Vindicated again! The Gay Uncle read this morning that the new issue of Child Development is reporting the findings of a rigorous scientific study that found that babies who are allowed to cry it out at night slept much better than babies who are rushed to at the first sign of tears. He’s been advocating this method for twenty years (and lays out and justifies a kind, straightforward, and extremely actionable plan for implementing just such a system in his book) and is glad to see that some real research is helping to make the point. Still, if you’re one of those moms or dads who runs toward their baby as if it’s on fire every time it lets out a whimper, he’s not saying you’re a bad person. He’s just saying you’re a bad parent.
2 Replies to “Sleep it Off”
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As a parent who did it both ways, with two different children, I can tell you this is absolutely correct. I was definitley a helicopter parent with my older child, atr least when she was a baby. I certainly learned my lesson. I’m totally different with my younger child, and I’ve seen great results.
The study’s definition of “slept much better” is what exactly? “Slept contentedly”? “Slept out of exhaustion or despair”? We don’t know because you didn’t link to the study.