What Are the Harms of Letting Your Baby Cry Himself to Sleep?

Sometimes, old wives' tales lack the wisdom that parents need to raise healthy, well-adjusted children. One particularly harmful myth is the idea that infants younger than 6 months old should cry themselves to sleep so that they aren't spoiled. Infant-care experts tell us now that it isn't possible to spoil an infant, and that responding to your baby's cries teaches him that he is safe and that his needs will be met.

  1. Causes Baby to Lose Trust

    • While many babies can learn to self-soothe with no damage done, many lose trust in others. They come to believe that their needs will not be taken care of. This makes them more fragile and less likely to be good sleepers in the future. Trust issues also interfere with their developing personalities.

    Ignores Night-Waking Issues

    • Babies have very few ways of communicating with those around them. Crying is the main way they have of letting adults know that something is wrong and that they need something. If you let your baby cry herself to sleep, you may be missing out on important messages your baby is trying to tell you. She may be hungry, thirsty or wet. She may be sick. She may have gotten tangled up in her blankets or gotten a limb stuck between the mattress and the crib. She may need your help.

    Desensitizes Parents to Baby's Cries

    • When a newborn cries, the baby's parents have a physiological reaction. Their blood pressure elevates, their heart rate quickens and they have a small burst of adrenalin. These biological reactions are part of how babies survive. Because parents are sensitive to the cries of their baby, they are quick to respond to the baby's needs. If you let your newborn cry himself to sleep, there is a risk that you will become desensitized to his cries and no longer have the necessary biological reactions that help you give the best care to your child.

    Changes the Nervous System

    • According to research done at Harvard University, letting babies cry themselves to sleep causes permanent changes to their nervous systems in negative ways. The study indicates that babies who cry themselves to sleep have an increased incidence of post-traumatic stress disorders and panic disorders as an adult. It makes them more sensitive to trauma and less able to deal with stress.

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