Controlled Crying, Cortisol, and Attachment: A Critical Look
New research is making the rounds claiming that there are no negative effects to controlled crying, and the press is lapping it up. The question is: Does the claim hold up?
Stress and Extinction Sleep Training: It’s Not So Simple
When you talk about stress and sleep training, you often get two polarized views: Either the stress is so great it has to cause irreparable harm or it's fine or even beneficial. Yet neither really captures the whole story.
New Research: Does Solitary Sleep Increase the Risk for Insecure Attachment?
For the majority of human history, we have shared sleep with our infants which has led some researchers to speculate that this is related to the development of secure attachment, but this has yet to be studied... until now. The results may surprise some people.
Why the Conflicting Results on Bedsharing Risk?
It seems that messages on bedsharing differ depending on where you are. If everyone is looking at the same evidence, why are they coming to different conclusions? A look at the research suggests not everyone is looking at it the same way...
Bedsharing in Childhood: A Case of Abuse?
Does bedsharing with a 10-year-old of the opposite sex constitute abuse? Should it be the thought that we first have when we hear of such a situation?
Safe Sleep: Is Fear Mongering Taking Over Common Sense?
With yet another "safe sleep" campaign that focuses on fear-mongering over education and real statistics, it's time we looked at what is going on and why these campaigns continue to not work.
“How Dare You Judge Me For Sleep Training!”: Comments and Responses
I get a lot of people angry that I speak out against extinction sleep training because it "worked" for them. I thought I'd start a post that allows me to respond publicly to these criticisms so I don't have to repeat myself over and over.
Worried About How Much Your Child Sleeps? Don’t, According to New Research
Parents often worry that their child isn't getting the magical number of hours of sleep. New research suggests we can ditch the idea that there is a magical number for it doesn't seem to influence outcomes at all.
Understanding the Important Relationship Between Sleep and Feeding Method
Two new pieces of research highlight the intricate relationship between feeding method and sleep in infants, notably how parents perceive their child's sleep. Importantly, there are implications for the idea of building "bad habits" and sleep training.
What Makes Gentle Parenting “Gentle”?
"Gentle" parenting or sleep training is making the rounds as an "it" thing, but is all of it actually gentle? Sadly there are too many wolves out there dressed up as sheep and it's up to us to identify the real gentle help from the pretend stuff.