anyone read gina ford's book?

[notsoslimnow]

hi wondering what people's thoughts were on her idea of putting baby down for a daytime nap on his own in his ''big cot''????

I read the book and after trying to follow it and feeling like I was going mad - as it was completely unrealistic - I asked dp to burn it Felt much better then!!

oh heck, im so sorry ladies, i had no idea about any kind of trouble on this subject with mn.i was just intersted to hear people's thought and opinions as at the moment im about half way through and am finding it hard going in parts.however as a first time mum (baby due a week on sunday) i feel i really want to read something on babies as i have never even so much as changed a nappy!! i do kind of like the idea though of having short naps in nursery cot for example while im upstairs in the next door room (office for us) with monitor on just to be safe.i would like to get baby used to sleeping in different places and differnt crib/pram carry cot/cot etc. obviously with me very close by with monitor etc and only for short naps.however i know some people have told me this is unacceptable due to risks of cot death.......bit confusing really!

read healthy sleep habits happy child by marc weissbluth and how to enjoy year one by rachel waddilove. both excellent. No idea on GF..never read any of her stuff.

GF no good for us. Baby Whisperer worked well though. you find your own way in the end.

greenbeanie - I sold mine on eBay which was also a satisying way to get rid of it!

Trust your instincts Notso, you don't need anything else. You'll be fine!

I read it out of curiosity and found it v. preachy. I think the danger of following it to the letter would be that you would end up feeling like a failure when the baby doesn't follow the timetable set out and also that it could potentially dampen down your natural parenting instincts. Dr Sears is much better but to be honest I wish I hadn't bothered with ANY books!

I really wish I hadnt read GF before my first baby as I had a baby who had to be held and cuddled to sleep and of course thats what I ended up doing. However due to a complete lack of confidence in myself and what I was doing the book just made me feel bad, and that I was failing because I wasnt in a fixed routine and she wouldnt go down on her own. In the end she found her own routine and of course over time it gently changed. With DD2 I just went with her and enjoyed it and was happy rather than stressed. I think you may have a baby who settles very quickly ad easily into a GF routine and so it could work for you, but I would say please dont worry (or be surprised) if your baby has its own ideas. You may be much more level headed and pragmatic than I was when the baby arrives and be able to toss the book aside if its not working without beating self up. If you find yourself cuddling your baby to sleep- it is a phase and it passes soon enough, enjoy every minute.

what is "good bottle feeding practice"?

I followed GF to the letter with DS1 and he was sleeping through, from 10pm-7am, by 8 weeks old. That's why I did it: I was determined that DS1 was going to fit in to my life, iyswim.

It works, but it isn't very cosy. With DS2, I just cuddle him a lot. Consequently, he is still waking up at 4am (at 7 months old)!

see how you get on without it but if you are struggling and exhausted, give GF a go. It worked wonders for us and DS was infinitely happier within days of being in a more structured routine. I'm a routine-y kind of person though so I found it easy to follow (although not rigidly, theres no need), just depends what you and your baby are like.

on the cot thing - when tiny, ds would not sleep in moses basket/buggy or cuddled up to me. took a long time to work out that he really liked to get stretched out in his big cot! he's now 4 and he is very much a person who likes his own space, oh, if only you could have a sneak preview of the kid before you have the baby, you could be so much more in tune with them! good luck with whatever you do, I'm sure you'll do fine.

with a bottle? This is new to me (and totally irrelevant as DCs are 4 and 2) but am still interested.

so no bottle every three hours going up to four hours? really? so like breastfeeding but with a bottle?

sorry my post was to Starlight as a bit of an aside.

GF freaked me out.

is penelope leach out of favour now

malfoy, yes it would be good practice in theory, but I imagine both carer and baby would get into a state, and need GF to sort them out

That shoud have been a

She was quite popular on here for a while, wasn't she?

Hi there, When I was pregnant I read all the books Gina Ford, Baby Whisperer etc and felt like I was mega prepared for the arrival. What I actually found was during those first few weeks when it is all really overwhelming I kept obessing about this routine I needed to get her into. It made me feel like I was failing before I had even begun as I wanted to feed her every three hours and guess what she hadn't read the book !!
My top top advice to you would be, take it all in and you will find..IN TIME.. that there are some really good tips and that a routine does help but spend those first few weeks just going with it and enjoying each other. There is plenty of time to get a routine established, it will all slot into place. As for sleeping in a cot for daytime nap, again its a good habit to form but it doesn't have to be done right at the very start. Whatever causes you least stress to begin with, go with it !
Hope that helps.
Nighty night x