Preventing Mental Illness in Your Children

This Research Study May Save Your Child's Life

According to Dr. Will Sears, a well renowned pediatrician and author of many parenting books, a remarkable study just came out this month which shows that allowing your baby to cry (instead of nurturing the child and attending to its needs), can lead to brain damage and mental illness.

The study was taken over a 40 year period with infants and toddlers. The most striking findings show beyond doubt that when children cry and work themselves up into a crying frenzy, their body goes into stress overload causing the major arteries to the brain to tighten and close down. Once this happens the babies brain cannot get enough oxygen and the brain begins to die from oxygen deprivation resulting in permanent brain damage.

Babies who's mothers nurture them and attend to their needs were more likely to understand that crying is their child's only way to communicate their fears, discomfort and needs. Dr. Sears stated that babies who are put to sleep in a room away from parents, behind bars in a crib, in the dark will feel abandoned and frightened. Whereas babies who are quickly comforted when they cry are 80% less likely to develop panic disorders, depression and stress related illness later in life. Even SIDS is reduced by over 50% when the child is not allowed to cry, but is nurtured instead (More on SIDS in a later article).

The researchers agree, it is impossible to spoil a baby with love and nurturing. That is exactly what they need to grow into healthy, confidant and secure adults. But believing that your child needs to "cry it out" or to "cry herself to sleep" may be causing permanent damage.

Stop expecting too much from your little child and start seeing the world through their little eyes. Empathizing with your child will help you keep your cool when those nighttime rituals begin to feel like a chore.