gina ford. Opinions? Good and Bad

[gingernutlover]

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!!!!

I thinl it depends on how much you care about having a routine.

I had never heard of her until I came on mumsnet, and my boy was 18 months old then. I would have loved having someone to tell me what I might expect, because I was clueless when he was born.

I was (don't lynch me!) horrified when he slept through the night at 6 weeks old, having been tond that babies need to be fed every 3 hours at least, as they have tiny stomachs. I was petrified when he didn't wake up crying, as surely that's what babies do? They cry, right?

A routine would have sorted ME out. Never mind the baby. If you don't let a baby do what it wants when it wants, they cry so you do know what they want. I wish someone had told me that when I was hovvering over a 6 week old baby at 3 in the morning, wondering whether to wake and fed.

So I think if you have no confidence, or natural routine, GF is a good idea for you. Not sure about using it for a baby. I'm not doing it with the bean, because it wouldn't fit into the routine I have now.