No, 'Cry It Out' Method Is Not The Harmful Choice For Baby's Sleep Says Study

Contrary to most previous studies, cry it out method of putting babies to sleep is found to be not harmful at all. In fact, the method was identified to be a better alternative as it even provided several benefits, including longer sleep for babies at night.

According to Today, Australian researchers lead by associate professor, Michael Gradisar, from Flinders University in Adelaide suggested parents let their babies cry it out until they fall asleep. The researchers tested through three groups, bedtime fading and cry it out, otherwise known as "graduated extinction," and also included another group which consisted of whose babies' parents are supplemented with information in making the kids sleep.

While both methods were found out to be effective, it was discovered that cry it out method is the more efficient option. Only a little amount of stress hormone, cortisol, was found in babies' saliva the morning after the cry it out method. It was also noted that babies under the said method were able to sleep faster and longer by 20 minutes, compared to other babies who underwent "bedtime fading."

Meanwhile, the controlled group consisted of parent and baby sets with sleep information had the least amount of sleep during the night. Babies in the group were also seen to doze off longer than the other two groups.

The debate between cry it out and gentler sleeping methods is a long-standing issue regarding the most efficient way to make a baby sleep. As other studies suggest, cry it out method is not healthy for babies as they are still very young to understand things around them. Naturally, babies are born to be taken care of, and that includes letting them sleep without stressing them too much.

Per Psychology Today, cry it out method kills babies' brain cells whenever cortisol is released, considering that a baby's brain is only 25 percent fully grown and developed compared to adults. Meanwhile, others suggest that there is an appropriate age for cry it out and there are proper guidelines in reinforcing it, instead of just leaving the baby all alone to sleep.

Are you a believer of the cry it out method or not? Let us know your thoughts on this by commenting below!