05/26/2026
Denmark made a decision. No more cry it out. No more leaving babies alone to self soothe. The national consensus shifted.
The US has not followed.
Here is what happened. A national study combined with a petition signed by 723 Danish psychologists forced the change. The evidence was clear. Leaving a baby to cry alone elevates cortisol. Repeated exposure alters stress regulation. Attachment security suffers. The brain pays a price.
Denmark listened.
In parts of the United States, cry it out is still recommended. Pediatricians suggest it at four months. Sleep trainers push it earlier. Parents are told that responding to every cry creates a clingy child. That is not science. That is a cultural hangover from the 1990s.
The research has moved on. Denmark just proved it.
Babies do not self soothe. They learn to stop signaling. That is different. That is learned helplessness. A baby who stops crying has not learned calm. They have learned that no one is coming.
You do not need to bed share. You do not need to never sleep train. But you do need to know what the actual research says. And the research says that leaving a young infant to cry alone is not neutral. It has a cost.
Denmark chose the science. The rest of the world is catching up slowly.
