'Controlled crying' technique safe for babies

The world-first study followed up 225 six-year-old children who had received behavioural sleep intervention as babies to assess their health including emotional wellbeing, behaviour and child-parent relationship.

It found techniques including 'controlled crying' - which helps babies learn to put themselves to sleep by letting them cry for set periods of time - and positive bedtime routines, had no adverse affects on the emotional and behavioural development of children or their relationship with parents when compared to children who as babies had sleep problems but received no sleep intervention.

Lead researcher Anna Price said the study would help reassure parents and health professionals about the safety of sleep interventions in infants aged six months and older, especially as a strategy to prevent and treat postnatal depression.

"Sleep problems can affect up to 45 per cent of babies aged six to 12 months and can double the risk of postnatal depression," she said.

"Without intervention, sleep problems are also more likely to persist into childhood, potentially leading to behavioural and cognitive problems including aggression, anxiety and attention and learning difficulties.

"Given that behavioural sleep techniques are cost-effective in reducing sleep problems and maternal depression, health professionals can feel comfortable offering these interventions to families presenting with infant sleep problems. Parents can also feel reassured they are not harming their babies by using sleep interventions."

The findings form part of a longitudinal study by Murdoch Childrens into infant sleep, which has shown intervention during infancy significantly reduces sleep problems in children and depression among mothers during the first two years of the child's life.

The results will be presented at the World Congress of Internal Medicine, hosted by the Royal Australasia College of Physicians, the Internal Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand and the International Society of Internal Medicine, in Melbourne from March 20-25.