Beginning of the Letter to the Editor …

We read with interest the recent article by Middlemiss et al. titled “Asynchrony of mother–infant hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity following extinction of infant crying responses induced during the transition to sleep” published in Early Human Development, Volume 88, Issue 4, April 2012 [1]. Whether behavioural sleep techniques cause in- fants undue stress and potential long-term emotional harm is a highly contentious issue in Australia and internationally [2–4]. While we understand that the aim of Middlemiss' paper was not to comment on the safety of behavioural sleep techniques, a conclusion of the article has been used by social media outlets in Australia and overseas to warn against their use [5]. As sleep researchers and clinicians, our goal is to help parents improve their children's sleep and, subsequently, their own mental health [6]. We are concerned about the potential harm that Middlemiss' conclusion may have by discouraging health professionals and families from using effective [7–9] and safe [10] behavioural sleep techniques.