If you have not already done so, please read Blog Posts 1 through 5 that describe how sleep is important and beneficial. I will post specific information for parents and children based on my book, “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.” Please do not be put off by my book’s length. This is a reference book. Read only the topic of interest to you.
When your baby makes non-distress sounds or very quiet crying and you think your baby is not wet, soiled, hungry or in distress, can you delay your response to see if your baby settles back to sleep unassisted? Some mothers understand that it is best to have a very brief delay in their response to encourage self-soothing in their baby and want to do so, but they are unable to do so. Here is a 2023 study that explores how mothers may increase their ‘cry tolerance’.
Parents listened to a recording of a baby crying and were provided with the following script: “You are about to listen to short clips of a crying 6-month-old baby. The baby is described as very demanding as they require constant attention and almost never calm when alone. The baby’s parents have been trying to facilitate development of self-soothing abilities by refraining from immediate response to their crying. Please listen carefully and indicate when you feel it is necessary to intervene by raising your hand.”
Three strategies were evaluated to determine whether mothers were able to delay their response (increase their cry tolerance):
All three strategies worked! Reappraisal worked best.
