Article: Dangers of ?Crying It Out?

Sofka · December 2011

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201112/dangers-crying-it-out

the thought of someone letting a newborn CIO just breaks my heart

amh_navyblue · December 2011

I totally agree re: newborn and CIO. I also generally agree with a lot of the points made in the article, but I have to say I take issue with:

"What does extensive baby crying signal? It shows the lack of experience, knowledge and/or support of the baby's caregivers."

Wow, judge much? DD#1 was a very challenging newborn and I spent many nights just holding her and trying to soothe her in a million ways while she cried for what seemed like hours. Yes, I was a new mother, but I DID educate myself...I DID breastfeed on demand...and I DID hold her and respond to her as much as possible..and I DID have a very supportive husband, so this comment struck a chord with me.

Then I kept reading and got to this part:

"ADDENDUM: I was raised in a middle-class family with a depressed mother, harsh father and overall emotionally unsupportive environment--not unlike others raised in the USA. I have only recently realized from extensive reading about the effects of early parenting on body and brain development that I show the signs of undercare--poor memory (cortisol released during distress harms hippocampus development), irritable bowel and other poor vagal tone issues, and high social anxiety. The USA has epidemics of poor physical and mental health (e.g., UNICEF, 2007; USDHSS, 1999; WHO/WONCA, 2008). The connection between the lack of ancestral parenting practices and poor health outcomes has been documented for touch, responsiveness, breastfeeding, and more (Narvaez et al., in press). If we want a strong country and people, we've got to pay attention to what children need for optimal development."

The author makes some great points at the end of this paragraph, but it also sounds like this person has some baggage that is biasing his writing and interpretation of the science.

RomeRomance06 · December 2011

This is a wildly exaggerated article with references to studies that are done on severely neglected children. The fact that she's suggesting that that research relates to people who do cry-it-out techniques by doing Ferber or letting them fuss for a few minutes (although she doesn't really specify) at bedtime is absurd. In reference to amh's post - I work with psychologists and, I can tell you, a lot of them bring their background into their own work. A lot of them study/work in field related to their own background. Not all, of course. One of my best friends is an expert on schizophrenia and there is no history of that illness in her life, but I'm so not surprised that this woman offers this information as an addendum.

bh2720 · December 2011

ditto to the pps. some babies are colicky and cry a lot even when parents are doing everything they can to soothe them. and some times you do have to put the baby down and walk away for a few minutes. doing this is NOT going to turn your child into a psychopath.

over-the-top articles like this do nothing but perpetuate mommy guilt. I give this a big eye roll.

amh_navyblue · December 2011

RomeRomance06:
amh's post - I work with psychologists and, I can tell you, a lot of them bring their background into their own work. A lot of them study/work in field related to their own background. Not all, of course. One of my best friends is an expert on schizophrenia and there is no history of that illness in her life, but I'm so not surprised that this woman offers this information as an addendum.

That makes total sense and I think it's appropriate to be transparent about that influence, but I thought it was interesting that she made the comment that her background was like the environment for a lot of people in the US. Maybe my childhood was an anomaly or maybe I'm under some delusions that I didn't grow up in this kind of environment (all possible;), but I think that's a big statement to make.

emack · December 2011

As a child psychologist, this article made me so mad. Psychology Today is not considered a reputable source, they didn't cite relevant research for some of their biggest claims, and there was no context! Age matters hugely, for one. Of COURSE that is true for young infants. However, it is a bad idea to never let your older baby or toddler cry or work things out for themselves. You teach them that you have no confidence in their ability to self-soothe! Also, like other pp's said, it equated neglectful parenting with sleep training, which is crazy. Sleep training is a parent's way of helping their child with one of the most important tasks they will learn for their health and development - sefl-soothing and sleep! You don't have to use cry it out for sleep training, but for many babies, it is the best way to go. Also, statements like "the toxic hormone, cortisol" are very misleading and go to show that the author is not very well informed. It's toxic when you have extended release over long periods of time but it's an important hormone that we all need to function!

I have been so angry about the propaganda in this article since a relative posted it on Facebook because I think it gives false information to parents who mean well and want to raise healthy, happy children. Vent over.

Useonfire · December 2011

emack:
As a child psychologist, this article made me so mad. Psychology Today is not considered a reputable source, they didn't cite relevant research for some of their biggest claims, and there was no context! Age matters hugely, for one. Of COURSE that is true for young infants. However, it is a bad idea to never let your older baby or toddler cry or work things out for themselves. You teach them that you have no confidence in their ability to self-soothe! Also, like other pp's said, it equated neglectful parenting with sleep training, which is crazy. Sleep training is a parent's way of helping their child with one of the most important tasks they will learn for their health and development - sefl-soothing and sleep! You don't have to use cry it out for sleep training, but for many babies, it is the best way to go. Also, statements like "the toxic hormone, cortisol" are very misleading and go to show that the author is not very well informed. It's toxic when you have extended release over long periods of time but it's an important hormone that we all need to function!
I have been so angry about the propaganda in this article since a relative posted it on Facebook because I think it gives false information to parents who mean well and want to raise healthy, happy children. Vent over.

I agree 100%.

Remember, there's always a balance. NEVER letting your child cry it out prevents an opportunity for growth, particularly in terms of self-soothing. ALWAYS letting them cry it out is neglectful. Like most things in parenting, it's important to find the middle ground.

Sofka · December 2011

great responses everyone. FWIW, we did Ferber with both kids but this article struck a cord b/c I have a friend who "taught" her baby (a couple of months old) to not want to be held and it just broke my heart.

RomeRomance06 · December 2011

Someone posted this on the 6-9 mo. board in response to this same article. https://skepticalmothering.com/2011/12/13/the-dangers-of-being-insulting-and-misleading/

It pretty much sums up all the issues and some of the pp's issues with the piece.

emack · December 2011

RomeRomance06:
Someone posted this on the 6-9 mo. board in response to this same article. https://skepticalmothering.com/2011/12/13/the-dangers-of-being-insulting-and-misleading/
It pretty much sums up all the issues and some of the pp's issues with the piece.

This is fantastic. Thanks for pointing me to this!

Blue Pansy · December 2011

Sleep training is a parent's way of helping their child with one of the most important tasks they will learn for their health and development - sefl-soothing and sleep! You don't have to use cry it out for sleep training, but for many babies, it is the best way to go.

I'm curious, what are the benefits of sleep training in general and CIO (for many babies, not all, I realize) specifically?

When I was younger, I thought sleep training made a lot of sense, but I've changed my mind as I learned more about infant development. But, obviously, I don't have mine yet and I don't know everything, so I'm open to new information.

(Not that I agree with the article itself, which seems extreme to me to say the least)

****AWS**** · December 2011

RomeRomance06:
This is a wildly exaggerated article with references to studies that are done on severely neglected children. The fact that she's suggesting that that research relates to people who do cry-it-out techniques by doing Ferber or letting them fuss for a few minutes (although she doesn't really specify) at bedtime is absurd. In reference to amh's post - I work with psychologists and, I can tell you, a lot of them bring their background into their own work. A lot of them study/work in field related to their own background. Not all, of course. One of my best friends is an expert on schizophrenia and there is no history of that illness in her life, but I'm so not surprised that this woman offers this information as an addendum.

This.

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