Overview

• Michelle Obama disclosed on Wednesday’s IMO podcast that she and Barack Obama clashed over whether to use the Ferber Method for daughters Malia and Sasha.
• They adopted the doctor-invented cry-it-out technique after weaning their babies at about four to five months, which spaces out parental responses to nighttime crying.
• Barack Obama handled the night shift while Michelle covered her ears to avoid listening to prolonged crying spells.
• Michelle attributed her initial reluctance to her postpartum estrogen levels and discomfort with hearing their children cry.
• The Obamas saw significant improvement within a week, noting that sleep routines normalized after just two nights of training.