One of the toughest times you go through as a parent is being sleep deprived after nights of baby crying, diaper changing, and feeding.

Especially those parents that, in addition to being baby care giver at night also have to make a living  the following day. Being a sleep-deprived new parent can affect your mental and physical health.  Being confused because of lack of sleep can also lead to mistakes at work.

But listening to your beloved infant “cry it out” in the next room, as some people advise, can feel like torture. Do babies really need tough love training to learn to soothe themselves?

Michaeleen Doucleff, herself the mom of preschooler, says that we don’t! She looked into the research behind sleep training and turned up some reassuring news.

First, “sleep training” these days doesn’t mean ignoring the baby’s tears. Back rubs and pats, cooing lullabies and other bedtime routines can all be part of a soothing rhythm and ritual that signals it’s time to drowse. And there’s no single formula that works for all kids.

Listen:

Is sleep training really necessary?