The Cry-It-Out Method Is Being Re-Examined: What This Means for Parents
For years, many parents have been told that one of the fastest ways to help babies sleep is the “cry-it-out” (CIO) method —a sleep training approach where a baby is left to cry for periods of time until they fall asleep independently. Recently, headlines started circulating online claiming Denmark “debunked” or even “banned” cry-it-out sleep training . Naturally, this sparked a lot of conversation among parents. So what actually happened? And what does it mean for families like ours? As a mom and the voice behind Mama Next Door , I wanted to take a closer look at the discussion—and share how I approach sleep in my own home. What the Danish discussion is actually about First, Denmark did not officially ban sleep training . However, there has been growing professional pushback against crying-based sleep training methods in recent years. Hundreds of Danish psychologists signed letters encouraging public health organizations to stop recommending cry-it-out techniques because ...