I found this so very interesting. I knew in my gut not to let babies cry and cry. As I get older the more I learn about raising kids, so I hope my children listen to me when I suggest things to them about raising their kids. I made LOTS of mistakes and I am trying to change that behavier in this family.
new book called The Essential First Year - What Babies Need Parents to Know.
One is not talking about a wakeful baby lying there gurgling, one is talking about a baby that is crying hard and nobody is responding.
"When that happens, and particularly if it happens over a long period, the brain chemical system releases cortisol and that is very bad for brain development.
"Some neuroscientists describe it as toxic."
The psychologist and parenting expert, who first found fame in the 1970s with her book, Your Baby and Child, said the important thing was for a parent to respond.
The mother-of-two said it was not necessary for the parent to discover why the baby was crying.
"If you do not respond and if you refuse to respond, the baby knows no response is coming," she added.
"The reason that a baby gives up after half an hour, three-quarters of an hour or an hour is that it has given up and that its expectations have been altered.
"I've heard it said that babies stop crying because they have learned that mummy wants them to go back to sleep.
"Babies are not capable of that sort of learning."
