Will it harm permanently if you leave baby to cry

Most six-month-olds cry for about an hour a day. Babies, whatever age they are, tend to do most of their crying in the evenings. It's true that babies cry less in cultures where they are carried at all times and co-sleep with their mums. But there is no evidence that people from these cultures grow up healthier or happier as a result.Teaching your baby how to comfort himself to sleep will be a great help to him when he is put to bed or if he wakes in the night. A night's sleep consists of between four and six cycles of deep and shallow sleep, with bouts of dream sleep.Babies often briefly wake when in the lighter stages of sleep. If your baby relies on you to help him fall asleep he is likely to fully wake at these times and cry for you. If he knows how to doze off on his own, he will quickly settle back to sleep by himself.Babies and children need a bedtime routine.

A routine will help your baby to feel secure, contented and sleepy before he gets to his cot.So, if you haven't already, create a comforting nightly pattern for your baby. All it takes is a bath, a song, a cuddle, saying goodnight to everyone, then into his cot.Make sure that the end point of his bedtime routine does not involve something he can't do himself if he wakes. Resist the temptation to make the last thing you do a gentle pat, singing to him, or switching on his music player. If any of these are his cues to falling asleep he will cry for you to provide them when he wakes.Draw the routine to a close by putting your baby in his cot, switching off the light, softly saying goodnight and leaving the room.If you have already set a pattern of him falling asleep with you beside him, the best way to break the routine is to leave him to cry himself to sleep.

 This is hard on you, but after a few heartbreaking nights he will learn how to fall asleep without you. Rest assured that his crying will not harm him.If you cannot face this, and plenty of parents can't, you can make more gradual changes. It will take longer, but gradual changes do work. Read more about sleep strategies.Your baby may find it easier to sleep if he has a comfort object such as a teddy. And being in a totally dark, or dull room, without nightlights or lots of distracting toys also helps.A baby who sleeps through the night is also going to have a parent who sleeps through the night. And a parent who is rested and happy during the day can only be good for her baby.