Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Whether to pick up a crying infant or let him cry until he falls asleep is an age-old dilemma.
Almost half of all babies over six months of age have sleeping problems, their mothers report.
That also means sleepless nights for the parents, as well as raising the risk of depression among mothers.
A study in the journal “Pediatrics” supports the method of letting babies cry themselves to sleep, saying it trains them to soothe themselves.
Parents in the study were trained in different techniques of separating themselves from crying babies at varying intervals over three weeks.
Both children and mothers had improved sleep, and mothers had improved mental health.
The study’s authors say no long-term harm is done by such sleep-training methods, and benefits lasted until the babies turned 2 years old.
