Gina CLB Book - Have tried it with my 8 mth old - having doubts??

[tori26]

I have been following the routines for my 8 mth old. We start our day at 8am and end it at 7.30pm. He has his two naps and sleeps through the night however I find that I can't go out anywhere as I have to be back for his naps. This

oops, enid, too late now i'm afraid!

I agree with Hales'comment about following our instincts. I'll be a devil's advocate here and say that we should just throw the damn books away and do what we feel is right for our children and our families! At the end of the day, do you really care what GF thinks, or anybody else for that matter? Does it matter if you follow GF, or anybody else? Be brave and do what you want to do!

I have to say that I've never used GF books. I will occasionally glance through books re. child development, but that's it. The way I see it is that my mother certainly didn't bring up a family of four using reference books, it's pure instinct and as long as your babies/toddlers are happy then you will be happy and that is all that should matter.

sorry to disagree - 'it's pure instinct'. Well, maybe......

To love, cherish, nuture and protect is instictive for most mothers. However, the added dilemmas of feeding problems, sleep problems, illnesses and developmental stages can be an unknown minefield for the first time mum. An advanced oral tradition based around the proximity of extended family groups before the industrial revolution and the closeness of life in pre industrialised days allowed a group upbringing of children, to some extent, and the sharing of wisdom and experience. In our fragmented post modern age, where families split, move around th country (or indeed the world), remarry and where we often don't even know the names of our neighbours, where do you think we are going to acquire this vital knowledge?? Books and groups such as nct play a VITAL roll in informing ourselves, offering confirmation of our instincts and answers when we are at the end of our tethers. Glad I got that off my chest

To add to manna's point, the fact that any of us use Mumsnet proves that instinct alone won't do it ! We do ask our mum, our friends, the GP, the HV, other mumsnet mums.... and authors. A lot of answers provided on mumsnet usually come from a knowledge we have received from one of the above mentioned sources.
And while I am all for trusting your instincts, that's not always what works best (all the time) for everyone.

I guess what Meadow and Mel are saying is that you should take what you want from a number of sources and then do what feels right for you, rather than following one path to the exclusion of all other ideas. And before anyone reads that as being a dig at GF Mums it most emphatically is NOT!

The 'GF Effect' is weird. When things are going well and I look at the book I am convinced the woman is a childless control freak. It has no humanity in it. But when things are going wrong its always the first book I turn to and I find all sorts of comforts in it. I agree with other comments though - you take what you need from it and be flexible so that you can enjoy family life rather than feeling paranoid about it.

We have just come back form a family holiday where we were staying with some friends who have 2 kids( 18months, 4.5yrs, Our DD is 7months). DD is sort of on a GF routine but like many of you have had real dilemma as to whether it is a good thing or not and over the last few weeks with the support form mumsnet I have modified GF and so have my own version. Anyway I was quite worried about staying with our freinds and keeping to the routine. It was ok in the end. Sometimes she got her full sleep in the day and other days she didn't and surprisingly I didn't make much difference. If she missed some of her big nap I would put her down for half hour later on in the day. We were in FRance - 1 hour ahead and within a week she had moved round which confirmed my thoughts on the clock going back in a week. How do they know?!
I agree with the idea of doing bits of the routine and I feel much more confident about this now but one thing I find difficult to gage is meal times. DD has breakfast at 6.30am, lunch 11.30am and tea at 5.30pm. If they happen to sleep over one of these times and you feed later does this have a knock on effect with the other meal times? Is it important to have meal times at the same time every day?

Clocks going forward I mean.

when are the clocks going forward?

Hi WHIGERS - hadn't seen this post when I write on giving birth in France.
Don't worry about moving the mealtimes. She is old enough to allow for changes in her routine whithout her "losing her good habits" IYKWIM

I have to say I've never heard of the GF book!!It sounds very prescriptive. These type of books seem to be a good guide, but why is it that we feel so unsure of ourselves and our instincts that we need to follow them so strictly? Is it to do with the pressure we put ourselves under these days? We have to be super parents doing the 'right thing'. Our parents, grandparents managed without them. You have to find a routine that suits both you & your child. One book cannot suit all babies and how soon before this one joins the 'Dr Spock' & 'Nanny Knows Best' books in a dusty pile and another becomes flavour of the month?

Clock go forward sunday 31st march I think.