06/09/2026
For decades, exhausted parents were told to let babies cry themselves to sleep. It was standard advice. Pediatricians recommended it. Sleep trainers built careers on it.
Denmark just said no.
In 2020, a coalition of 723 Danish psychologists signed an open letter demanding an end to cry it out sleep training in official guidance . Their argument was not emotional. It was scientific. They pointed to mounting research showing that prolonged crying without comfort elevates cortisol, disrupts healthy brain development, and may harm secure attachment .
The Danish Health Board responded quietly but clearly. They removed all cry it out recommendations from their official materials. Web pages vanished. Pamphlets disappeared. The advice that had been given to generations of new parents was gone .
Here is what the psychologists found. Babies lack the neurological capacity to "self soothe." That skill develops through co regulation, not isolation . When a baby cries and no one comes, their stress response activates. Over time, they do not learn calm. They learn that signaling for help is useless .
The Danish Health Authority now recommends that infants sleep in the same room as parents for at least the first 6 months, preferably throughout the first year . Responsive care is prioritized over rigid schedules. Connection is valued over convenience.
Denmark did not pass a law banning cry it out. Parents who choose that method are not breaking any rules. But the official government stance has shifted. And that shift is already influencing other countries .
The message is clear. A crying baby is not manipulating you. A crying baby is communicating. And Denmark has decided that listening is the healthier choice.
