Babies who are repeatedly left to cry, are at risk of brain damage, and developing problems in later life.

Claims that are set out in a new Childcare book this week

Crying is a baby's sole way of signalling when he or she is uncomfortable or distressed, adding that being left crying hard is stressful, and continued acute stress sets up a hormonal chain reaction that ultimately stimulates the adrenal glands into releasing the "stress hormone" cortisol. Long continued or oft-repeated crying can produce so much cortisol that it can damage a baby's brain.

According to Penelope Leach, some young babies do not have the mental equipment to "learn" to go to sleep at the right time, so leaving them to cry is pointless.
That doesn't mean that a baby should never cry or that parents should worry when it does. All babies cry, some more than others. "It's not crying that is bad for babies, but continual crying that gets no response," she said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/apr/21/leaving-baby-to-cry-brain-development-damage

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8636950.stm


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"You will never find a real Human being - Even in a mirror." ....Mike Kremer.