch out your wake window, depending on your little one's age but over six months they should be able to go 2.5 to 3 hours at least and then stretch out the second one. 'And then that third nap of the day you are going to have that as a super short even 15 to 30 minutes depending on your little one's age. 'The closer they are to 6 months, [then] 30 minutes, the further from 6 months they are, [then] around 15. 'And that's going to be your bridge nap. 'Now you can have that as late in the day as like 5pm because if your little one is under 6 months old, like this one is four months old, you want to be having that nap at like 6pm so that they are going to bed at like 9pm. 'Don't try to get rid of naps because what can happen is if you get rid of a nap too early then they go to bed too early and then they can have a false start because they think that's a nap or they can just be super restless." Hannah believes it is better for parents and their babies to have a slightly later bedtime to allow for a more restful night. She said: 'Late bedtimes are temporary, that bedtime will become earlier. 'Now my two sons are nearly 4 and nearly 2 and they both fall asleep around 8, 8.15 and they sleep to around 7, 7.30 the next morning. Bedtime 'You will get nights like that whenever they get a little bit older but I have never had a bedtime any earlier than like 8pm really with either of them." She added: 'So that's reasonable for yours as well. 'Some babies will sleep 7 to 7, some babies will sleep 15 hours a night. Those are the unicorn babies, they are not average, trust me." Hannah's video gained 930.9k views and 2,418 comments after just three days, sparking a mix of reactions from viewers. One wrote: 'Well your science is wrong.' A second added: 'This is the opposite of what my night nanny taught me. We did 7-7 and it was amazing.' And a third said: 'This isn't true at all. The earlier I put mine to bed the later they sleep in the mornings!' But speaking exclusively to Fabulous, Hannah responded to the backlash: 'All the negative comments are from people arguing that what I'm saying is not accurate because their baby sleeps 7-7 or 12 hours a night. 'What I'm saying in the video is that the average is 10-11 hours overnight and if your baby does more they are above the average. 'I talk about how sleep training isn't good for babies and show parents a way to get sleep without sleep training, which I've done for hundreds of families. Science sleeping 'These parents whose babies sleep 7-7 either have above average sleeping babies or they've sleep trained their baby and they're triggered by my science stance on this. 'The positive comments are from families who do experience wakefulness and sleep deprivation at night because they're aiming for the 7-7 night sleep which isn't attainable for most babies. 'They feel validated that someone said it so they can figure out their baby's individual sleep needs. 'I take a very factual scientific stance to sleep and sleep pressure and help parents achieve sleep without sleep training and I guess this makes parents who are sleep trained feel exposed and triggered.' The best sleep routine and environment Thomas Høegh Reisenhus, TEMPUR® sleep specialist & sleep counsellor, reveals the key components of a good bedtime routine and environment... A sure-fire way to facilitate a better night's sleep is to practice good sleep hygiene. Establish a sleep routine that works for you and stick to it. This will help your body establish a consistent, natural sleep-wake cycle which can do wonders for your overall sleep quality. As such, try to avoid making up for lost sleep with a lie-in. Instead of sleeping in, spend your morning reading a book in bed or having a leisurely coffee in the kitchen. Ensure that your bedroom, bedding, and sleepwear are fit for purpose too. The ideal sleep environment is dark, quiet, and cool – much like a cave. If you find unwelcome sources of light are keeping you up, consider investing in an eye mask or black-out curtains. Adding soft furnishings can be a great way to reduce noise, with the surfaces having an absorptive quality, but if this doesn't work, consider embracing a soothing soundtrack to block it out. In terms of temperature, try to keep your bedroom at 18°C. You can further reduce the risk of waking up due to overheating by ensuring that all your bedding and sleepwear is made with natural, breathable materials such as cotton and linen. Bear in mind that everyone is different; what might work for most, may not work for you! Whilst knowing how much sleep you should get, how to overcome common barriers, and practicing good sleep hygiene can facilitate a great night's sleep, if you continue to struggle with sleep or fatigue persistently, do not hesitate to visit a doctor or health professional for support.
