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

[LemonJellyKelly]

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.

Hence my post.

It's been an interesting read. I was always quite chilled with mine - eat and sleep whenever suits.

I certainly didn't do the cleaning etc whilst baby was sleeping for a good few weeks (months?!)

I wasn't on Mumsnet until about 3 years ago.

I remember when my niece was born though, 3 years before my second and walking in the park with my brother - all of a sudden he panicked and said it's her nap time, we need to get her back! Huh? She's asleep in pram, I'm not sure she cares where she naps.

I didn't do any antenatal classes with second. I don't even remember them being offered. Maybe as soon was emergency c sec and they booked me for elective.

I asked a question and the answers have been great. I don't want to know why there was a lawsuit or whatever, I was genuinely wondering (that I'd been under a rock)

I guess whatever approach suits.

Put it this way, I'm on sofa bed whilst 25 year old is in my bed 🤣

I followed Gina ford routines fairly closely and it was brilliant for my son. He loved the routines- needed more sleep than she recommended but everyone is different. He was definitely more content on a routine. As a complete baby novice it was a godsend, worked for us all.

Oh god that name brings back memories. My SIL followed the routine and made everyone around her also.

Still can remember my MIL reading the list we were given to mind niece for three hours, we laughed so much.

It was military style, 0704, baby up, 0713 bottle, 0723 wind,0736 etc etc.

I remember handing my son over to MIL, with the advice, he loves early 80s music and heading off.

🤣 - Oi little human, you're not doing what it says you should be doing!

May as well get the ASBO out of the way now.

Exactly

That's really good to hear. Like I say asking as interested.

I was 21 when pregnant with first. The only guidance I had was the NHS book - birth to 5 years (wtf?!!) Magazines and a book that Rhonda at work gave to me whilst wishing me luck 🤣

You have your own opinion.

Maybe if you read my posts you will recognise a genuine question.

No, I had never heard of her.

I'm a grandmother now, baby 3 months old. Probably why it has peaked my interest.

I certainly know that my 25 and 13 year olds couldn't give a shit.

Not biting

My older 2 kids weren’t GFd but they were extremely easy babies and they followed our routines rather than us following theirs which was important because the older one was in school when the younger one was born and so needed to be far more flexible in a routine and sleeping on the go. I had friends doing GF when I had DD2 and meeting up with them was a nightmare at any time of the day. They seemed stressed although the baby’s admittedly seemed fine. Our older kids slept wherever they landed, cots, in prams, car trips on evenings out, holidayed like a dream and were extremely portable. Napped well and slept through the night very early.

Then came satans spawn in sleep terms (adorable child otherwise) DS he slept aged 3. Turned out he was ND and that was just his make up so I’m not sure GF would have had much luck with him either. It is all down to the babies themselves and plain good luck imho.

@Rounddog I think it is, each little one is going to have a personality of their own. Im trying to remember back - son born 9lbs6 and was very long. Never seemed to be too much trouble. Weaned at 16 weeks on HV advice. Grew to be 6'5 🤣

DD born 5lbs12 - I think she was waking every 3 hours for a feed - probably because it's all a bit of a blur!

@Derbee Nobody is asking you too.

Name came up on a thread and I questioned. I have no motive to shit stir, as you can see - I haven't.

Fully expecting thread to be gone by morning though. I shall now launch myself on to the sofa bed in lounge knowing that neither of my kids upstairs gives a shit 🤣

Did I say 2003 for second?

Was 2009. So 1997 and 2009.

Missed it all and confused self during the process 🤷

No one likes a smuggo.

Whatever you do, don’t say her name five times while looking in the mirror. Or am I thinking of a different person?

I don't mind a bit of Gina. Didn't use her but the baby whisperer who I think was only mildly diluted.

There were no babies falling asleep in arms. Oh no. There were SCHEDULES.

It totally worked for us.

Exactly@MrsTerryPratchett so I kept those smug feelings absolutely to myself. Until 10 years later on an anonymous forum with people who predominantly live thousands of miles away 😉

I had a DC in 2009. She was everywhere.

I had mine in 2006 & 2008 and she was everywhere - I find it amazing you hadn’t heard of her, it was what everyone talked about at baby meet ups. I didn’t like it, too structured for me, but it did make me vaguely attempt to create some sort of routine which I probably wouldn’t have bothered with beforehand as felt I probably should as everyone else was.

I didn't read or follow the Gina Ford method in the early 2000's when I had both DC but knew plenty who did. You don't know what you don't know and presumably friends at the time didn't mention her so you just weren't aware.

I'd heard of her when DD was born in 2006. At the time, some parents swore by her methods, others called them cruel.

My DD wasn't trained by GF. We just, sort of, muddled through.

I must not be fully awake yet as I my befuddled mind just said "Ah yes Gina Ford! I remember her she sang Just a Little Bit! Ooh ah! A little bit more!" 😂😅🎤

But yes, now all the Gina Ford stuff is coming back to me. When I had my first in 2009 her books and routines were still going strong, and as a younger mum with not much support I did rather see them as gospel. By the time I had my second in 2012, she had been rather knocked from her pedestal. With the benefit of experience and more confidence, I was more baby led and less rigid that time. Now after a 10 year gap I've just had my third and it's a very different, much more relaxed and enjoyable experience than the fraught routines and guilty feeling of following the Gina Ford method. I now fully enjoy smiling back and making eye contact with my 3 month old no matter the time of day or night and she sleeps brilliantly!

I too used Gina Ford on both of mine but adapted it to suit my children.

I only stuck to the nap and feeding times I didn’t do all the dark room stuff if we were out they just slept in the pushchair.

the main thing for me was the dream feed at around 10pm. I noticed lots of babies would go to bed at 7pm and last until 2am then go back down after a feed, so the dream feed “shifted” the long stretch for us which meant much better quality sleep for all.

i also adapted the schedule to suit. My daughter (first child) the nap times and routine suited her perfectly.

My son never napped much, he preferred to just have one longer nap in the middle of the day and go to bed earlier at night.

if they had a growth spurt I’d feed them more of course or earlier.

daughter slept through from 6 and a half weeks (after dream feed) and son from 9 weeks.

it saved my sanity.

I don’t know why it gets such bad press.

carrying my babies in slings, co sleeping, no routine is right for some babies and mums and that’s fine by me. I don’t judge that so it really upsets me when people are bothered about the way I preferred routine. We’re all individual.

Her book is the only one I have ever put in the bin - I couldn’t inflict it on someone else.

My third baby would have broken GF

Amazed this is still here!