Today’s disagreement is on sleep training — specifically the “Cry-It-Out” method. It’s also known as the extinction method — here’s what it looks like:
At bedtime, parents put the baby in the crib drowsy, but still awake. Then they leave the room and get the baby at a set time the next morning. They don’t respond to crying or protest unless there’s a concern for health or safety.
We’ve brought together two newborn sleep professionals to dive into the topic:
Sarah Moore is a conscious parenting trainer and founder of Dandelion Seeds Positive Parenting. Sarah is Board Chair for the American Society for the Positive Care of Children, and the author of Peaceful Discipline: Story Teaching, Brain Science & Better Behavior.
Megan Tucker is a registered nurse, certified lactation consultant and certified childbirth instructor. Megan is the founder of Baby Basics Atlanta, where she works with families of newborn children.
Today we ask a wide range of important questions about sleep training:
What is the best way to help parents get their newborns to sleep through the night?
What are the ethics of the “cry-it-out” method?
How should the parents balance the needs of their children with their own needs?
Show Notes
Defining the cry-it-out method [04:31]
Longterm effects of parental responsiveness [08:43]
Challenges in sleep research [11:54]
What is the average duration of crying in the cry-it-out method? [14:50]
Co-sleeping [17:23]
Sleep training trade-offs [28:31]
Critiques of sleep training [32:28]
Impact of less sleep on parents [39:55]
Reasons why newborns cry [46:19]
Needs of the baby vs. needs of the family unit [48:23]
Episode Preview
w/ Alex Grodd and Producer Catherine Cushenberry
xoxo,
The Disagreement Team
Episode 8: Sleep Training – The "Cry-It-Out" Method