Question

What is the 5-3-3 rule?

Answer 1

The 5-3-3 rule is a sleep training method for babies that is used to manage the baby's nighttime feedings and is often applied around the age of 4 months to 6 months old.

The 5-3-3 rule for babies dictates parents should wait at least 5 hours after bedtime for the first feeding, then wait 3 hours for the next feeding and then wait another 3 hours for the following feeding, which encourages self soothing and night weening.

To use the 5-3-3 rule for babies.

If your baby wakes up before 5 hours have passed since the baby has fallen asleep, you don't feed the baby immediately, and instead you use other soothing methods like checking or Ferberizing.

The goal of the 5-3-3 rule is to reduce frequent night waking's of the baby and encourage the baby to connect the sleep cycles independently.

If your baby wakes up after the 5 hour mark, the baby is not fed and then the next feed of the baby is allowed only after another 3 hours and so on.

The 5-3-3 method for babies is generally for infants over 4 months of age.

And some parents also find that the 5-3-3 rule is helpful for consistency, and other parents, especially parents that breastfeed on demand find it challenging.

The 5-3-3 rule for babies is often also paired with the Ferber method to manage how to respond when the baby wakes within those timeframes.

The Ferber method is also known as graduated extinction and is a popular structured sleep training technique that is designed to teach babies that are often 6 months or older to self soothe by falling asleep independently.

The Ferber method was developed by Dr. Richard Ferber and involves placing a drowsy, but awake baby in their crib and then using increasing intervals of time before you check on them, like 3 minutes, 5 minutes and 10 minutes.

To use the Ferber method, establish a routine and create a consistent, calming bedtime routine for your baby.

And then place your baby in their crib while they are awake and not asleep to encourage self soothing.

And then leave the room and if the baby cries, wait a set amount of time, like 3 minutes on night 1 before you return to check on them.

During the check ins for your baby, offer brief vocal reassurance or light touching, but don't stay long or pick up the baby.

Then leave again and gradually increase the wait time before you return to the baby with each check in like 3 minutes, then  5 minutes and then 10 minutes.

And repeat this process over several nights and increase the initial wait times daily like Day 1, 3, 5 and 10 minutes, the Day 2, for 5, 10 and 12 minutes.

It often results in success in 3 to 7 days as long as you're consistent.