Gina Ford v Tina Hogg???

[FraggleRock77]

Which did you go with if any at all? I have friends who've done a mixture of both. Just trying to read up before the big day! X

Do you mean Tracey Hogg (the Baby Whisperer)?

Don't bother reading either if you are going to breastfeed - they are written for bottlefed babies and then poorly adapted to include breastfeeding. Baby Whisperer's breastfeeding advice is particularly shocking!

No Cry Sleep Solution is a good one for things you can do to create optimal sleep conditions from the start. I also found Baby Whisperer quite good for sleep training methods and little later.

I had a little NCT book - Beginners Guide to Breastfeeding - that was useful as a basic introduction and it was short so easy to refer to.

Neither. DD wouldn't stay asleep so no routine would've worked. 5 minutes after being put down asleep she would start screaming for up to 13 hours without pause (or any more sleep). She had silent reflux.

Er... neither. I just fed the baby and held the baby and kept him reasonably clean.

The Baby Whisperer worked for us because while it is a sort of routine, it wasn't time specific. DD loved it and was much happier on a rough routine than just winging it.

But it won't be for all babies. If you want to do some reading - and nothing wrong with that, don't let anyone tell you you shouldn't it if you want to! - then have a look at a few different types, so full-blown GF, the Baby Whisperer, one on a more attachment style parenting or a bf guide, so that you have lots of different ideas for when your baby is here and you can see what they might like.

God yes, Tracy Hogg!!! Baby brain x

Read a bit of both. Gina ford routine worked for us both time. Good luck

I've still missed the (e)!!! X

I'd say neither - feed your baby when hungry, help them sleep when they need to. Most babies are (contrary to popular belief) quite straightforward.

You learn their needs - they are their own person, and are fussy about different things.

You can get very very caught up in artificial routines and forget to enjoy your baby!

Congratulations by the way.

Thanks Thurlow. Just trying to get a rounded view xx

Both will be useless if you have a non- standard baby. My first was sick every time you lay him down and would fight sleep so badly he needed forcing to sleep, no laying in a cot and walking away! My second wanted to sleep loads in the early days and had to be woken to feed.

It is, however, useful to know that babies can only stand to be awake for about 90 minutes (or less) and lots won't simply fall asleep when tired, simply get more and more irate and less likely to fall asleep. I think a lot of people worry about colic, reflux and other things when faced with a screaming baby when it is simply overtiredness.

Thanks Giraffe, Anything. I think the books have some useful information. But if your baby won't fit in then it would be pointless x

I did Gina Ford. Baby, me and DH all took very well to it!

We didn't buy either book - or reference them on the internet. We just winged it, followed baby's cue. Tbh this is the first time I've heard of Tracy Hogg.

We were broke and had just spent our money on cot, clothes etc, we didn't have £20 spare for books - if we wanted advice we just asked friends/family/mumsnet.

I personally would set fire to both (books not authors, because that's wrong), but to each her own through the boggy path of motherhood, I say.

If it's upright and breathing by 12 months, either you did well, or you were quite lucky, or a mixture of the two. Feed it and hug it, and find a tribe of fellow mothers to keep you sane and laughing through the first year, and ignore any book that tells you that there is one way to do it. (That'll be £12.99, thanks).

DD1 Gina Forded us! She had already put herself neatly in the GF routine before I'd managed to read the book. The routines worked brilliantly for us. DD was following them anyway, it just meant that I had a better idea what she wanted and what was going on. That said, if you are going to read it, take it with a very large pinch of salt and be prepared to throw it away if it's going to stress you out.

I agree with giraffe. My first DC was blissfully easy first 4 weeks and vi kept him on the breast and didn't worry about routine. Then he got more alert and struggled to sleep and got very overtired. The baby whisperer became my bible in getting him more settled, watching out for cues etc ...I also think her section on baby ' types' was good too. I also used the toddler one too. I honestly think go with your instincts, enjoy your baby but have a read around too. ( however I do not rate you know who)

Neither. Work out with your baby what your baby needs. There's no such thing as "creating bad habits" with a new born.

It might help to think of the first three months as the "fourth trimester" - if you keep the baby close, kangaroo style, to one or other of its primary caregivers, (s)he is likely to be more settled than otherwise. At three months old, once you've all got to know each other, then you can decide what flavour of baby you've got and whether some (50/50 chance of being childless themself) author's prescriptions will actually suit your family. Three months old is a moment when babies tend to get much more alert, and all previous bets on their future behaviour and preferences become null and void :) [six months is another; 12 months is another...]

That made me laugh, TeaAndaNatter

Neither! But if you're planning to bf, The Food of Love by Kate Evans is very good.

Do you know anyone else with a baby or small child whose parental 'style' you admire and can see yourself being a bit like? (Whether that be very structured, very responsive to the baby, very laissez-faire)

If you do have such a person, get them to recommend the book that they found most valuable.

Childless SiL, who even now she has children has a parental 'style' I find very hard to witness, gave me Gina Ford. Friend with older children who had a 'style' I loved to spend time with, recommended Penelope Leach. Guess which one got thrown out after a couple of days?

Neither. None of my babies had every read a book and didn't know how to be model babies.

Didn't use either, or any books at all actually with either daughter. Just fed on demand as I was breastfeeding and carried on as normal as much as possible.

Exactly. Neither of mine had read the book, and what I needed was some kind of guide to 'how to think about being a mum to a tiny baby' rather than a list of 'rules to follow'.

I doubt I would have needed a book at all had I eebn within reasonable distance of that friend and my mum. Moving several thousand miles away and to a different tie zone with a six week old meant that occasionally the comfort of 'it might be in the book' was helpful!

As long as baby reads the book you'll be ok

If baby won't read the book or abide by any 'rules' like mine wouldn't just go with the flow and do whatever works for you, trust your instincts and don't sweat it

Neither. With a few noble exceptions, no sane adult follows an organised strict routine so I don't understand why we expect babies to do so. Some days you eat more, some days you eat less, some days you sleep more, some days you sleep less, some days you're in a good mood, some days you're in a bad mood - your baby is the same.

Just follow your baby's cues and you won't go far wrong.