Researchers: 'Cry It Out' Method Not Harmful To Babies

Ignoring your baby's cry may not be neglectful. 

Researchers studied the Cry It Out sleep method. Doctors now say parents can rest easier knowing that ignoring their babies' cries won't cause long-term damage.

Australian Researchers took a hard look at the "Cry It Out" method, and found that infants will not suffer any emotional, behavioral or parental attachment problems. They also found infants who are left alone while fussing in their cribs fell asleep faster and stayed asleep longer. And babies' stress levels were about the same as when parents used gentler methods such as delaying bedtimes to tire out infants.

One other finding -- something that's considered a "behavior trap." Babies are actually more rewarded by their parents' responses to their cries than they are by falling back to sleep.