Controlled Crying "Safe"

Research published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Pediatrics, on long-term effects of controversial sleep-training techniques, found that there was no harm on children’s emotional development, their mental health and ability to deal with stress nor the child-parent relationship. The study did not include infants younger than seven months old. The researchers noted that behavioural techniques are known to effectively reduce infant sleep problems and associated maternal depression in the short- to medium-term.

For more information on the study and a detailed explanation of the research and its conclusions, read the NHS Behind the Headlines article on it.

It could be YOU that's keeping baby awake: Babies more likely to have sleep problems if mothers are depressed

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University found that mothers with greater symptoms of depression and worries behaved in ways that disrupted their babies' sleep. The depressed mothers were more likely to pick up their sleeping babies and move them into their own bed to silence fears about whether the child was hungry, thirsty or comfortable, the study published in journal Child Development found. They were also more likely to respond to baby sounds that don't necessarily require a response.

The MailOnline 18/4/12