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For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

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For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Parenting

Gina Ford Technique

44 replies

Sheenabradshaw · 03/12/2017 07:07

Hello I have a 9 week old daughter and would like to try and get her into some sort of routine for both of our sakes. I’ve been thinking of following the Gina Ford method, I’m concerned that the naps are quite strict through the day and if I’m out I would need to rush home to ensure she can nap or Can I be flexible with that? Any advice appreciated. She’s bottle fed btw.

OP posts:

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Misspilly88 · 03/12/2017 07:09

Do what works for you. You can absolutely pick and choose what you do.

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AlpacaLypse · 03/12/2017 07:11

I thought we weren't allowed to talk about G F in case she sued us?

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theaveragewife · 03/12/2017 07:13

Babies don’t read books, GF is bullshit. At 9 weeks just do what your baby wants

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Sipperskipper · 03/12/2017 07:14

I very loosely followed gf, but have found having a decent routine really helps. I do have to rush home for naps, can’t really be out at certain times, but it works well for us.

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MirandaWest · 03/12/2017 07:14

How long is it since the GF hoo-ha happened? Must be at least 10 years

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Desmondo2016 · 03/12/2017 07:15

GF is certainly not my cup of tea. I would suggest reading up on her regime and then tweaking and adapting some of her tips to make them work for you. But for the love of god don't wake a baby because Gina says its 'time'. Ever. Lol. Just my advice

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Chaosofcalm · 03/12/2017 07:15

Chuck out the Gina Ford book. It will make you and your baby very upset.

Look at the EASY routine if you want a structure.

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MirandaWest · 03/12/2017 07:16

Was summer 2006.

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BrandNewHouse · 03/12/2017 07:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sipperskipper · 03/12/2017 07:17

Ps - agree with PP 9 weeks is quite young for a strict routine, maybe have a look at the baby whisperer EASY method - that worked for us too, and is less about set timings.

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lorisparkle · 03/12/2017 07:19

All babies benefit from a gentle routine and some really thrive on it. I would have been in pieces if we had tried to put ds1 into a strict routine but ds3 would have loved it. I found sone of GF useful but just ignored the bits that did not work for us! Do what works for you, your family and your lo.

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Codlet · 03/12/2017 07:20

I found GF quite useful in giving me a rough idea of what a baby’s routine might look like. I didn’t follow it strictly though because of the inflexibility. In particular, when it requires you to wake the baby, I couldn’t bear to wake my peacefully sleeping baby! I’d say I used it more for timing of feeds (DC was EBF) rather than timing of naps.

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Nottheduchessofcambridge · 03/12/2017 07:20

GF definitely saved my sanity. I loosely followed her routines and I have two happy children who have always slept through the night. I could never join in my friends moaning about sleeplessness, felt like I was bragging. Lots of people slag GF off, I can’t understand why.

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welshweasel · 03/12/2017 07:23

I started loosely following GF at 9 weeks. I found the suggested nap and feeding times helpful and also how to reduce the night feeds. I still did car/pushchair/sling naps if it suited us better. Having a routine has always worked well for me and for DS, depends what sort of person you are! I’d defitnely follow it again (ish) if I have another.

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RefuseTheLies · 03/12/2017 07:23

I wanted to hate Gina Ford. I really did. I was very sneery and dismissive of her books. I thought they were too rigid and actually a bit detached and unkind.

However, in utter desperation trying to manage my refluxy, colicky, cranky baby, I had a GF trial run and my baby loved it. She became far more settled and content almost instantly.

I was happy, but also livid because GF is so far removed from how I thought I would be as a mother.

How you implement the method is up to you, op. But GF and flexibility don’t generally go together I was a nap hostage for a long time!

Try it. If it works for you and your baby, that’s great. If it doesn’t work, try something else.

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Ohyesiam · 03/12/2017 07:49

Try the baby whisper. Gf is brutal and Erik upset you and your baby. And at 9 weeks Just follow what your baby needs.

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LapinR0se · 03/12/2017 08:20

Pros of Gina’s routines:
Structure to your day
Feeling like you have a plan
Babies generally more settled and predictable so you know why they’re crying (tired/hungry etc) as opposed to guessing all the time

Cons:
She wildly underestimates how much daytime sleep babies need so I would always go for a younger routine than she suggests for your baby’s age
She goes on about draw sheets. I don’t know what that even is
It seems reading the book that you’ll be home all day. In reality I did the morning and afternoon naps on the go most days. The important one is the lunchtime nap as they keep that til they are 2-3 years old. So I made a point of having a decent lunch for myself at home every day then lying down myself afterwards. I still do that now and DD is 3.

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MiniMaxi · 03/12/2017 08:23

EASY was really helpful for me too and you can be flexible with it

I tried gf for one day and it stressed me out and seemed unnatural for my DS so I ditched it. Some friends like it though.

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rachelracket · 03/12/2017 08:25

at 9 weeks i'd still be following my baby's cues. google the fourth trimester. it's over very quickly.

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theaveragewife · 03/12/2017 08:31

Is EASY eat, attention (play), sleep? I do vaguely remember doing that...what does the Y stand for?

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ineedwine99 · 03/12/2017 08:31

Hi OP, we used GF from early on, only for feeds and bedtime, baby napped when she needed to, I tried the nap routine and its too damned hard. Baby also napped in her cot/on me/pushchair so i never needed to rush home. Take from it what will suit you

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ooerrmissus · 03/12/2017 08:38

EASY is Eat, Activity, Sleep, and time for You.

It worked for both mine as it was nice to have a structure but not be completely inflexible.

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Piffpaffpoff · 03/12/2017 08:39

Summer 2006 cos it’s how I found Mumsnet just before DS was born.

Look, I followed it, - probably too strictly with DS, did it much more loosely for DD. I am very much NOT a ‘go with the flow’ person, I like a routine and I like working to a plan so it suited me and the babies were fine with it. Give it a go if you want but if it’s not working for you, stop it and try something else.

I learned that the only things you HAVE to do for your baby are food, nappies and sleep. How and when you do that is up to you!

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Shiggle · 03/12/2017 08:46

If you're breastfeeding you really do need to do it on demand and that makes it very hard to follow gf. If I'd have folllwed her bf advice I'd have lost my supply and I'd have had one very hungry baby. If formula feeding feeding it would be much easier to try.

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hannahbanana2007 · 03/12/2017 09:03

I tried GF for one day before giving up in the realisation that if your baby happens to want to sleep to her schedule it's great, but if not the whole thing gets very stressful! Mine still hadn't slept by the time 2 of the scheduled nap times had gone by, at that point it was all over! If your baby naturally falls in line with the schedule I can see some benefits but I have friends who did it and they missed meet ups etc purely as they coincided with nap time which I think is a shame. Also would recommend EASY routine instead