The Follow-Up: The Truth About Cry-It-Out and Cortisol

The PedsDocTalk Podcast

Dr. Mona Amin

Medicine, Health & Fitness, Kids & Family, Parenting

5 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2025

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

You’ve probably heard the claim that sleep training—especially methods like "cry-it-out"—can flood babies with toxic stress. But is that actually what the science says? In this episode, I sit down with a leading developmental expert to unpack the research on cortisol, stress, and infant development. We cover how the stress response system works, what truly qualifies as toxic stress, and why common fears about sleep training may be missing important context. Whether you're team sleep-train or not, this episode offers clarity, compassion, and evidence-backed guidance. Key Takeaways: Cortisol is a normal, necessary hormone that helps us respond to stress. Not all stress is toxic—especially when it’s brief and supported by a caregiver. There's no evidence linking sleep training with long-term harm. Misinterpreting small or flawed studies can create unnecessary fear for parents. Sleep training, when developmentally appropriate, can be a positive and adaptive experience for both babies and parents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, it's Dr. Mona and you're listening to the follow-up.
0:05.5	The only part of your Monday that won't involve a tantrum, a snack negotiation, or someone
0:10.3	yelling your name from the bathroom. Today's episode is the one you send to every person who
0:15.3	says, sleep training is harmful because cortisol. We're breaking down the stress hormone that gets a bad rep online,
0:22.4	but is actually vital to development. My guest, Dr. Brie Reed, who holds a doctorate in
0:26.8	developmental psychology, helps us unpack the difference between toxic, tolerable, and normal
0:31.9	stress. Plus, she sets the record straight on that one infamous and deeply flawed cortisol
0:37.1	sleep training study.
0:38.7	And yes, I sleep trained both of my kids, full cry it out with my son. And by the way, he's
0:43.2	securely attached, emotionally intelligent, and thriving. Thank you very much. And a little
0:47.4	fervor finesse during regressions with my daughter. She didn't need sleep training to get to 12
0:51.8	hours. But when the wheels came off, she needed some guidance during those regressions.
0:56.3	That's real life.
0:57.6	This isn't about guilt.
0:58.8	It's about science, sanity, and doing what works for your family if sleep training, crying included, is your cup of tea.
1:05.9	And even if it's not, it's still important we don't spread misinformation.
1:10.2	Let's get to it.
1:15.5	So you, a lot of your research looks at cortisol, which obviously for anyone who's
1:20.3	listening, cortisol's stress hormone that is good in some amount, but obviously in toxic
1:25.6	amounts or large amounts, it can be detrimental
1:27.6	to the developmental system. So tell me more about this concept of cortisol and how it impacts
1:32.9	development. Yeah, so I'm so glad you asked because I think this is a huge misconception
	...

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