It seems that the debate about children's sleep is eternal, or at least it seems to me, because I have been in my midst the eight years that my oldest son has, and I still find mothers, fathers and professionals defending that of "let him cry to learn to sleep alone "that it hurts so much in my soul (or so much it will hurt in the soul the victims of inattention, which are babies).
A few weeks ago the debate started again in some Facebook group where I am (I don't remember where) and a mother explained that she had seen in several places, and that her pediatrician had told her about it, an article in which He said it was not so clear that letting babies cry was negative because there were studies that corroborated it. I asked for the source, to tell you about it, and here I am with it. The mentioned and controversial study says that let babies cry so they fall asleep and don't wake up at night, what many know as the Estivill method, or worse, what many know as "you will stop crying", does not affect them negatively.
Study Data
The study, which was published in Pediatrics In 2012, it was conducted by studying 173 seven-month-old babies that were divided into groups. Children in the intervention group were performed behavioral methods (nice way to say that they were allowed to cry alone at times) that were explained to parents in one to three visits between 8 and 10 months of age, in order to get it done correctly and clarify doubts about it . To the children of the control group they were given the usual attention.
At 6 years of age, several tests and tests were carried out in order to obtain conclusions in this regard. The researchers assessed what each child's mental health was, how they slept, how were the social relationships with other children and adults, how they regulated stress, how was the relationship with the parents, what was the mental health of the mother and what was the parenting style.
The results said nothing special. In everything evaluated they saw that there were no differences between the families where the intervention was performed and the families where the care was as usual, the usual ones. Based on that, the researchers concluded that behavioral sleep techniques It has no negative effects in the medium term, but no positive effects. Consequently, they stated that both parents and professionals can let their babies cry at night with confidence to reduce sleep problems in the short and medium term and to prevent maternal depression.
The study that gives strength to all who have no qualms about letting their babies cry
And that is what the study says, that there is no difference in letting them cry and not letting them cry. So some mothers go to the pediatrician, they say that the child wakes up often, being probably normal (because we already know that it is normal for babies to wake up at night to eat, among other things) and instead of receiving a " is that babies are like that, the dream is evolutionary, eventually they will sleep better ", they receive a" well let him cry, he will already fall asleep ". Because if the mother says "oops, I could not do that, poor thing, it sure has consequences," the pediatrician may well say "no, don't worry, there are studies that show that there are none."
And after these pediatricians, some mothers will take their words as universal truth and again we will have a lot of convinced parents, a lot of pediatricians with a quick solution to give and a lot of babies suffering one or several nights to be alone and unattended in their cribs.
However, the study has its lacks
What happens is that everything that glitters is not gold, and behind a mother convinced by a pediatrician, and behind a pediatrician convinced by a study, there is a relatively controversial method, and now I explain myself. The debate between letting them cry and not letting them cry exists. Some say that nothing happens and others say that it can happen, but that, in any case, it is a matter of appreciation and affection, of not letting babies suffer, whatever the consequence: "I do not know why not you let him cry, in two days you have him sleeping all night, "to which we respond" because the people you love are not made to suffer, and as a crying baby is a baby asking for help, I will not let him cry. " So some defend the methods and others defend attending to the child, paying attention to him, catching him, breastfeeding him, putting him in bed, snuggling him, giving him affection, actively sleeping, etc.
The question then is: What are the usual methods? Because in the study they say that they have compared a group of children to those who made behavioral methods of letting them cry with some children who were done the usual thing, which should be something like nothing, tell them if the children cry for The night is not much to do, I imagine. But then it would be necessary to know what the parents did to whom no one helped, because what I usually see in the street every day, what I see as usual here in Spain is precisely the same as those of the intervention group, that is, let them cry. Ask any mother and father who has not read much book to see what they think should be done if the baby cries at night and only wants arms and being in bed. Most will probably say that this is not recommended and that you have to let them cry in their crib until they fall asleep. And if they are not a majority, a large number.
According to the study, when evaluating at six years the parenting style they saw that the style was authoritarian in 63% of the parents of one group and in 59% of the parents of the other group. This means that, more or less, the groups were quite similar and, consequently, it is very likely that the methods also, although some parents were urged to let them cry and the others were not. Come on most likely, the seconds did the same methods.
How are they going to be different results?
So, if those of the intervention group and those of the control group surely did the same, how will different results come out? The odd thing would be the opposite.
So this study is unhelpful and poorly designed. Or you make two groups, one of them letting the children cry and the other with clear instructions not to let them cry, to take care of the baby and even to collect, or make three groups, one to which you say nothing, control, another to that you say let them cry and the third one they shouldn't let cry. So we would know what the difference is when urging the methods of crying, so we would know what the difference is when urging not to cry and that way we could be clear to fathers, mothers and pediatricians what happens when one thing is done and what when another is done.
Meanwhile, we will continue in doubt and many, like me, will continue with the same speech: it doesn't hurt who you loveAnd in the same way that when we suffer we like that the people who love us care about us, babies need us to do it with them when they cry, because they suffer.
