If all else has failed and I know that my kid and I both need sleep, then sometimes a sleep-deprived parent has got to do what a sleep-deprived parent has got to do.
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The researchers also tested two common types of sleep training: graduated extinction and bedtime fading. Australian researchers said infants left alone while fussing in their cribs fell asleep faster and stayed asleep longer.
It’s that latter finding that’s most important, according to Dr. Marcel Deray, a pediatric sleep specialist at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, in Miami. “When you are waiting for your baby to go to sleep, every minute counts”, said Weinraub, who was not involved in the new study.
“But this study shows that 12 months later, the babies are perfectly fine”, Deray said.
The sleep method made little difference between the infants in terms of stress hormone levels.
The babies ranged in age from 6 months to 16 months.
Gradual extinction. This form of controlled crying, often referred to as the cry-it-out method, specifically had parents leave the room within a minute of putting their child to bed and slowly extend the amount of time they waited – two minutes before the initial check-in, then four minutes, then six – before going back in to comfort them.
That’s an official endorsement that letting babies cry themselves to sleep is actually effective… but is it safe?
Parents in that study group were told to delay their baby’s bedtime for a few nights – to 7:15 p.m. instead of 7 p.m., for instance. Parent education didn’t help babies fall asleep any sooner, though. One group, the control, was given no intervention.
At the start of the study, the babies were about 11 months old on average and healthy, but at least one parent said the child had a sleeping problem.
“Many times when they wake up they seek out parents, who console them, which is disruptive to parents”, he said in a phone interview.
Researchers took daily saliva samples from the infants to measure their stress hormone levels, and found the levels were lower with the training routines.
The study found no evidence of any lingering harm, either. One year after the study, babies did not show signs of being more attached to their parents, nor did parents report more behavioral problems compared with those in the control group. They were also similar in their “attachment” to their parents – which was gauged during standard tests at the research center. For bedtime fading, babies added about 25 minutes and with parent education infants gained about 32 minutes.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics has advice on helping your baby sleep. “They have to do what they’re comfortable with”.
