Former First Lady Michelle Obama recently shared on her IMO podcast that she and her husband, former President Barack Obama, had differing views on using the Ferber method to sleep-train their daughters, Malia and Sasha. The Ferber method, developed by Dr. Richard Ferber, involves letting babies cry for set periods to teach them to self-soothe.
Michelle admitted she was initially reluctant to try the technique, saying, “I didn’t want to do it. 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.” She attributed her emotional struggle partly to postpartum hormone changes and explained that they arranged for Barack to take the night shift while she rested.
To give the method a fair chance, Michelle said she had to cover her ears during the crying spells. Fortunately, the approach worked quickly, taking no longer than a week, with the toughest nights being the first two. They started the technique early, shortly after weaning one of their daughters at around four or five months old, which Michelle believes helped the children respond faster.
Michelle also reflected humorously on her family, revealing she’s glad she didn’t have any sons, joking that a “baby Barack” would have been “amazing” but that she “would’ve felt for him.”
Her candid discussion sheds light on the challenges and compromises involved in parenting, even for high-profile couples.
