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The New Contented Little Baby Book: The Secret To Calm And Confident Parenting
by
Gina Ford
Written by a respected maternity nurse, this text addresses the issue of sleep-starved nights, inconsolable crying and feeding on demand - stories that make the prospect of bringing a tiny baby home for the first time daunting for any proud parent. The book features input from clients, readers and mothers. It aims to give practical and reassuring advice to new parents by s...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
April 1st 2006
by Vermilion
(first published March 7th 2002)
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This book is awful. A friend of mine read it and declared she was either going to burn it or give it to me if I was curious. Now that I've read it I think I may well burn it, lest it fall into the hands of a mother who would be quite fine with her new baby without being told _every second of every day_ what she should be making her child (and herself) do.
To the author Gina Ford, routine is everything. If you compromise your baby's routine, you're damned and doomed. She's against fee...more
To the author Gina Ford, routine is everything. If you compromise your baby's routine, you're damned and doomed. She's against fee...more
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In the circumstances, I have to reserve judgement on this one to some degree since there is so much specific (ludicrously so, seemingly) advice in here - so I'll look at what I've written here toward the end of the year maybe.
Having noted that I was reading the book, my respected friends-with-kids were unanimous in their hatred of the "Queen of routine". I didn't get such a strong reaction myself, but I expect I'm more likely to once the kid arrives - though I will say Ford...more
Having noted that I was reading the book, my respected friends-with-kids were unanimous in their hatred of the "Queen of routine". I didn't get such a strong reaction myself, but I expect I'm more likely to once the kid arrives - though I will say Ford...more
I purchased this book after I read the mini version "Top Tips for Contented Babies and Toddlers". I wanted to find out more about the routines the author Gina Ford recommended for a contented baby.
If there was a 'left wing' and 'right wing' school of thought when it comes to baby care this would definitely fall into the extreme right wing. This book recommends a very strict routine. While I think there are some good points in it I also totally disagree with some of the sug...more
If there was a 'left wing' and 'right wing' school of thought when it comes to baby care this would definitely fall into the extreme right wing. This book recommends a very strict routine. While I think there are some good points in it I also totally disagree with some of the sug...more
This book has been so helpful so far in helping me with putting our third child on a good sleeping/feeding schedule. I like how she adjusts her proposed schedules every week or month to accommodate for the gowning child's needs. I like her suggestions for keeping somewhat on track when the baby is sick or growing through a grow spurt and how to get back on track. She also lets you know about when baby normally gets grows spur so you can have a heads up and gives you an idea of how much day time ...more
I can see how this could be the answer to some people's prayers - actual answers to exactly what you should be doing in those first disorganised, insecurity-ridden, sleep-deprived few months... as long as you agree with what she prescribes. Me, I don't wanna get up at 7am in the morning, I don't want to express milk in the morning just to bottle feed it later in the day, I don't wanna give my baby water when he's crying in the night, I don't want to leave him crying when he won't sleep and is to...more
This is way too strict a schedule for me/us but I have taken some points from this book. We have implemented the early nighttime and the waking up at 7am, which helps a lot for getting as many feedings per day in as possible, so that in the nighttime there need to be less feedings in the night.
Another mama I know is sticking to this book pretty strictly and says it works. I'm just not a fan of having her cry it out. If she needs me to fall asleep sometimes, that's fine by me.
Another mama I know is sticking to this book pretty strictly and says it works. I'm just not a fan of having her cry it out. If she needs me to fall asleep sometimes, that's fine by me.
The jury is still out for me on this book. I have a couple friends that swear by this book and their babies were sleeping from 7pm to 7am by nearly 12 weeks. This was NOT the case for me.
However, there were a couple tips that I found helpful. Even though I was breastfeeding the author suggests introducing one bottle feed in the late evening (that dad can do) between 2-4 weeks old. This definitely helped me get some much needed sleep early on. And now Archer can seamlessly go fro...more
However, there were a couple tips that I found helpful. Even though I was breastfeeding the author suggests introducing one bottle feed in the late evening (that dad can do) between 2-4 weeks old. This definitely helped me get some much needed sleep early on. And now Archer can seamlessly go fro...more
this book saved my existence as a descent human being. i was thinking my baby would tell me when he was hungry, wet, tired...WRONG. and i was going insane trying to figure him out. since this maternal instinct has not completely 'kicked in' i needed some help. this book was wonderful in laying down the law and bringing some routine to the day and restored a bit of my confidence.
Best baby book I have ever read. It gives step-by-step guidelines to help put a baby on a schedule! We gave gone from several night wakings to 0 in three weeks. Chloe sleeps from 7pm to to 7 am. I wish I has known about it when Sabrina was born. I highly recommend to anyone having a baby in the near future that would like some sanity in the first year!
Angela Alcorn
rated it
I think this book will become a regularly-used household baby reference. The sleep and feeding routines are well thought out and make perfect sense. The whole guide on weaning is eye-opening and should lead to babies with the ability to eat almost anything.
Yes, the advice is based on experience and reading of studies rather than scientific studies of her own, but it still seems sound and she does refer you to professionals when appropriate.
The only criticism I have is w...more
Yes, the advice is based on experience and reading of studies rather than scientific studies of her own, but it still seems sound and she does refer you to professionals when appropriate.
The only criticism I have is w...more
I was resistant as I didn't think Gina Ford was my style of parenting. But now that I'm dealing with a 'settled' baby and not a newborn, I give her type of routines more credence. I'll never be a strict schedule-keeping parent, but for some things like timetables for feeds as they get older, this book is very helpful.
As every says, I think you need to take this one with a grain of salt. It's SUPER detailed and tells you exactly what to do, pretty much at every minute of the day... Not sure if I'll be able to stick that closely to the schedule, but I do like the idea of getting the little one on a set routine from early on.
I don't care about the controversies over this book; I got a lot out of it. It has really helped to shape the first few months of my daughter's life. It's worth a read even if you don't follow the "routine" as it's laid out. It gives a lot of good tips and just gives you something to aim for in a day.
I am all for a schedule, but this one is beyond over-the-top. Any mother who attempts to give half feedings, or pump along with BF, is just setting herself up for more work than it's worth. Take the idea of a schedule to heart, as it does work, but not to this kind of extreme.
Phil
added it
This is a great book. Very strict in its approach which can be manipulated to suit the parent. Used it for 2 out of 3 children and they have been very content. 1st child a complete nightmare followed all the health visitors advice - complete waste of time says it all.
Rachel
added it
Wow, how can anyone follow such a strict routine. I tried it for about two hours and went off the schedule almost immediately. Apart from anything else, it's boring. Worth a read though to see what all the fuss is about.
It works! The schedules just reflect when baby naturally gets tired. It's just hard to get Mommy to stick to the schedule as it takes discipline and forgoing some things occasionally.
It was a good alternative view on baby raising...but, she's a bit of a Nazi (and that's coming from ME--Miss OCD).
Paulienos Friend
rated it
Recommends it for:
any new parent who is looking for establishing a routine with a newborn
Shelves:
non-fiction,
baby-or-pregnancy
I would recommend this book to any new parent who is looking for establishing a routine with a newborn, it is great!
It describes a very detailed plan for planning a baby's feeding and sleeping throughout the day, with new plans depending on the age of the child. The main goal is to have the baby be well rested and happy during the day and sleeping through the night from an early age.
We adopted this plan from week 2 with our daughter and she started sleeping through the night fr...more
It describes a very detailed plan for planning a baby's feeding and sleeping throughout the day, with new plans depending on the age of the child. The main goal is to have the baby be well rested and happy during the day and sleeping through the night from an early age.
We adopted this plan from week 2 with our daughter and she started sleeping through the night fr...more
Freaky book. All about putting babies into a strict routine. This woman recommends expressing milk electrically every day end then giving the milk in a bottle later. Not quite the natural way. Interesting if you want to bring some kind of structure to a baby who has so far been fed on demand. Can't imagine anyone with another child - or any kind of life for that matter - stiking to this routine. It covers every second of the day. Completely nuts. Not compatible wih the shool run, making dinner -...more
Our kids sleep 7pm-7am from around 2 months because of the schedule in this book. Enough said.
Karlie Ritchie
added it
Terrible advice for new mums; how to set yourself up for failure!
Frangipani
rated it
Recommends it for:
parents, grandparents, prospective parents
Shelves:
personal-development,
parenting
Gina Ford - you either love her or you hate her. She's a kind of supernanny, perhaps the inspiration for the TV series even. In this book she writes with a rather authoritative supercilious tone, that annoyed me at times. There's a lot of good and helpful information in this book, but as with every parenting tome there's a lot to discard as nonsense too! I found it helpful with setting up sleep routines.
Good information for putting a baby on a schedule, but I'll have to see how this applies in a real-life situation! I found some of the parameters too demanding and strict for my lifestyle (Buying black out curtains so the baby can nap? Really?). Overall though, it presented some good ideas and made me feel less overwhelmed by the end of the book.
Many friends recommended this book but while at the hospital it was universally scorned by the midwives and nurses. I took bits & pieces from the book to use, the rest I've ignored. The routines seem so complicated. I can't see how anyone could follow such strict, rigid rules for a baby.
But I don't want to put my little baby into a tight schedule! I'll take some advice from this book but I don't want to be captive to a schedule and having to put the baby in a dark quiet room for each sleep, waking him up to feed him, etc.
She is one scary woman-- she advocates running a newborn baby's routine like the way you would run the military or boot camp. Any baby could be guaranteed to sleep through the nite by six weeks if he cries himself to sleep.
I haven't read this book but my wife has and she talks about it a lot. Apparently it has a lot of good information about poo.
Gina Ford, love her or hate her there is some good advice in here, just don't take it too literally.
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