In the parenting world how to get a baby to sleep is one of the more hotly debated and arguably important topics. Now one of the leading voices in child care has waded into the debate by suggesting that allowing babies to cry themselves to sleep may hurt their brain development, the BBC reports.
United Kingdom-based author Penelope Leach, a widely respected researcher who has spent more than three decades studying and writing about parenting and child care, says prolonged crying of 30 minutes or more can be stressful and dangerous, according to the BBC.
"We are talking about the release of stress chemicals. The best known of them is cortisol, which is produced under extreme stress," Leach, who discusses the idea in her new book The Essential First Year (coming May 3), told the BBC "When that happens, and particularly if it happens over a long period, the brain chemical system releases cortisol and that is very bad for brain development.”
But is Leach even talking about the most well-known “cry-it-out” idea in the United States, the Ferber method? In the story, Leach refers to babies who are allowed to cry for 30 minutes, 45 minutes and an hour.
Nothing I have read suggests The Ferber method supports such an unresponsive style and prolonged crying.
“In a nutshell, Ferber says you can teach your baby to soothe himself to sleep when he's physically and emotionally ready, usually sometime between 4 and 6 months of age. He recommends following a warm, loving bedtime routine and then putting your baby in bed awake and leaving him (even if he cries) for gradually longer periods of time. Putting a child to bed awake, says Ferber, is crucial to successfully teaching him to go to sleep on his own.” – The Ferber method demystified, BabyCenter, 8/06.
Parents also should respond to crying at times, “but not to pick up or feed their baby.”
This seems like a far cry from what Penelope Leach is describing, and I am not saying Leach is necessarily referring to The Ferber method. (I think BBC writers put “crying-it-out” in the headline to garner interest and readers). But, I would not be surprised to see her thoughts used as fodder.
As a journalist and a parent I have heard from both sides in this debate and I am not suggesting either one is right. In the end, parents hopefully will make informed decisions based on what works for their child and family.