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Original poster

Contented Little Baby Book - Does it work?!

29 replies

missingmargarita · 25/06/2011 13:25

I've been reading the Contented Little Baby Book, and don't really want to get into the rights and wrongs of it, but does it work?

It sounds like it might be hard to follow the routines as strictly as you need to, but does it work as well as she says it will?

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Jojay · 25/06/2011 13:31

It depends.

It was great for Ds1, and I didn't even begin to attempt it for DS2.

DS1 was a very sleepy baby who was slow to regain his birthweight and wasn't that interested in feeding. So her structure was great as it meant I woke him regularly to feed, and he fell into the routine very easily. He slept through at 3-4 months and was generally a joy to have around.

Ds2 fed round the clock for weeks and hated being put down, he was a real velcro baby. I didn't attempt it at all with him as he made his needs very clear and it would have been traumatic for all. He fell into his own routine at 4 months or so, slept through at 8 months and is now, at 2, an excellent sleeper and eater, and has been for a very long time.

It can work, but it's not the only way to end up with a contented baby!

louboutinslover · 25/06/2011 13:53

Used it for both my boys and have never looked back. I am truly Gina's biggest fan. It works so well that I am 20 weeks pregnant with number 3. Stick to the routines and it pays dividends very quickly. Both my boys slept through from 6 weeks and 9 weeks respectively. So, I cannot sing her praises enough. Good luck!

Icoulddoitbetter · 25/06/2011 14:02

Think about the type of person you are. I bought it more out of curiosity with no real intention of following it. For me the benefit was the entertainment of reading it!

There was no way I could have commited to her regimented routines. I do like to feel in control, but following something so strict would have increased my stress levels ten-fold if my baby hadn't "complied".

I also feel that with a bf baby it'd be very difficult to influence the feeding pattern as much as you would need to with GF. With DS, he was fed on demend for a very long time, and when night feeds became too much, we used our own strategies to gently wean him off them. He slept through from about 8 months.

Meglet · 25/06/2011 14:05

It worked for DS. I didn't have a clue what I was doing and can't cope without routine so I tried it and he was a lot happier . It didn't work for DD until she was 5mo as she was bf for longer and I was eager to not mess up bf and didn't have the time to express much.

Both of mine are having a lunchtime nap right now, DS is 4.6 and DD is 2.8.

nannyl · 25/06/2011 14:20

Im another Gina contented baby fan (though there are many many people who positively hate it)

Most babies i have nannied for , during the past 10 years have used it (and ate / slept / napped well from a very very early age, compared to other baby friends without a routine who didnt) I have not nannied for any babies who have not got on with it..... and most have continued with a decent 1 -2 hour afternoon nap (yay peace! ) until well beyond their 3rd birthday, and reliably slept 7 - 7 at night time, unless ill.

Im 29 weeks pg, and once breast feeding is established hope to get my baby onto it from 3 weeks or so ish. (those first few days and weeks I will let baby eat and sleep when he wants regardless if day or night, but come 3 -4 weeks id like baby to eat more during the day, and have his / her longer spell of sleep at night!)

Also personally i like to use it as a guide to feed / nap / sleep times, and not worry to much if you are 5/10/ 15 mins out here and there some days.
I think trying to do it exactly can be quite stressful, but using it as a rough guide is more helpful and realistic.

JimmyChoo17 · 25/06/2011 17:27

Reading this with interest...I have the book free from a magazine....JBUT so many mums have advised against it...I've not asked why before...anyone know why so many are anti Gina? Also can u introduce her methods later on or is it from birth only?

I really need to dig it out....I'll be bf tho.

msbuggywinkle · 25/06/2011 18:46

As you've asked, my only real problem with it is the lack of demand feeding. Demand feeding is proven to be the best way to establish supply and to ensure that your baby is getting the amount of milk that they need, for some women, scheduled feeding will interfere with their supply even if it is begun some weeks after birth.

My other objection is more one based on personality so it clearly won't apply to all. Basically, I like the flexibility not having a set routine gives.

Scaredycat3000 · 25/06/2011 19:21

Try Googleing Gina Ford Mumsnet libel. It's a touchy subject on this site. As with everything else with babies some people will swear by a product and others will hate it. I think you will find out if it works for you and your baby with time.

justinhawkinsnavalfluff · 25/06/2011 19:29

Only works if baby has read as well

fraktious · 25/06/2011 19:59

Some babies are GF babies, some aren't. IME it doesn't work for babies with reflux or any kind of stomach problem.

edwinbear · 25/06/2011 20:26

It worked for DS. But, I still fed on demand, I stuck with the timings as far as I could but I did incorporate flexibility when I needed to. I'm a routine sort of person and felt I needed a bit of structure to my day. DS (22 months) has always slept well, slept through from 5.5 months and now sleeps 7-7 with a good 2 or 3 hr nap at lunchtime. Maybe it's more luck than anything but I'll be following it again with DC2.

nicolamumof3 · 25/06/2011 21:42

Was too regimented for me the times baby had tonnap were when I was on way home from school run in morning. I am a routine led mummy but the baby whisperer was a far more workable approach for us and plan to use again for baby no.4

mrswarthog · 25/06/2011 21:49

Loved it, worked well for me with both DC, both still in the routine, good eaters & sleepers despite being vv different from each other.

breadandhoney · 25/06/2011 21:52

Worked like a dream from 6 months. Didn't know about it til then. Best thing we ever did!

tryingtocookacurry · 25/06/2011 21:58

Absolutely brilliant book! It worked for me and dd!

stella1w · 25/06/2011 22:03

didn't work for me for three reasons I think

I had a very clingy baby who needed lots of contact
I was bfing on demand and the book doesn't take that into account with all its routines
it really is written from the point of view of a maternity nurse who can look after a newborn fulltime ie. not from the point of view of a mother who still has to carry on a normal life eg. go to the shops, take care of older child etc. GF is very against taking baby out and about if they will miss their naps or sleep in stroller (she says this is not good). Well, frankly, I'd rather be out and about rather than going insane alone indoors.

That said, if you like routine and your baby does too, it's great..

perrinelli · 25/06/2011 22:08

I think it might have some post natal depression to answer for!
No, only joking really, I think it's good to have the advice and routines in the back of your mind as a guide, and useful bits about no. of hours sleep babies normally need at different ages, and I did find it useful and successful for DD1 but only from about 3 months.

BUT a word of caution,

Please don't think it will definitely 'work' for your baby, and that if it doesn't work, it is your fault or something you are doing wrong. THAT is the point to throw it out the window! I swotted up on it before she was born and felt quite smug confident it would all go swimmingly, and then it didn't for a while.

My advice would be to read it but keep an open mind, and not try to apply the routines from birth but just go with the flow for a bit then use it when you feel ready to move to more of a routine. Also to read other stuff .e.g baby whisperer etc. to get a balanced view

silkenladder · 26/06/2011 08:15

I started reading a friend's copy when DD was 5 months and had never slept longer than 3 hours at a stretch. It was very persuasive and convincing until I read about putting the baby down for a nap at 9am. The advice to leave it screaming, if necessary for a whole hour , and to wake it at 10, even if it had fallen asleep at 9.53, was very counter-intuitive.

It is very distressing to listen to your own baby crying, even if newborn crying barely registers as such for non-parents. There are probably babies who fit into the CLB routines without much crying, so it's possibly worth trying. Certainly the abstract idea of having a 4 month old who sleeps 7-7 sounds fantastic.

However, you might like to read some of the books on the "other side", such as Sue Gerhardt's "Why Love Matters" (written by a psychologist, so a bit dry), or search the MN archives for the webchat with Helen Ball, a sleep researcher, which discussed the issues around successful breastfeeding and baby's sleep.

KenDoddsDadsDog · 26/06/2011 08:27

The rough timetable around naps and bedtime worked well. You can do that and still leave the house/ BF on demand.
In reality, without the paranoia of a new mother a lot of what worked for me is basic common sense.

MrsDrOwenHunt · 26/06/2011 08:40

wow do u need a book now on how to bring up a baby? shit!! i wonder what book my nan used when my dad was born? or babies born 60 years ago?

LawrieMarlow · 26/06/2011 08:44

There were books a long time ago - I have a copy of the book that a relation used in the 1930s I think - called The Motherhood Book. That was pretty prescriptive about everything.

smallpotato · 26/06/2011 08:55

Tbh anything that advocates leaving a newborn baby to cry is bonkers and cruel imo. You get out what you put in... Wasn't there some research that discovered the less a baby was left to cry in the 1st 6 months of their life the less they cried and the more settled/happy they were at age 6-12 months?

Both mine were cuddled and fed whenever they wanted, now age 3 and 1 they both nap and sleep well at night no problem.

Each to their own but I know lots of people who bought the book and noone who has stuck to it!

wearenotinkansas · 26/06/2011 08:58

Tried CLBB for DD1 for about 2 weeks. Was mixed feeding (mainly bf) and just couldn't make the timetable work. Started to feel like a total failure and cried. Eventually threw it in the bin and trusted my instincts. DD now 4 and very contented!

I would recommend her potty training book though! Worked a treat.

clairefromsteps · 26/06/2011 10:27

Yes, it worked for our twins brilliantly. I know some people who say it's terrible to let a baby cry, but I found that my two very rarely cried as the routines anticipate when your baby will be hungry/overstimulated/whatever and there will be an instruction to feed/put down for a nap/change nappy etc. I may have just been blessed with very easy-going babies, though!

The only problem I found with GF is that to make the routines work you need to follow them to the letter. Not easy if you have other children to look after too. I'm currently 38 weeks with DC3, and I'm not going to try and follow the routines to the letter this time. I will however follow the basic premise, which is to wake them at 7am, cram as much milk into them during the day, put them down for a nap at lunchtime and do bath, boob, bed at 7pm.

porcupine11 · 26/06/2011 21:46

It worked with both my DCs from the age of around 4/5 months, in terms of putting them down at Gina's suggested nap times, and waking them up if they were sleeping past the wake up time. I used my own ways of getting them to sleep, no crying it out. (I can't actually find anywhere in the book that says cry it out). Gina's brilliant tip of blacking out the room worked so, so well with my second DC.

The result of controlling the naps was that they were perfectly primed to sleep at 7pm each night, giving me the evening free to work. At night I reverted to earth mother mode and fed them as and when, neither slept through until age of 11 or 12 months. So it 'worked' in one way but not in another.

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