Gina Ford: happily awake during nap time (day)

[Mettecation]

Hello
I have a 4 weeks old baby girl. My husband and I have been using the Gina Ford CLB routine since she was about 2 weeks old.
We are already getting plenty of sleep and most aspects of the routine are a great fit for her.
However, we have experienced a few days now (only during the day time, night works without any issues at all), that when she is supposed to be awake she is sleepy and when she is supposed to be napping she is happy and awake in her cot. No crying or drama, but it just seems wrong to keep waking up the baby and then afterwards to see her awake and smiling in her cot for 2.5 hours without any long stretches of good sleep.
Have you experienced anything similar - and how did you deal with it?
And do you think it is an issue for her to be left by herself in her cot, fully awake, during nap time - and although she has been resting for all that time, should it be "counted" as nap time?

Thanks!
Mette

[jessstan2]

MzHz:
If the baby is happy, that is what you want

Eventually there will be a rhythm that you learn from the baby and that’s all that matters
............
Yes!

[Littlefluffyclouds13]

@doctorhamster

Set fire to the book op. It's the only way.

This

[Littlefluffyclouds13]

@Auntycorruption

The baby hasn't read the book

You need to read your baby. Bin the book.

And this!

[foodtoorder]

I should add I didn't start it with my children until approx 8-10weeks.

[Littlefluffyclouds13]

I thought we weren't allowed to mention Gina on here?
She's not popular on here for a reason op.....

[AnnaFiveTowns]

This is literally only book I have ever burnt; I put it in the logburner. I wouldn't take it to the charity shop because it's toxic. Just throw it away.

[jessstan2]

Fair enough to whoever said don't bin a book if you haven't read it; I've never read it nor heard of Gina Ford until now. However I have since read up about her, and excerpts from her book. She is very experienced with babies.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

"(Ford states that) your baby should be woken around 7 am to be fed (always taking place in the nursery.) Feeding should then occur every four hours, with the last feed taking place around 6:15 pm. Ford says that during feeds, no eye contact should be given to prevent excitement before sleep; nor too much affection shown."

Do people really do that, no eye contact or affection while feeding?

[MzHz]

@Littlefluffyclouds13

I thought we weren't allowed to mention Gina on here?
She's not popular on here for a reason op.....

Stepmothers aren’t popular in here either, doesn’t mean they aren’t decent people with their hearts in the right place

[AnnaFiveTowns]

I have read it and stupidly tried to follow it; it made me so miserable; it's completely unrealistic and very damaging. I actually feel quite annoyed that Mothercare used to sell it. So having read it I still say bin it.

[Hadalifeonce]

I used GF with both of mine, DS we followed to the letter, with DD we sort of cherry picked the bits that worked best for us. Both if them slept brilliantly, we were able to have our evenings, which was hugely important to us. We knew we could go out without a panicked call from a babysitter. Even when they were tiny, I knew we could go out til about 10:30 when a feed was necessary.

[ThatOtherPoster]

@jessstan2

That’s not an extract from the book. That’s an extract from a blog about the book. For all her faults, Gina doesn’t write in the third person. :)

The bit about no eye contact during feeding is for night feeds. You make nighttime feeds calm, boring and unstimulating so your baby goes straight back to sleep afterwards.

[MrPickles73]

We used GF and it was fab

[Ragwort]

As you will have realised OP, GF is hugely unpopular on Mumsnet - but I followed (used as a rough guide) and it worked very well, my baby slept through the night (one very quick feed and straight back to sleep) 7pm - 7am, two long naps during the day and happily self settled and didn't need to be picked up the minute he woke up. It might have been luck, it might have been the book - I can't really be sure but I was very happy with the GF routine.

Just don't admit to following it on Mumsnet .

[jessstan2]

Gina Ford obviously doesn't believe in cluster feeding which used to be called 'demand feeding' when I had mine. She also says it does no harm to leave a child to cry for an hour. Who could do that?

As for waking the baby at 7am for a feed and parents having breakfast at 8am - if my baby fed at 7am and then went to sleep, I would go back to sleep until they woke again. However I would not wake them.

[partyatthepalace]

You will find people are very anti Gina Ford on here OP, but there are some good FB groups so head over there to get support and don’t take any notice of the negative comments here.

Glad it’s working well for you and your baby.

[partyatthepalace]

.... also meant to say you can always adjust the daytime nap times so it follows your baby’s natural rhythm.

[Eminybob]

Ford says that during feeds, no eye contact should be given to prevent excitement before sleep; nor too much affection shown

Seriously? Well that’s me told off for the hours and hours spent gazing lovingly into my 2 boys eyes while I fed them. It was honestly one of the absolute best things about those early days. Would people really want to forgo that lovely bonding experience just to get a better nights sleep, or whatever the purpose of the “routine” is?

[Kollamoolitumarellipawkyrollo]

From 2 weeks?!

What’s wrong with listening to and responding to your child’s needs as they arise?! Whenever I see a GF book on second hand sites, I am tempted to buy it to take it out of circulation.

MN is not a homogenous entity. We don’t decide what ‘we’ do and don’t like as a collective. If many dislike GF, it’s not because it’s a MN fashion, we all have our individual reasons (that may be similar).

[MySocalledLoaf]

My daughter slept through at 7 weeks with no routine at all. GF may not be the reason babies sleep through around that time.
It’s not the only way to have a contented baby. My babies almost never cried as they were always being held by one of their parents having their needs met.

[Jamboree01]

@doctorhamster

Set fire to the book op. It's the only way.

Absolute truth 🤣 🔥 babies don’t come with manuals but yours sounds like she is doing all that comes naturally. Congratulations. Enjoy every second because it flies by!

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

Gina Ford is fine imo for an older child. For such a newborn small baby just respond to their wants !!

[daffodilsandprimroses]

It’s a difficult one because I do think the babies who will cooperate with a routine are cooperative babies! So would be fine regardless.

As it is, my ds is usually good at night (although tonight was a rough one) but during the day ... oh dear! I can put him down for a thousand naps and he’ll just cry!

[40sNonBlondes]

Cor blimey that brings back memories! I can remember when GF was "SheWhoMustNotBeNamed" on here.

[RefuseTheLies]

I wanted to be all baby led, Earth mother, hippy, read the cues, go with the flow, no set schedule, relaxed and chilled type mother. My baby had other ideas and from day one on Gina Ford routine was much happier and settled and slept better.

[chalktheblockwithglitterchalk]

Oh no Gina Ford and her routines. I thought she had gone out of fashion years ago. I know mums who have almost had a breakdown thanks to her 'helpful' advice.