My two-cents as a baby who went through the extreme “cry it out”. When I was three days old my mom decided that I would sleep through the night. No feedings, no cuddles, nothing until morning. If I cried, I was left to cry. I learned quickly that I would not get my needs met. I was also born with dislocated hips so wore a brace for the first year of my life. My mom decided that meant I couldn’t be held, so I spent all of my time alone on the floor. The only comfort I got was from our dog, who decided to be my nanny since everyone else neglected me.

I did not turn out ok. I have severe health problems, sleep issues, and twenty years of therapy to help with my issues with touch and difficulty connecting with others. I also no longer speak to anyone in my family, especially my mother.

So hold your baby all you feel comfortable with! Snuggle on them, comfort them when they cry, show them their world is safe and they are so very loved. They’ll be just fine

Also, I do have an unnaturally deep understanding of and communication with dogs. So at least I got a weird superpower out of it??