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Original poster

Who is Gina Ford and why haven't I heard of her?

148 replies

LemonJellyKelly · 23/08/2022 22:40

That's pretty much it really.

I had my first child in 1997.
My second in 2009.

She must have slipped off my radar during those times.

OP posts:
Skelligsfeathers · 23/08/2022 22:41

She was an author of childcare books that advocated very strict routines for both mum and baby.

ChaosTrulyReigns · 23/08/2022 22:41

Shush now 😬

TooMuchToDoTooLittleInclination · 23/08/2022 22:41

Are you quite new to MN, that's the only way I can think of that you wouldn't have heard of her.

im going to go & rock in a corner now

EllenWaiteourkid · 23/08/2022 22:42

SWMNBN

Babyroobs · 23/08/2022 22:43

I had my kids between 1999 and 2005 and she was very much talked about ! I remember being horrified at my sil using Gina Ford techniques on my 2 day old niece !! DN wasn't allowed to fall asleep in anyone's arms etc !

Pollydon · 23/08/2022 22:43

Oh dear ........

CurtainSchmurtain · 23/08/2022 22:46

Probably by 2009 she was far too controversial. Maybe 1997 was too early. It’s probably one of those things that if you don’t need in your life, you don’t really pay attention to?
I Gina Forded my first baby in the early 00s, but I know it was very frowned upon!
I used to stick to the sleep / feed schedules and tell no one 😄

EquallyDivided · 23/08/2022 22:49

She was certainly well known in the early 2000s, I knew all about her and had read one of her books before the MN thing blew up.

HelloBunny · 23/08/2022 22:50

I haven’t read any baby books. Or looked at any routines / milestones. My kid is turning out great, so far. I have no idea if I’m doing it right, and I don’t care. We’re a happy family.

Ladyofthepeonies · 23/08/2022 22:50

ooooh you went there…

EllenWaiteourkid · 23/08/2022 22:50

I have reported this thread, nobody can be that disingenuous.

underneaththeash · 23/08/2022 22:51

I had my first in 2006 and it was very popular where I lived. I'm very routine driven and it really appealed to me. (Unfortunately, it appealed less to baby DS), but many people I knew had happy contented babies on it.

Watchthesunrise · 23/08/2022 22:52

I used a version of GF's routines and had very contented babies, actually. The books were pretty good. It helped me know what to do, at each stage of development. Ultimately, baby care is about getting enough food into them, cleaning them, smiling at them and structuring their naps. It's not that hard. Modern methods make it way harder than it needs to be; and babies don't get anywhere near as much sleep as their brains need to as a consequence (IMHO).

Lots of women don't like the GF approach because they felt like the books imposed rules and imposed shame for breaking the 'rules'. Some women are unable to interpret suggestions made in a book and translate them to what makes sense to them. Instead they follow these books like they are rules to be strictly enforced. There were some GF women at the time literally holding-out on feeding their crying babies until 3 hours after the last feed on the dot (nuts), waking babies at exactly 7am (nuts) or holding-off on feeding solids until exactly six months (also nuts).

CurtainSchmurtain · 23/08/2022 22:52

I don’t remember the routines as being brutal or anything though so I must have picked and chosen the bits I liked

DelorisVC · 23/08/2022 22:52

Now you've done it.

Pixiedust1234 · 23/08/2022 22:53

EllenWaiteourkid · 23/08/2022 22:50

I have reported this thread, nobody can be that disingenuous.

Why? I've never heard of her either

ThisisCollie2022 · 23/08/2022 22:53

She's a waste of paper

Her books were nonsense.

Anyway, any time someone mentions Gina my brain goes "ooh aah just a lil bit" so I'm going to go now 🤪

Watchthesunrise · 23/08/2022 22:54

I told no-one I followed the routines, and stopped going to baby meet-ups. It was frowned-upon to have a baby that did everything 'right' and slept all night and woke up happy.

DramaAlpaca · 23/08/2022 22:54

I was done with having babies by the time she came along.

stillvicarinatutu · 23/08/2022 22:55

She went to war on Mumsnet and sued .

She must have a very fragile ego . And very shit philosophy on child care .

TeapotTitties · 23/08/2022 22:56

EllenWaiteourkid · 23/08/2022 22:50

I have reported this thread, nobody can be that disingenuous.

That's a bit silly.

I'd never heard of her either before I joined Mumsnet and even now, all I know is most MNetters react with 'Oooh she who must not be mentioned', but I don't really know why and couldn't be bothered to find out.

AdoraBell · 23/08/2022 22:56

SIL bought me the book, can’t remember the title, and it didn’t sit right with me. I remember reading about the morning routine and the line -and you have tea and two slices of toast- like it was set in stone. My inner voice said - fuck that, I’m having coffee and you can shove the toast.

I gave it to SIL on the other side of family.

Also, she wrote about her 300 babies and I thought - you haven’t had one baby, don’t tell me about your 300 babies 😡

billygoatsgruff1 · 23/08/2022 22:57

@Watchthesunrise pregnant with my first and wondering how you adapted GF to fit but still got sleeping babies?

HelloSpringIveMissedYou · 23/08/2022 23:00

ThisisCollie2022 · 23/08/2022 22:53

She's a waste of paper

Her books were nonsense.

Anyway, any time someone mentions Gina my brain goes "ooh aah just a lil bit" so I'm going to go now 🤪

I ooh ahh at her name too but just a little bit Grin

My DCs were born early/mid 2000s and she was all over MN, I decided to only use her methods once the DCs had also read the books Wink

MrsApplepants · 23/08/2022 23:02

Loved GF. Her methods were common sense to me and worked like a dream. But then I’m a big fan of routines for babies.

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