“Crying it out” may damage baby’s brain
July 30, 2007 — telco | Posted in MS, Positive Discipline.I found this article waaaay too important to provide everyone with just a link. You can find more information published in other resources at the end of the article. The original article is published in National Post (Canada).
Dr. Stephen Juan, National Post, Monday, October 30, 2006
CAN LEAVING MY BABY TO “CRY IT OUT” CAUSE BRAIN DAMAGE?
Research suggests that allowing a baby to “cry it out” can cause brain damage. Some experts warn that allowing a baby to “cry it out” causes extreme distress to the baby. And such extreme distress in a newborn has been found to block the full development of certain areas of the brain and causes the brain to produce extra amounts of cortisol, which can be harmful.
According to a University of Pittsburgh study by Dr. M. DeBellis and seven colleagues, published in Biological Psychiatry in 2004, children who suffer early trauma generally develop smaller brains.
A Harvard University study by Dr. M. Teicher and five colleagues, also published in Biological Psychiatry, claims that the brain areas affected by severe distress are the limbic system, the left hemisphere, and the corpus callosum. Additional areas that may be involved are the hippocampus and the orbitofrontal cortex.
The Science of Parenting by Dr. Margot Sunderland (Dorling Kindersley, 2006) points out some of the brain damaging effects that can occur if parents fail to properly nurture a baby — and that means not allowing them to “cry it out.” Dr. Sunderland, the director of education and training at the Centre for Child Mental Health in London, draws upon work in neuroscience to come to her conclusions and recommendations about parenting practice.
In the first parenting book to link parent behavior with infant brain development, Dr. Sunderland describes how the infant brain is still being “sculpted” after birth. Parents have a major role in this brain “sculpting” process.
Dr. Sunderland argues that it is crucial that parents meet the reasonable emotional needs of the infant. This is helped along by providing a continuously emotionally nurturant environment for the infant.
Allowing a baby to “cry it out” when they are upset will probably be regarded as child abuse by future generations.
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I was able find more information about this study: check out Science shows up Supernanny , by Amelia Hill, (The Observer, Sunday November 7, 2004), that further indicates that “there is a new theory that uses brain scans to argue that controlled crying not only damages babies’ brains but produces angry, anxious adults”. This article provides further suggestions on how to manage children’s crying. For other suggestions, check our Book Review Section.
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August 3, 2009 at 11:47 am
My question is the frequency of allowing a child to “cry it out.” Everything can be good and bad depending on how often and how much. I am medical student, so I am surprised that this doctor did not explain this. As for future child abuse, child abuse has guidelines, and the first would be the question of how often and how long a child is allowed to “cry it out.” Allowing a baby to cry it out does not necessarily mean that a parent is not attending to his/her needs. While experts do not recommend allowing a child to “cry it out,” they do recommend allowing the child to cry for small intervals to give the parent a mental break to avoid mental breakdown! However, that is only after the parent has attended to all of the child’s emotional needs to soothe them. I personally only had to give myself a mental break 4 times in total with my 3 children, and five or ten minutes really met a difference! When she began to settle down, I would go gently rub her back and sing a lullaby, or put a lullaby cd on. In those 4 times, I attended to my child before, during, and after those very rare crying episodes. I checked for gas, constipation, fever, injury, and everything else.
Also, what about children with colic? Where are the studies to show and prove that those children will have brain damage? Those babies cry all the time for no known reasons. That does not mean that their emotional needs are not met. Daily and regular soothing, talking to, gently bathing, massaging, and holding are all emotional aspects. I have been criticized by everyone for doing too much of this with all of my children (been called neurotic), and studies also show that this can be very positive but can cause some dependency issues, which did not happen with any of my children.
All I am saying is that people should be careful before they go asserting that things are “child abuse” without defining the degree. In the future generations, the parents’ of today will be viewed as child abusers for not attending to their teenagers’ emotional needs since their brain is still being “sculpted.” Exhausted single parents are already being blamed for the rise in teenage drug abuse and pregnancy because they did not attend to their child’s emotional needs so the kids went elsewhere. We, in the medical field, continue to learn new brain and environment relationships. Soon, divorce will also be a form of child abuse since everyone knows that the child really suffers.
August 3, 2009 at 12:12 pm
What I mean by “crying it out” is not the same as the post about wanting to get some sleep and the baby does not go to sleep. I’m rather equanimous, even without sleep. I would, and have stayed up all night or as long as it took for the baby to settle down to sleep. I am referring to seemingly unconsolable crying when I say “cry it out.” I don’t literally mean that the baby should be left to stop on his/her own acccord. I am talking about a five or ten minute break for the parent to get it together after doing everything possible to sooth the baby. Then the parent should return to the baby and resume comforting the baby. That’s why I asked what “crying it out” met. That could mean a lot of things.
August 3, 2009 at 12:21 pm
After reading the sleep deprivation article and the reference to crying it out, I did a search on Dr. Sunderland to find out what is defined as “crying it out.” Apparently, that is “…controlled crying (sleep training).” (http://www.naturallynurturing.co.uk/MargotSunderland.htm)
January 27, 2010 at 3:21 pm
I have a daughter who would not sleep through the night for many months. I read the “no Cry sleep solution”. It also agrees that babies should not “cry it out”. It teaches simple principles for helping your child to got to sleep. I used this method. I responded to everyone of my little girl’s cries (except when I was at wits end). I helped her learn to sleep. Now at age 15 months, I read her a story, wrap her in a blanket (she actually sits on the blanket as soon as I put it on the floor,waiting for me to wrap her up), feed her milk, sing her a song and within 15 min. of wrapping her up I put her in her crib. The amazing thing is that she is awake when I put her down. Eyes wide open. I leave and she goes to sleep. NO CRYING during this entire time. She sleeps for 10-12 hours and wakes up happy to see us! She does the same thing for her 2 hour nap. So to the sleepless mother- get the book no cry sleep solution. Follow it! It might take some time but I would do it again and again to be able to go to sleep every night relaxed and listening to my angel’s resting, deep breathe!!