Dr. Penelope Leach has reignited the debate about crying babies. The doctor says there is no harm to a baby who cries for twenty minutes but prolonged crying can lead to brain damage.
The Daily Mail reports that a new study shows long periods of crying can damage a baby’s developing brain. This leads to learning difficulties in the future.
Dr. Leach states, "It is not an opinion but a fact that it’s potentially damaging to leave babies to cry. Now we know that, why risk it?"
However, there are some colleagues of Dr. Leach who advise parents to let babies cry. They say the baby will eventually stop and learn how to fall asleep on his own.
Dr. Leach asserts that leaving babies to cry for too long increases the production of stress hormones which can damage the brain. She doesn’t suggest that babies should never cry. She does recommend that parents not let them cry for too long.