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#7 in popularitySince 2004Gradual fading; parent present

The Sleep Lady Shuffle

Kim West, LCSW-C, The Sleep Lady's Good Night, Sleep Tight

Sit by the crib, then move your chair a little farther away every three nights.

Visit sleeplady.com
Starts
6 mo
Results in
2–3 weeks
Crying
Parent present
Evidence
Moderate

Overview

Social worker Kim West, known as the Sleep Lady, developed the Shuffle as a middle path between crying-based methods and no-cry approaches. After a bedtime routine, you put your baby down drowsy but awake and sit in a chair beside the crib, offering touch and soothing words. You can pick them up to calm them, but not to sleep.

Every three nights the chair moves farther away: to the middle of the room, then the door, then the hallway, until you're out of sight. Night wakings get the same response. It usually takes two weeks or more, and some babies find a parent in the room more upsetting than a parent who leaves.

How it works

  1. Bedtime routine; put down drowsy but awake.
  2. Sit in a chair by the crib offering intermittent touch and voice (pick up to calm, not to sleep).
  3. Every 3 nights move the chair farther away (middle of room → door → hallway).
  4. Fade out of sight.
  5. Same approach for night wakings.

Pros

  • Less crying than check-in methods
  • Parent always responds
  • Works for co-sleeping and breastfeeding families

Cons

  • Takes ~2 weeks or more
  • Presence upsets some babies more
  • Easy to stall at one position

Evidence

Moderate. Similar 'camping out' approach is RCT-supported; the Shuffle itself isn't trialed.

Details

Popularity
#7 of 39 · High (estimated)
Since
2004 (22 years)
When to start
6 months to 6 years
Day structure
Cue-based routine
Format
Book, e-course, certified coaches
Good fit for
Parents who want to stay in the room and respond every time, including breastfeeding and co-sleeping families.

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