It can be difficult to resist rushing in to pick up a bawling baby in the middle of the night but scientists said that this behavioural sleep technique does them no harm.
Many parents rush to their baby’s side after the first wail but new research revealed that it is better for the baby to refrain from picking them up immediately.
The scientists said that allowing your baby to settle in their crib can ensure a better night’s sleep for both parent and child.
Behavioural sleep techniques, such as leaving a baby cry for a certain amount of time before picking them up, do not have negative implications for the child.
In fact, enforcing these techniques can even limit the risk of the mother suffering from post-natal depression.
Behavioural sleep techniques do not impact children later in life says research
Many parents believe that controlled crying settles their baby into a routine.
New parents enforcing the method might wait five minutes before soothing the baby before leaving again.
They would then leave the baby for 10 minutes before approaching them and then stretch the intervals to 20 minutes and longer.
According to the Irish Independent, scientists in the University of Melbourne said: “Parents and health professionals can confidently use these techniques to reduce the short- to medium-term burden of infant sleep problems and maternal depression.”
The scientists carried out the research because it was previously believed that behavioural sleep techniques could impact a child’s emotional development and mental health but this was found to be untrue.
