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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think there is no way my baby will ever manage a Gina Ford routine?

313 replies

Aliveinwanderland · 30/12/2016 20:38

Someone recommended the Gina Ford book to me. Read it through and just laughed! There is no chance my 9 week old DS would manage that routine!

I am wanting to get him a little more structure after Christmas but according to Gina Ford he should be sleeping through from 10:30-7am by now. DS goes no longer than 3 hours between feeds and only feeds for 5-10 mins at a time. Gina says I should be doing 20 minutes on one breast and then 10 minutes on another- how on earth is someone suppose to force a baby take this much?

Gina Ford has gone back on the bookshelf never to be read again. But if anyone has any sensible advice about how to promote longer sleeping at night, or a good day time routine then please share!

OP posts:
FATEdestiny · 30/12/2016 20:57

But if anyone has any sensible advice about how to promote longer sleeping at night

  • feed more frequently during the day
  • limit awake time during the daytime
  • dummy
  • swaddle
  • sidecar cot (full sized cot with one side removed)

or a good day time routine then please share!

EASY

Eat
Awake Activity
Sleep
You time

Repeat cycle from when you get up until you go to bed.

EsmesBees · 30/12/2016 20:57

I remember reading it in desperation when mine was tiny and laughing at her suggestion that between 4-4.45 (or something) would be a good time to leave the house for a walk. I'd have gone stir crazy stuck in alone with a new born all day.

Don't worry OP, they all find their own routine given time.

MsVestibule · 30/12/2016 20:58

I followed the Gina Ford routines when my first DC was about 12 weeks. We'd noticed that she'd started to fall into the pattern anyway, so I just honed her routine a little. There's no way she was sleeping through from 9 weeks, though!!

I know she gets a ton of stick on here (and the HVs at the children's centre weren't happy with me) but it worked really well for us. I had a rough idea what was going to happen when in the day and gave me back a feeling of control.

I don't see why it matters that she hasn't had any children herself - does a midwife need to have given birth, or an oncologist have had cancer? Having one baby makes you an expert on your baby, it doesn't make you more qualified to comment on anybody else's than a child free person.

turquoisetoad · 30/12/2016 20:58

Ha! Ha! My MIL kindly gave me this book 14 years ago when my first child was born. It didn't work. At all.

Heirhelp · 30/12/2016 20:58

My HV advised me against GF. She said is has made a lot of Mums and babies unhappy over the years.

We only managed bf for 6 weeks but my baby only dropped from to 2 night feeds at 6 months. That is not to mention the wakes up just to check I am still there, pull my hair or whatever it is she does.

witsender · 30/12/2016 20:59

Gina ford is old school. Thankfully her methods aren't seen as much as they were.

Pumpkinnose · 30/12/2016 21:01

I exclusively breast fed and followed Gina Ford. Very happy contented babies and happy parents. So I absolutely did it (twice) with exclusively breast fed babies and disagree that it's only for formula fed babies. Kept me sane throughout. The controversial fact was that I was never concerned about waking a sleeping baby - that's where lay the key and I had no issues with that.

Mabelface · 30/12/2016 21:02

Sadly, babies can't read books. Wink

mishmash1979 · 30/12/2016 21:02

I tried it with my last 2 babies and loved the daytime routine. I didn't follow so strictly but her advice eventually enabled my boys to sleep for 2 hours at lunchtime at the same time till they were 4 yrs old. If it doesn't work then u have lost nothing. I didn't start till 4m though

Brighteyes27 · 30/12/2016 21:02

I loosely followed GF with PFB and it seemed to work perfectly for him. He was was bottle fed and an extremely contented happy baby boy. However, we tried it with DD and she was fine during the day but a very unsettled sleeper when going down at night she is nearly 12 and regularly messes about until after 11pm. DS still loves his bed and is an early riser.

Gymnopedies · 30/12/2016 21:02

What worked for my breastfed babies is monitoring awake time between nap. So for example at 8 weeks DD would go 2 hours between naps, then at 12 weeks I noticed she would now go 3 hours. I would watch when she was getting tired (putting hand behind ear, avoiding eye contact, yawning, etc...) or hungry and then work out the awake time.

IamScarfaceClaw · 30/12/2016 21:03

Off topic but for a long time I got confused between posters being GF (goady fuckers) and GF (Gina Ford) ....I assumed being a Gina Ford was the ultimate insult.....

BreatheDeep · 30/12/2016 21:03

The day I put down all baby routine books with my first was the day I actually started to enjoy being a mum and relaxed. DS fell into his own routine when he was ready and it worked perfectly well.

Heirhelp · 30/12/2016 21:04

Easy is a great routine. The only thing that helped my DD reduce the amount of feeds was cosleeping.

JemimaMuddledUp · 30/12/2016 21:04

DS1 was formula fed from 2 weeks onwards as my milk didn't come in after having a crash section. The fact that he was formula fed probably helped, although DS2 who was breast fed slept through from 10pm till around 6am at around 6-8 week. They were both big babies so could take a lot at each feed, regardless of whether it was formula or breast milk. DD was early and much smaller so took a lot longer to sleep through.

coconutpie · 30/12/2016 21:05

Clearly Gina Ford hates babies. Her methods are awful. She's not even a parent.

WelliesAndPyjamas · 30/12/2016 21:07

But if anyone has any sensible advice about how to promote longer sleeping at night, or a good day time routine then please share!

Yes, but not anything I would share for a 9 week old baby, who needs more frequent feeds/cuddles/reassurance than an older baby. At this age, it is totally ok to follow your instincts and follow baby's needs 🙂 Based on my personal experience (somehow managed to rear 3 happy and stable dc!), there is nothing wrong or abnormal at all with a 9 week old baby that wakes in the night! It's what they do. When they are 14 and struggle to wake up for school in the morning, you will be allowed to remind them of that 😄

Ab1000 · 30/12/2016 21:07

Greenandwinter - This may well have been the best thing for you and your family, and I'm glad it worked for you. As a breastfeeding helper I would have supported you in this if this is what you needed. However, what you said could be misinterpreted. Formula does not necessarily help babies sleep through the night, and for some children , in the long run, it can bring many more problems than it solves."

I didn't state that it aided sleep all I said was gf gave me structure and a pattern which no one else did. In my depressed state this was what I needed. I couldnt handle the unstructured approach of on demand breastfeeding. My babies have both grown up allergy free. There were no problems only a solution

Caper86 · 30/12/2016 21:07

Get Hurrah for gin instead - will make you feel a lot better :)

WelliesAndPyjamas · 30/12/2016 21:07

What Breathedeep said 👍

FucksSakeSusan · 30/12/2016 21:10

Oh god, you mentioned her name! It's like saying Voldemort!

OFFFS · 30/12/2016 21:11

Going back 10 years or so, Gina Ford was suing mumsnet and became SWMNBM. It was a very tricky time for MN so this thread may disappear.

I turned to GF at 8 weeks in desperation and it actually saved my sanity. Loosely following the feeding (excl breastfed) and sleep routines DS1 - now 15 - doesn't show any psychological damage. Wink

AliceInUnderpants · 30/12/2016 21:13

Ahh... I met my best friend 8 years ago thanks to Mumsnet and Gina Ford Grin

Purplebluebird · 30/12/2016 21:15

Eww Gina Ford Grin

GimmeeMoore · 30/12/2016 21:17

Back in the day,Gina ford and mumsnet hq were embroiled in a big mêlée
To the extent lawyers et al were involved
All got Quite polarised with gf devotees heatedly slugging it out with gf detractors.