Supernanny Jo Frost has sparked controversy after claiming the Ferber Method of sleep training is not 'healthy' for infants, but sleep experts argue she confused the technique with the more extreme 'Cry It Out' method. The comments, made on the Need to Talk podcast, have drawn backlash from parents and professionals who say the misinformation adds shame to an already difficult situation.
The confusion between Ferber and Cry It Out
In the podcast clip, host Paul C. Brunson began asking about the 'Cry It Out' method when Frost interjected: 'It was called the Ferber Technique.' She then stated: 'The Ferber technique, I don't feel, is healthy for infants. It leaves them in a situation where there is no sporadic comfort. No sort of intervening from the parent.' However, sleep experts point out that the Ferber Method involves parents responding to their baby's cries at increasing intervals, typically two minutes, then four, then six, up to a maximum of around ten minutes. This is distinct from the 'Cry It Out' or 'extinction' method, where parents do not intervene at all.
Frost went on to recommend her own 'controlled crying' method, which involves offering comfort in short intervals—essentially the same concept she had just criticised. The clip has gained 25,000 likes on Instagram, with commenters calling 'ferberizing your baby is cruel' and 'sleep training is abuse'.
Expert response: 'It can add shame and fear'
Maryanne Taylor, a certified sleep consultant and founder of The Sleep Works, told Metro that parents rarely turn to sleep training lightly. 'More often, they have reached a point of complete exhaustion after weeks or months of severely disrupted sleep,' she said. 'Many are already questioning themselves and worrying that they are getting something wrong. When someone with a large public platform uses emotive language without accurately explaining a technique, it can add shame and fear to an already difficult situation.'
Lauren Eells, founder of Sound Asleep Guru and qualified in paediatric sleep and cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, agreed. 'I think my real issue with what she did there is that nobody held her to account,' she told Metro. 'Nobody said “actually Jo I think you’re talking about the extinction method there and we’re talking about the Ferber Method”. What you end up doing is creating a really messy space for mums who are already vulnerable and who are looking for clarity.'
Parents defend Ferber
Many parents have shared their positive experiences with the Ferber Method. One mother commented: 'I had to sleep train this way for my sanity. Before you judge, know that no parent looks forward to sleep training their baby, in my case I needed it to function and be present for my baby during the day.' The author of the article, Rachel Moss, described how her son went from waking every 45 minutes to sleeping through the night within a week of using the Ferber Method, after nine months of severe sleep deprivation that left her unable to remember how to drive.
Suicide remains the leading cause of maternal death between six weeks and 12 months after birth, highlighting the high stakes of sleep deprivation for new parents. As Lauren Eells concluded: 'I think all these people casting judgement – which Jo did there, she cast judgement – serve to make vulnerable mothers feel worse.'
