05/03/2026
Denmark just took a major step.
They are moving to end the “cry it out” method after a nationwide review and more than 700 psychologists raised concerns about potential risks to brain development and attachment.
Let that sink in.
Over 700 psychologists.
The study looked at what happens when babies are left to cry for extended periods. Researchers linked prolonged crying without response to elevated stress hormones and possible long term impacts on brain development and emotional bonding.
And honestly?
None of this surprises me.
We have known for years that babies are not manipulating. They are not testing you. They are not trying to control the house at 2 AM.
They are signaling.
A baby’s nervous system is immature. Their stress response system is still developing. When they cry, cortisol rises. When they are comforted, their system regulates.
That regulation is not weakness. That is brain wiring.
Responsive caregiving helps build secure attachment. Secure attachment supports emotional regulation, resilience, and cognitive growth long term.
This is not about shaming parents who have used certain methods. Many parents were told it was the gold standard. Many were exhausted and doing their best with the information they had.
But we are allowed to grow when the science grows.
Denmark’s decision reflects something bigger: a shift toward understanding early childhood through a neurological and psychological lens, not just a sleep schedule lens.
Sleep matters. Parents matter. But so does how a baby’s developing brain processes stress.
There are gentle, responsive sleep strategies that do not require ignoring distress. There are ways to support sleep without compromising connection.
And at the end of the day, babies are not meant to self soothe in isolation.
They learn to regulate by being regulated.
That is biology. That is attachment. That is development.
We are not creating dependence. We are creating security.
And secure children eventually become independent adults.
If you responded to your baby at 2 AM even when you were exhausted…
You were not creating a bad habit.
You were wiring a brain.
🤍
