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Study: OK for babies to 'cry it out'

Posted at 4:26 AM, May 25, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-25 07:46:38-04

It's one of those things new parents debate all the time: should you let your baby 'cry it out' until they fall asleep?

A new study, published in Pediatrics, found the technique doesn't cause long-term emotional harm of behavior issues.

Researchers found babies who cried themselves to sleep were no more stressed than babies whose parents delayed bedtime so the child would just tire out.

They also found both methods helped babies fall asleep more quickly than other techniques.

Babies who cried themselves to sleep tended to sleep longer and woke up less during the night.