Yes, because it may make the child feel isolated and alone if there is no one at their side and that could make the child feel extremely lonely as he/she grows...love is the key to fixing this problem.

Most of the Parent magazines suggest to let your child cry themselves to sleep, because it does teach them to calm themselves.. but not to let them cry more than 10 minutes... If you put a child to bed when they are upset, then it will take longer for them to calm themselves, but calm them down before putting them to bed. if they cry more than 10 minutes then calm them down(do not let them out of bed or they will learn this is a way to get up again) and then let them cry for 10 more minutes.. Laying down with them will possibly make them NEED someone to be there to fall asleep. It is not a bad thing, but rather annoying when they sleep with mom and dad til they are 30.

well u can let them cry for a few minutes but if they dont stop go check them they might have a full diaper or something else might be wrong, but u should try some things like put music on in his room, when i was a baby they would lye me down turn some music on and leave. and i would be fast asleep , or give him a toy if hes already old enough like a safe toy and one he really like or never seen to keep him inteested and see if he will get tired of playing with the toy and fall asleep. hope i helped

I have always put my children in their cribs to let them find their own sleep. If they did cry for more than 15 minutes, I'd get them. There are even some nights I will lay with them so they sleep. Everyone has different views on parenting.. Not everyone is right or wrong.. just do what's best for your family.

Hard to watch, isn't it? There's no real evidence that crying-it-out does any lasting damage. I guess you could say different strokes for different folks. For me, personally, I was committed to breastfeeding and having my daughter away from me for a whole 8 hour period would invariably lessen my supply and make me very uncomfortable. So we coslept and I often nursed I think while totally asleep or barely awake and would pass the night very blissfully with no real crying or real waking by anybody. Worked great for me, might not for someone else. I can say that stories I have heard from couples trying to ferberize (sleep-train) their babies have been almost uniformly harrowing. One parent said their 4 month old cried so hard he gave himself a bad hernia and had to have surgery. Yes, the baby cried his little guts out. How that's going to prove beneficial in the long run is beyond me. There are lots of good alternatives out there. The Baby Sleep Book by Dr. Sears is one and I think there is another by Terry Brazelton. If your friends want alternatives you could gift them one of those but don't be surprised if they keep going. People get very attached to what they think is best regardless of whether it yields a good result. Babies are very tough and can survive far worse. Think of babies of celebs or babies starving on the African plains. Most survive even that. Article: http://www.slate.com/id/2020/

Until about a year, we patted or rocked our boys to sleep on our shoulders, then put them in their cribs. From that age on, we let them cry themselves to sleep. We listened closely, and if they didn't stop after about 15 minutes, one of us would go in and pat them until they relaxed a couple of minutes, then we'd leave again. If they cried again, another 15 minutes. This is so they learn that they can go to sleep without anyone comforting them. Some advocate putting them in the bed, and sitting in a chair BY the bed, so they know you're there. After a couple of days of this, move the chair to by the door. After a couple of days of this, move it outside the door so they can see you there. After a few days of this move to where they can't see you, but you can lean forward and they can see you. It apparently works for some. Cosleeping is dangerous. There have been numerous stories in the papers of mothers who have rolled over (admittedly SOME where drunk/high) and smothered their child. Still others have fallen asleep nursing and smothered their child. Be VARY WARY if you do this.

The person who lays with the child until he falls asleep creates a clingy child who won't sleep by himself. The child who is allowed to cry himself to sleep learns to calm himself and learns that he can fall asleep without the help of his parents. What I typically do is put my 11month old to bed to music and let her have a bottle of WATER if she cries more than twenty minutes but I always put the bottle in bed with her and leave the room. I say water only because extended contact with anything else will cause tooth decay. And leave the room. Your baby will never learn independence and sleeping on his own if you sleep with him every night. Of course give the child a bottle or sippy cup of formula before you put him to bed.

I wouldn't lay down with a child but I don't see the harm of being in the room for awhile. You have to establish bed-time as a positive thing or you will have continuing problems.Part of the problem is the parent's attitude. You can't "order" a child to go to sleep, put them in a room alone, forget about them, and expect them to go to sleep right away. Big hugs and kisses, and saying its sleepy time lets the child know it's ok but its time to go to sleep. Making the bedroom a positive place to be makes the child feel safe and secure. A night light and something that "smells good" might be an idea. Stuffed toys are ok but don't let the child attach to any particular toy. We as adults still use tricks to help us get to sleep, so I can't understand how some "Parenting Magazine" would advise any parent to let a baby cry itself to sleep. This causes a lot of stress to a child and makes bedtime a negative thing.

let him cry a bit....if you stay with your child, you create a dependency that is very hard to break afterwards

My wife and I have experience with sleep problems. First one, she stayed with us, family bed. She didn't sleep well, 3 years later, we found out that she had reflux problems do to a birth defect. Our next son, also birth defect had reflux too, so in our bed also. Then a third girl, we bed too, no birth defect, but soon was able to push her out into own room. Tried letting her cry herself to sleep. I felt like a cruel dad and would hold her until she falls asleep. Results were all three beg to sleep with us, none of them want to sleep "alone". Our third (2.5) refuses to go to bed unless she is held. Second son (5) wants me to stay with him all night. Refuses to take naps. First (8) child can handle going to bed herself. But any chance they get, they sneak into our bed. If we lock the door, everyone wakes up to the loud sherils. Some nights, I get about 2 hours of sleep especially during a thunder storm. Yes they are all light sleepers, now I am too. To answer your question. Not fair for older to get spoiled while younger cries to sleep. 2 year old is old enough to tell him to sleep in own bed. Give your 2 year old attention, 5 min. cuddle on chair with a book, prays, tuck in bed. 18 month old, cuddle, look at book together, talk to him or her. Bathe, Massage body, change diaper, clothes and put to bed. A schedule is the only way that will help. I should know better, we did not do the schedule and that is why we have what we have. By the way, I love sleeping with my children. I sleep better. PS. We having another baby coming in March. "Gruding for a punishment."

My sister n law got in the habit of sleeping with her son. Then sleeping with him until he falls asleep. Now he's afraid to be in his room by himself at night and to sleep by himself. Let them cry for a bit, if they are too upset, comfort them until they calm down, and try again. She has twins that are 7 months old now, and has to juggle trying to get him to bed as well as them.

Pretty Pirate, from where did you obtain your scientific proof of the benefits of co-sleeping. I can only assume that the benefits to which you allude were ascertained though statistical analysis as obviously, psychiatrists/psychologists could not actually obtain a true control and use actual human subjects. Because of that, although children that co-sleep display the favorable qualities you suggest it is arguable that the results are actually owed to any number of both extrinsic and intrisic causes. Statistics can never prove cause and effect, they can only prove that a elationship exisits between to variables with a given amount of certainty. It is completely inappropriate to represent your theory backed with unquoted sources and unfounded science as any sort of fact or authority, especially when said theory could pose a risk to infants. There are many documented cases of infants that fall victim to harm/death through co sleeping that are not even resultant from drunk/high. A majority of new parents are well aware of the sleep deprivation a new infant brings, this alone is enough to disturb the senses enough that accidents CAN and DO happen. However, that aside, my point is to neither endorse or condemn your OPINION, but rather to point out that statistics are useless. Even if a child co-sleeps there is NO proof whatsoever that the co-sleeping is the actual cause. Perhaps the children are secure because in the absence of co sleeping, they have loving, supportive parents. The only certainty in parenting is that there is NO certainty, every family is different and in the end, the family should do whatever works for them free of judgment or lecturing from any other.

hi,i think you have the best way,letting a child cry itself to sleep is taxing to the baby and the parents,you go to sleep with a king sized headache,and the child will get sick from crying.

if u let the baby cry to sleep it will deprive oxygen from the brain and kill brain cells...