I am extremely disappointed that I will not be presenting as scheduled, at the Pregnancy, Babies and Children’s Expo in Melbourne next weekend.
I regret that I will not be able to present to parents my evidence-based, clinically proven strategies to prevent or resolve problems involving infant sleep, feeding, growth and behaviour.
My presentation was cancelled yesterday following discussions between myself and organisers of the Expo after significant criticism of my involvement on social media.
The criticism appears to have come from people who have not been patients of mine, nor who, judging by their comments, are familiar with my advice.
What I aim to do is provide parents with the highest quality of information to enable them to make informed choices about how they parent, particularly with regard to the sleeping, feeding, growth and behaviour of their children.
What is unfortunate is that my presentation, built on robust evidence and research, has been prevented by people who are uninformed about my strategy and the significant outcomes I am able achieve in respect to the health and wellbeing of children, mothers and the whole family.
Also regrettable is the media reporting of me being banned from the event. This is simply untrue.
Most importantly, it is distressing to learn that this misinformation has caused such unfounded concerns among parents seeking robust, evidence-based information.
I have agreed with the organisers that rather than risking the Expo being disrupted by individuals who are misinformed about my strategy during my presentation, I would meet with those people separately to improve their understanding.
Those who seek highly researched, evidence-based, clinically proven strategies to prevent or resolve problems of infant sleep, feeding, growth and behaviour can contact me for assistance.
Recent media reports have indicated that the care I advocate involves a complete disregard for a child’s distress. To the contrary, I regard a child’s prolonged crying as a distress signal for the child and the entire family unit.
My strategy aims to achieve up to 12 hours a night sleep for children. This is achieved using measures that do not require a child to be left alone for 12 hours straight. Rather, I assist a child to learn independent cues of sleep, whilst focusing on the health and safety of the child as the highest priority.
For some children, this will involve comforting by the parents to achieve sleep. Once my strategy is implemented, parents can expect their child to sleep independently for up to 12 hours a night.
I invite you to provide feedback on this topic or on topics you would like me to discuss in future posts.
All the very best to you and your baby or babies.
Dr Brian Symon
The Babysleep Doctor
