Gina Ford yay or nay?

[Tracy551162]

Just finished reading the Gina Ford Comtented Little Baby book and have to say that everything she says is very logical and makes full sense. She writes and explains everyhting in a very structured way and I found it is very easy to follow.

I am now looking at The Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg and I find that book so unstructured and random, but so far she is saying the same as Gina Ford bar the odd bit here and there.

I think I am going to try with the Gina Ford method, but obviously adapting for my and my baby's own needs, and without getting in a flap if I get behind schedule.

Has ayone else read these books or tried to work by them with their babies? Am I completely mad even mentioneing the name Gina Ford? I've had a lot of negative reactions from friends, who say she's a baby nazi - most of them haven't even read the book though.

Thanks.

"I'm glad you are able to carry your baby in a sling, despite back problems. Perhaps for me, the point is, that not only do I not think I could, but I don't really wnat to either. I am going back to work tomorrow, I need ot be able to leave my baby with other adults who will not carry her round all day - so for me, it is vital that she gets used to being put down. "

I went back to work when both of mine were 6 months old, they went to a nursery where they were cared for by nursery nurses. I didn't carry them constantly, just if they were fussy or when I was out, the "Continuum Concept" as represented by "Bringing Up Baby" is just as restrictive as a rigid routine to my mind.

Monkies

What a lot of revolting bullies you all are.

It makes me feel quite sick to think that women can be quite so dreadful to one another.

Tracey - you've found yourself apologising (several times) but you shouldn't feel you have to apologise to this bunch of nutters.

Gina Ford was treated disgracefully by people posting on this site. She was personally attacked in hundreds of posts calling into question her methods, her hair?, her personality. Calling her a c-word, child-hater etc. Her crime? To write a book that many mothers swear by. It doesn't work for everybody obviously - some find her methods to be too inflexible.

Good luck with however you choose to bring up your child.

Pasquala, don't generalise. There were plenty of helpful posts in reply to Tracey's question too. I think it's fair enough that a few of the mums were a little alarmed at the post as mumsnet has been told in no uncertain terms not to discuss GF and her parenting advice on the website, be it in a positive or negative light. Bit late for that now isn't it?!

I agree that some of the anti-GFers are almost pathological in their hatred of her routines. But equally there were lots of objective replies to the question. The original question was bound to create lots of differences and clashes of opinion. I think "revolting bullies" and "bunch of nutters" is taking it a bit far. Name-calling in whatever form is pretty low that's true, but isn't that exactly what you're doing now?

sorry, only read first few posts.
I really liked it prebirth too, as you say it is very logical. However, I definitely wanted to have an adaptable baby as DH and i like to go on holiday: we want the baby to be able to follow our routine, not have us be a slave to hers. Thus, no blackout blinds, no fixed feeding/ sleeping times etc. I did find it very, very useful regarding how much sleep LO should be having, and i did roughly follow the feeding times until she fell into her own pattern. I tend to find it useful to be structured when i am in the house all day, but LO is so curious now (nearly 5 months) that she can delay her sleep if there is somehting more interesting going on. Also, now we are about to start solids at 6 months, she has her long nap after lunch, not during, so that she can watch us eat (she finds it totally fascinating!) and i can start giving her little tastes of different foods. I also find it much nicer to have between 2 and 4 pm for quality time with DH, rather than 12 till 2 when you are only preparing lunch and eating it for most of the time.
The other point i would make is that if they are in a strict routine and know what to expect at all times, what happens when life becomes less predictable? I find i can interpret DD's cries much more, because we have developed the communication for when she is not happy. I get the impression that with gina ford, you have a very contented wee baby, but that at some point when they become discontent for whatever reason, you have not built up that relationship and it can all go tits up very easily- i have certainly witnessed this with one friend who followed it to the letter and whose 2.5 year old no longer sleeps.
It also takes me much less time to feed dd than she says. a typical BF takes 5 to 10 minutes now, so the 25mins one breast, then offer the second for 10 to 15 isn't what we do

Nay nay and thrice nay

sorry, gave up at page 7 so apologies if this issue is dead in the water...but it really bugs me.

Can someone please explain why it is so often used as a criticism of GF that she has not given birth to a child?

I've had lots of clients who have given birth to lots of children. The fact that they had given birth to said children sadly meant very little about their ability to love, care, interact with said children.

I too when coming home with my daughter just felt very worried that I would kill her through sheer incompetence. She was only the second baby I'd ever held in my life.

So if you've given birth and you are flooded with joy and instincts, thats fab. But not everyone is.

And for those of us who felt worried and unsure, I'd happily take advice from a woman who has successfully cared for 100s of babies.

Just cos you're not a chef doesn't mean you can't appreciate good cooking.

Yay from me. My son is 2 now and we always found her routines gentle, warm and loving. I try not to think about the DBG (days before Gina) now. We took up her routines during week 8 after I had nearly lost my sanity through lack of sleep. I was at the point where I had only had 2 hours sleep in 48hrs. Didn't help that my son had undiagnosed reflux, but even with this he slipped so well straight into her routines that it felt like the most natural rythm in the world to put him in. I always had to adjust them slightly as advised in the book as he was a lighter sleeper than other babies and an unsettled feeder due to reflux but they worked a treat.

If you choose to follow it just please make sure you thoroughly read each bit as well as the actual routines so you can understand how to adjust them to your individual little person.

Much love,
A very contented mother

Couldn't agree more Spero.

Also an awful lot of mums leave their babies in the care of women who haven't had children or half the experience of working with babies that GF has when they drop their babies off at nursery.

If having had their own children was a mandatory qualification for looking after babies an awful lot of parents would be struggling to find childcare.

Any particular reason we are dragging up threads that are nearly 2 years old?

I think someone's been googling SWMNBM.

Sorry, didn't realise this was that old. Did a search on Gina Ford as am new to Mumsnet and wanted to share my experience of her for any new Mums. Should I have started a new thread?

If you are new to Mumsnet you might want to google mumsnet+gina ford before you start any new threads about her.

Gina Ford has no children of her own so you need to question how much she really knows. Being a mum is unlike working with someone elses child. I tried her potty training book and after 3 days of trying to follow it I wanted to take it to the garden and burn it. Try Dr Christopher Green his books are really good.

Hmm - lots of interesting and 'robust' opinions here and well done to Tracy for sticking with it; it can be quite a minefield to get to grips with MN (have also been taken aback just how aggressive it can be too - thanks, sisters). But MN can also be very informative, v funny and v supportive.
What I would like to say about GF; threw it away with DC1 - somehow got through early days and survived. DC2 put herself into a routine that she still sticks to (likes to be in bed by 6.30!!)
BUT and this is a big BUT, DC3 is 6 months and a loon. He has rarely slept for more than 3 hours. Would GF like to come round and get him a routine? I will let her film it (I am the mad-woman almost crazed from lack of sleep.) In fact, I CHALLENGE her to sort out this one because I don't know what to do.
Please come and help Gina (or anyone?)...

No Gina's too structured for me - don't fancy being told what to do with my baby at 6.12am and 17 seconds precisely!! - I prefer to go with the flow a bit more.

[Hmm] I read both GF & TH & TH is def a softer, more flexible 'routine' approach. The only piece of useful info I found by GF is the sleeping rhythms of a baby & growth spurts, which is useful to know, eg. deep sleep for 45mins, comes into a light sleep, may wake, then fall back asleep. This is where some parents can go wrong & jump in if baby wakes up after approx. 45mins, & maybe cries, but if left alone may go back to sleep. It seems as though GF forgets (& parents too)is that every baby is an individual & will blooming well do what they want to do when they want to do it! Read GF by all means, but remember ur your babies mummy, not GF, u will get to know ur baby & u will learn to be flexible to cope with ur ever changing lo.
I breastfed my dd on demand & she got into a routine at 9mths where she was on 3 feeds a day, 2hr afternoon nap & she didn't start sleeping through the night until she was 15mths old (brilliant sleeper now), & I finished BF when she was 21mths,(she is now 25mths). Gasp! What would Gina say?
Also, bear in mind that GF child care expert extraordinaire has never had children of her own. Food for thought me thinks

Hmm - Gina still hasn't contacted me to sort out my tricky baby. Maybe she doesn't ready MN afterall.

Had bot the books- yay to tracey hogg, god rest her soul. The programmes were good and the winding (colicky baby) methods she advised were brilliant with a capital b. Managed to get dd to sleep when I put her down in a cot without crying (well for 4 hours at a time - v bad sleeper)

I do not care what anyone says on here Gina Ford is fantastic i have two children who have both been brought up in the Gina ford routine and people contstantly comment on how happy they are, they both slept through the night from 8/9 weeks, i can not sing her praises enough!

Hi Gina! You know you need to pay to advertise on MN, don't you?

Nay. (And I've read and even tried her books. Don't use it as a recipe for caring for your baby - use your heart and some common sense instead and you will get infinitely better results)

I have only been a mum for 7 wks but i fink NAY to Gina, go with the flow, feed ur bubs when he/she needs it and u will slowly get to know ur baby, it is worth it and the sleepless nights do get better. I would wait until ur baby is 12wks + for a routine. Although we do now always bath our baby then massage after the evening feed. Gd luck

Tracy, you are indeed a brave woman wandering into a potential vipers' nest... lots of strong opinions on here so don't take anything personally. Also lots of lovely people on MN who lets just say have been of immense help to me in previous threads - more than they could imagine!

If you of sensitive nature maybe steer clear of the GF term and look at something innocuous like what do you think of Cheryl Cole...

Seriously, have met great girls through this site and is a useful tool for new mums if you know what to expect. Keep using! And use whatever is working for you and care a bit less waht people think - something I've learned the hard way.