The practice commonly used by mothers of leaving their
baby to cry could put infants at risk for brain damage, according to
claims from a child care expert.
Dr. Penelope Leach, author of the 1977 book “Your Baby And
Child: From Birth to Age Five,” said Thursday that leaving a baby to cry
without tending to them causes an increase of cortisol, known as the
‘stress hormone.’ Leach said too much production of cortisol could
damage a baby’s brain, the Daily Mail reported.
“That doesn't mean that a baby should never cry, or that
parents should worry when she does. All babies cry, some more than
others. It's not the crying that is bad for babies - but crying that
gets no response,” Leach said.
Leach’s comments were published Thursday in The Independent,
and conflict with a research study by Australia's Murdoch Children's
Research Institute published last month. The study concluded that
allowing infants to cry had no negative effects on the child’s emotional
or behavioral development.
Leach claims that the popular belief of allowing a baby to cry
for up to 20 minutes alone helps them develop a sleep pattern, is not
safe. She said babies do not have the ability to ‘learn’ when to go to
sleep.
“It is not an opinion, but a fact that it's potentially
damaging to leave babies to cry. Now we know that, why risk it?” she
said.
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