Most “cry it out” methods are variants on one of three themes: Extinction—just leave, and do not return; Graduated Extinction—come back at increasingly lengthy intervals; and Extinction with Parental Presence—sit in the room, but do not do anything. Ferber is a proponent of the second, whereas Weissbluth is more in favor of the first. There is evidence that all three methods work—more evidence, perhaps, on the first two than the third—but relatively little evidence on which works best. On the one hand, some reports seem to find that Graduated Extinction is easier for parents and leads to more
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