Until recently it was thought that leaving the baby to cry until it falls asleep is the right thing. It was thought that this is harmless but it is NOT. Penelope Leach is a parenting guru and she published a new book in which she claims that tough love approach is not recommended for infants.
Some babies cry more than others, but there is a reason why. Some parents think that if they leave their baby to cry for several minutes to hours, it will grow tired of crying and fall asleep. But Leach advises parents to stop immediately with this because of several reasons. The first year is very important as the babies learn how to get response. If they don’t receive any, this can cause severe emotional consequences.
Second reason is that the brain is still developing. Crying increases cortisol which is known as the stress hormone. If the baby is under stress regularly, it can lead to early anxiety which will last until the baby becomes an adult.
Many parents believe that crying helps in developing of the lungs, but Leach claims that they cry for a reason. She also claims that babies are not aware when to sleep, so by comforting the child you will help him or her to feel better.