Is it ok to let baby cry it out?

In short, no it is not. Leaving your baby to cry it out can prevent your baby from experiencing trust and attachment.

The “cry it out” method can undermine both by sending a message that when your baby cries, they will go unanswered. Leading to feelings of insecurity and mistrust.

Allowing your baby to cry themselves to sleep may create negative associations with sleep and bedtime routines.

Instead of associating bedtime with feelings of comfort and security, they may associate it with feelings of distress and abandonment.

This can have an impact on emotional development.

Prolonged periods of crying without comfort or response can have long-lasting effects on emotional development.

It could lead to difficulties in regulating emotions, increased risk of anxiety or attachment disorders, and challenges in forming healthy relationships later in life.

If you don’t believe me, read a book called The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog” written by Dr. Bruce D. Perry and journalist Maia Szalavitz.

It explores the experiences of Dr. Perry, a child psychiatrist, working with children who have experienced trauma and abuse.

I read it while in university, studying for my Social Work degree. And ever since then, even before I had my own children, I was against letting babies cry themselves to sleep.

In the book, through a series of case studies and personal anecdotes, Dr. Perry writes about the profound impact of early childhood experiences on brain development, emotional regulation, and behavior.

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