Many parents teach their babies to fall asleep by letting them cry until they fall asleep from exhaustion. In fact, there are pediatricians who recommend this strategy to temper the character of children and teach them to obey adults. The Ferber Method, for example, created by a Harvard University graduate neurologist and pediatrician, claims that letting babies cry for five minutes helps them fall asleep earlier and teaches them to sleep alone. However, letting babies cry to learn to sleep can be counterproductive.
How does crying affect child development?
A study carried out at Johns Hopkins University in conjunction with other universities evaluated the level of cortisol, the stress hormone, in babies and their mothers, who let them cry until they fell asleep. The results showed that during the first and second days of uncontrollable crying, both the babies and their mothers had elevated cortisol levels.
However, on the third day, when the babies stopped crying, the mothers’ cortisol levels decreased as they did not hear their children crying. The funny thing is that even though the babies barely cried, they still had elevated cortisol levels, meaning that although they seemed calm in their cribs, they were actually still feeling very stressed.
Other studies have shown the negative effects of stress on child development. It has been found that when babies get very stressed, cortisol levels skyrocket and affect the activity of neurons. As a consequence, some child neurodevelopmental functions could also be affected.
In fact, research conducted in the field of neuroscience affirms that letting babies cry until tiredness overcomes them can not only cause sleep disturbances but can also affect their ability to relate to those around them and increase the chances of suffering from anxious and depressive symptoms in the future.
We must not forget that the crying of babies is their main source of communication with adults, the way through which they express their feelings and needs. So when parents ignore their children’s crying, they lacerate their confidence and foster a hostile view of the world, as well as a deep sense of helplessness, fear, and insecurity. We must not forget that the first year of life is a critical period for the formation of the child’s confidence and security in the world.
5 risks of letting your baby cry to exhaustion
- You are more likely to get stressed
Research conducted by experts from the University of Notre Dame analyzed the care that some 600 children received during their first months of life, as well as the development of their ability to manage stress. The results showed that children whose parents attended and comforted them every time they cried tended to have better tools to cope with stress, compared to children whose parents let them cry inconsolably. This is because when children cry themselves to exhaustion, their brains release adrenaline and cortisol, the stress hormones, making them feel more irritable and uncomfortable than usual.
- Your brain development is affected
A study carried out at Yale University, in the United States, found that when children are exposed to sustained stress, such as that caused by crying uncontrollably, changes occur in the biochemical structure of the brain, especially in neurotransmitters . High and sustained levels of adrenaline and cortisol can take their toll on the connections between neurons, limiting the development of certain brain regions. In fact, it has been shown that being subjected to sustained stress can cause the death of some neurons.
- You are at higher risk for ADHD
Did you know that letting your baby cry can increase the risk of developing ADHD ? This has been confirmed by a study carried out by researchers at the University of Hertfordshire in which the attention that children received during their first months of life was correlated with their chances of developing ADHD. The researchers found that children who were allowed to cry a lot by their parents during the first months of life had up to a 10 times higher risk of developing ADHD.
- It is more difficult for him to regulate his emotions
Neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania found that children whose parents let them cry themselves out, have trouble regulating their emotions, while being more difficult to calm down. The experts explained that this is because the stress to which these little ones are subjected causes an overstimulation of some brain regions, especially those related to analysis and emotional regulation. In this way, children develop a hyperactive nervous system, which produces a large amount of adrenaline, which leads them to react in an extreme way to environmental stimuli.
- You can become anxious and insecure.
Scientists have shown that genes that control anxiety are usually activated during the first months of life. Therefore, the fact that babies are anxious, stressed and cry uncontrollably can become a trigger for these genes to activate and begin to develop the anxious traits that will accompany them for the rest of their lives. Likewise, letting children cry themselves to exhaustion can make them demanding, dependent, and insecure.
As a culmination, keep in mind that attention and affection do not spoil children, but on the contrary, they contribute to developing a secure attachment, making them feel more protected. Therefore, when your children cry, go to meet them, try to find out what is happening to them and, above all, take them in your arms so that you can comfort them.
3 tips to put your baby to sleep without letting him cry
- Create a safe environment. A safe environment will not only help your baby fall asleep faster but will also help them rest better. To achieve this, you can implement different strategies, such as placing your bed against the wall to make you feel more calm, leaving a dim light on or playing relaxing music in the background.
- Feed him before going to bed. One of the most common reasons why babies do not fall asleep is hunger. Therefore, before putting your baby to bed, you must make sure that he is satiated. Also make sure that he has expelled all the gases since these can be annoying and will prevent him from falling asleep.
- Take him in your arms whenever necessary. There is no place in the world where your baby feels more secure than in your arms. So if you want her to fall asleep soon, take her in your arms and hold her until her eyelids start to close. Then place him in his crib and, if he wakes up, feel free to pamper him again.
