Ferberizing your baby.

Dr. Richard Ferber is a child sleep specialist who has a come up with a method to train babies to go to sleep on their own, and help them sleep through the night. Basically, it works like this: at bedtime, you kiss your baby and set her in the crib and walk out. She’ll holler bloody murder, but you have to stay out of the room for five minutes. Then you can come back in and pat the baby on the back and reassure her that you haven’t packed up and moved to Estonia without her. Then you leave the room again and wait 10 minutes, then 15, then 20. She’ll eventually fall asleep, according to the good doctor.

Then there’s Harvard:

[Researchers] examined childrearing practices here and in other cultures and say the widespread American practice of putting babies in separate beds — even separate rooms — and not responding quickly to their cries may lead to incidents of post-traumatic stress and panic disorders when these children reach adulthood. The early stress resulting from separation causes changes in infant brains that makes future adults more susceptible to stress.

My opinion? Eh. Look at the timestamp, people… I have no opinion.

We tended more toward the second, for the record. I don't know whether it'll help or hurt her, but I feel better about not leaving her to cry for more than a couple of minutes.

Researchers are full of crap.

We tried Research Result 1, with mixed success. What the "good doctor" doesn't note is how this plays havoc with parental "panic disorders" and stress syndrome.

On the other hand, Research Result 2 sounds like it's designed to make parents feel wildly guilty when not paying full and utter attention to their kid and catering to their every need. Which results in kids who get panic disorders whenever the world doesn't cater to them.

Feh.

We did the 5/10/15 thing with our three boys and they all sleep (generally) all through the night and are just as well off developmentally as you would expect any of my offsping to be. For what that's worth.