August 19th 2019

Dear Gyldendal Publishers

This inquiry is an open letter. We are a group of psychologists who are worried that you intend to continue selling the book Godnat og sov godt: Lær dit barn gode sovevaner (“Duérmete, niño” by Estivill / de Béjar (‘Sleep, Child’, ‘Goodnight and sleep tight’ in danish. red.)) The book urges to use a type of sleep training where the parents are advised to ignore the baby or little child’s crying in specific time intervals when the child is being put to bed. According to the book, it is banned to nurse or rock the baby or cuddle and hold the upset child through the evening and night. In other words, the book urges parents to abstain from comforting their children when they are crying.

When you refused to remove the book from your assortment you referred to the fact that you have been in contact with researchers in Denmark and abroad, and that you on the background of their opinion do not find any reason to withdraw the book. We are wondering which researchers you have talked to and on what studies you base your decision. We want to draw attention to the fact that studies on this matter are generally of low [1], and the fact that there might be financial interest for some researchers in recommending sleep training books[2]. We urge you to seek knowledge with some of the researchers that have been stressing the risks associated with sleep training, e.g. Pamela Douglas (Dr. and Ph.D.)[3], James McKenna (Professor and Ph.D in anthropology)[4] and Sarah Blunden (Ph.D. in Psychology)[5]. For a critical review on this matter, we refer to Tracy Cassels (Ph.D. in Psychology)[6, 7, 8].

Babies and small children are deeply dependent on comfort and mental care from their parents and it might have negative consequences for their development if they are not properly comforted and calmed when they are feeling sad or crying. Children that are not being met sufficiently with comfort and mental care when they are sad can find it difficult to deal with their emotions[9]. Furthermore, insufficient or lacking comfort and mental care can damage the vital attachment between the child and the parents. Attachment is seen as an emotional bond between children and their parents and this bond can be of good or less good quality. If the child is being seen and met with care and comfort whenever it needs it, he or she will feel safe in the relationship with the parents and that would be classified as a secure attachment. On the other hand, if the child is experiencing that its feelings and needs are not being met and recognized, it could result in a low quality attachment, also called, insure attachment. Thus, if parents for a period of time are neglecting to comfort their crying child, there might be a risk of an insecure attachment[10]. 

According to the book, crying is seen as manipulation. Furthermore, it is seen as a way to get the parents’ attention if the child cries so intensely that it vomits, and the parents are advised to change the sheets and let the crying continue. We would like to underline that crying is not a way of manipulation and that babies and young children are not even capable of manipulation and cannot deliberately vomit. Crying is the child’s way of communicating. In this way, the child can communicate its needs, both physically and emotionally. In other words, a crying child needs its parents and the parents will instinctively react and care for the child’s needs. If the crying is ignored for a longer period of time, the child will stop crying. Some will say that now the child has learned to calm him/herself. But studies tell us that babies and young children are not capable of calming themselves and their nervous systems. The child has simply stopped crying and communicating because it learned that no one listens. In other words, the child can still be sad, afraid or lonely, but it has stopped expressing its feelings[11].

Furthermore, we are concerned that the book gives misleading information about babies’ and young children’s sleep patterns. According to the book, a baby at 6-7 months of age is supposed to sleep through the night alone (about 12 hours), and it is the opinion of the authors that if the baby does not do that, the baby has a sleeping problem. Parents are led to believe that their baby has a sleeping problem even though the baby is sleeping perfectly normal for a child at that age. Frequent awakenings through the night are normal for babies and young children, just as it is normal that they need their parents to get to sleep and through the night if they wake up[12]. The book gives the impression that sleep training is necessary in order for the child to sleep better[13]. Research has shown that sleep training does not improve children’s sleep. Sleep training can teach the child to stop crying and call for its parents, but it does not help the child to get better sleep. The book insinuates that the child will have sleeping problems for a long period of time if the parents do not train the child with the described method, but we simply do not have scientifically proof of that. Moreover, the book recommends that the baby should sleep in its own room by the age of 3 months at the latest. This can increase the risk of SIDS since it is the safest for the baby to sleep in the same room as the parents[14, 15].

The book is written by a doctor and sold by a renowned publisher which maybe makes parents use this method without reflecting. We are of the opinion that you as the publisher hold a responsibility in distributing this outdated and potentially damaging method. We hope that you will reconsider the withdrawal of the book, and we look forward to your response.

Signed by 723 psychologists.

References:

1. https://www.dp.dk/p-psykologernes-fagmagasin/fagartikler-psykologi-viden/cry-it-out-soevntraening-hvordan-paavirkes-barnet-naar-dets-graad-ignoreres/
2. http://familieudenfilter.dk/gaesteindlaeg-forskning-i-cry-it-out-oekonomiske-interesser-og-forudindtagede-konklusioner/
3. Douglas, P. & Hill, P. (2013). Behavioral sleep interventions in the first six months of life do not improve outcomes for mothers or infants: A systematic review. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 34(7) 497-507
4. McKenna, J.J., & McDade, T. (2005). Why babies should never sleep alone: A review of the co-sleeping controversy in relation to SIDS, bedsharing and breast feeding. Paediatric Respiratory Reviews, 6(2), 134–152
5. Blunden, S., Etherton, H. & Hauck, Y. (2016). Resistance to cry intensive sleep intervention in young children: Are we ignoring children’s cries or parental concerns? Children (Basel), 3(2), 8
6. http://evolutionaryparenting.com/how-effective-is-controlled-crying/
7. http://evolutionaryparenting.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-crying-it-out/
8. http://evolutionaryparenting.com/distress-self-soothing-and-extinction-sleep-training/
9. Cassidy J. (1994). Emotion regulation: Influences of attachment relationships. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 59(2-3) 228-249.
10. McElwain, N. L., & Booth-LaForce, C. (2006). Maternal sensitivity to infant distress and nondistress as predictors of infant–mother attachment security. Journal of Family Psychology, 20(2), 247–255.
11. http://evolutionaryparenting.com/distress-self-soothing-and-extinction-sleep-training/
12. http://evolutionaryparenting.com/normal-infant-sleep-part-i/
13. https://www.dp.dk/p-psykologernes-fagmagasin/fagartikler-psykologi-viden/cry-it-out-soevntraening-hvordan-paavirkes-barnet-naar-dets-graad-ignoreres/
14. https://www.sst.dk/~/media/5BF42CFB6A8A42BEBDDDDD933D7FDCDB.ashx
15. https://pameladouglas.com.au/sites/default/files/pdfs/Douglas_Hill%20JDBP%20%2023_9_13.pdf

Signed by psychologist: