Alex
14 years ago
Sara,Since I don't have that book in front of me, I'm not really qleiufiad to say whether the author uses longitudinal studies and/or experimental evidence to make claims about cry-it-out vs. co-sleeping. Solid scientific research into these issues has only really been done in the last two decades, and has still not reached consensus regarding parenting recommendations. I generally refer people to this site:which uses experimental evidence when available and couches theories and beliefs in non-definitive terms. Dr. Weisbluth has a section in his introduction which reads: WARNING: If your child does not learn to sleep well, he may become an incurable adult insomniac, chronically disabled from sleepiness and dependent on sleeping pills. No citation of any source whatsoever. Whether that holds for the rest of his book, I can't say.My point is that I have yet to see an experiment or long-term study linking the cry-it-out method to positive outcomes for child and adult development. With that in mind, I chose an alternative strategy for my children, one which has as much scientific backing as the more common practice.