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Original poster

gina ford. Opinions? Good and Bad

26 replies

gingernutlover · 10/10/2005 09:05

I have recently read her contented baby book and have started trying out the routies with my 4 week old. Although alot of it seems to be working and makes sense I am not completely happy with it as it seems very rigid and seems to go all wrong whenever we go out for the day etc - I can't just stay at home all the time!

I would really like to hear opinions on her plan, good and bad especially if you have used it successfully or not so!!!!

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PiccadillyCircus · 10/10/2005 09:09

This is a fairly emotive subject on Mumsnet; either people love her or hate her.

ladymuck · 10/10/2005 09:11

You've hit on one of the most controversial topics on MN! If I could politely suggest that you search on Gina Ford, you will see the range of opinions.

If you feel unhappy then it probably isn't for you. That said I used it for general information (how often a baby might sleep, when they're likely to change their routines), and more or less adapted her routines to suit me. Bear in mind she has written the book around one baby - many mums have older children/toddlers too!

hermykne · 10/10/2005 09:12

i think u can dip in and out of her scheduling and loosely keep it in mind,
i did it with mine, notstrictly and have to great sleepers now at 3 and 1 .

i still went out and on day trips and didnt fret/stress out too mcuyh about them notnapping etc etc.

but it does make sense for when the are older and u'd like bedtime to be around 7.30/8 to chill til ur bedtime

redeyedbloodsuckingfroggy · 10/10/2005 09:14

Works for some people, not for others

Secrets of The baby whisperer has similar techniques but less rigid routines and was a very helpful book

blondie14 · 10/10/2005 21:33

I bought the book, tried it and found it made me very stressed and feeling a failure when my son didnt do what it said in the book! after a tearful conversation with a friend with an older child, i was reminded that all babies are different and havent read the book!!! After that i made a daily routine that makes us both happy. I would say at 4 weeks, just enjoy your baby and worry about routines at a later date. I personally feel that a routine will develop natuarlly as you get to know your baby.

soapbox · 10/10/2005 21:34

Oh my word - you are brave

Rhubarb · 10/10/2005 21:38

Well, with any baby book I think the general advice is to take the bits that fit with you, and discard the bits that don't. Just like Mumsnet really, you listen to the opinions that you like!

I used her for my two kids, with dd it worked a treat but with ds less well. It is very rigid, I stuck with it until they were both happily into the routine, then I felt confident enough to change it a little to suit my own needs. She does advise this too, to that your social life doesn't need to be put on hold.

spidermama · 10/10/2005 21:41

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WigWamBam · 10/10/2005 21:41

Hard hats on and riot shields at the ready ...

I preferred to let my dd find her own routine rather than impose one onto her that had been written by someone who had never met my dd and who (if I remember rightly) hasn't actually got children of her own. But some people swear by her, and if it works for them then that's great.

spidermama · 10/10/2005 21:44

Yup. Well put.

Rhubarb · 10/10/2005 21:46

Hmmm, depends on how confident a mother you are I suppose. I came across her with my first child, she was 3 months old, sleeping all day and awake most of the night, I was too tired to play with her during the day and didn't have anyone to turn to for advice. I tried the book and within 3 days she was napping for half an hour in the morning, 2 hours in the afternoon and sleeping 8 hours every night - I felt so liberated! I think if I had left her to find her own routine, we would have had to put up with nocturnal activities for quite a while!

But then I was lucky that my baby seemed to fall into that routine, as I said, ds was more difficult, and as he spent a good few months of his life living in a caravan, we had to be more flexible with him, but I certainly paid for it during the night!

Read her book, but you need to be confident in your own abilities as a mother too. If it doesn't work for you, then not to worry, all babes are different and you might need to try something else. Just treat it like a kindly bit of advice from someone who has spent a lot of time with babies. Don't rely on it too much.

hermykne · 10/10/2005 21:49

my hard hat is on

i read an archived interview article in the guardian with GF, and she came accross wholely nice and totally in empathy with mothers .she said she would like to have had a family but it didnt happen that way for her and her mums pnd was her main reason for "helping" new mums,
might do a link or maybe its been on here before.

i think some new mums/dads feel so lost in the new parenting world and she offers some sort of stability to an uncertain situation, but gets taken far too seriously

QueenVictoria · 10/10/2005 21:50

Not a fan personally. She works for some, but it doesnt account for any variables or personalities.

QueenVictoria · 10/10/2005 21:50

Not a fan personally. She works for some, but it doesnt account for any variables or personalities.

piglit · 11/10/2005 09:36

Personally I can't stand what she does but I know that some people are big fans of hers. TBH until someone has had a baby I wouldn't listen to any advice they had about sleep/leaving to cry etc, no matter how many babies she's looked after. Once you've had your own all your ideas and plans pre-db go out of the window. Every baby is different. What bothers me is that health visitors seem to be adopting a pro-GF attitude. I was given a serious telling off by a HV when I admitted that my 6 month ds didn't sleep through the night. He still doesn't at a year old but I lie to the HVs!!

buffytheharpsichordcarrier · 11/10/2005 10:36

no, you can't just stay at home all the time, that's right.
Keep the bits that are working for you.
ditch the rest. if a particular routine doesn't work for you, then change it.
if you find it is sapping your confidence or making you feel unhappy then chuck the book in the bin and ind a more supportive and helpful source of advice.

woosmummy · 12/10/2005 17:54

main aspect of GF that worked for woo was making sure he got most of his milk before "bedtime" . baby wisperer good, but again, use what makes sense to you and yours!

weesaidie · 12/10/2005 18:20

Not for me. As you say, too rigid. But I can see why it helps some people.

I agree with WWB. Luckily for me my dd was fairly easy and fell into her own flexible routine. The only thing that annoys me at times is if people assume that because you don't have some regimented baby book routine your life is chaotic!

My dd and I had our own routine which worked for us.

bosscat · 12/10/2005 18:42

I loved it for ds1, felt really lost and loved the routines and it worked. Didn't even open the page for ds2 because I was more confident and he fell into his own routine more easily. If you are someone who needs routines in their life (like me) you will probably use bits of the book and ditch the bits you can't do (like never leaving the house). This is a really emotive subject on MN because people have totally different parenting perspectives so some find the idea of letting a baby cry abhorent. I personally don't within reason obviously so it wasn't such a shock to the system.

homemama · 13/10/2005 20:09

Eating toast with one hand at 7.48am precisely whilst expressing 4oz exactly with the other!!!!!!
I lasted 3 days!

Mosschops30 · 13/10/2005 20:22

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HausOfHorrors · 13/10/2005 20:25

This reply has been deleted

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Mojomummy · 13/10/2005 21:26

no, but it might do - I LOVE her !! & have all her books

I moved DD over to a combination of her & tracy Hogg, until DD woke up at 7amish, then we were GF all the way.

You don't have to stay in all day - I found the important naps were the 9am ones & the meal times (from 6mths).

I could also cope with being told to have toast & orange juice at 8:15 - I know alot of people can't

DD (27mths) was & still is a contended child, she sleeps a good 1.5 - 2 hours at noon & has slept through the night from about 6wks & was breastfed.

I can't complain, especially as I have seen friends struggle with babies that are still up past 9/10pm

ellasmum1 · 13/10/2005 21:43

Loved Gina F,hated baby whisperer book-too wishy washy for me.Liked the Black and white approach of Gina.Could not have lived without that G F book.My daughter is a superb sleeper (and did definately not start out that way )and people constantly comment on her sunny nature.Very nearly three now and still waiting for a proper tantrum.In my experience she only shows tantrum type behaviour if she didnt sleep well(due to illness for example).Makes me think about how many kids labelled difficult/naughty etc might actually just missing a decent sleep routine.i know plenty of friends who manage with children who wake up/get into their bed every night but i know i simply could not function if i didnt get 8 hrs decent sleep a night.(apart from when you have a newborn of course!!).I didnt enforce the routine thing till she was around 3 mths though.She had horrendous colic before this so routines didnt seem to work.

logic · 13/10/2005 21:48

Level 5 containment field required for this thread methinks...

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