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Gina Ford.. contented baby book??

sorry if this has already been covered.

my lo is now 7 weeks and nowhere near in any sort of routine, has anyone followed this book and how did you find it worked?

thanks

xx
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Replies

  • Hi Kell2

    I'm still in the pregnancy forum but I asked the advice of the baby forum mummies a couple of weeks ago as I was reading Gina Ford's CLB book. If you look in 'My Other Topics' you'll find the post - I think there were about 30 odd replies and quite different opinions etc. so it was quite useful to read the different views. Hope this helps x
  • Hi Kell

    Ive just started trying to get my four week old into some sort of routine using the Gina Ford book. It can be hard going, trying to get him down at certain times and then waking him when hes asleep but I think it might be worth it in the end if it works. From what some of the posts on this topic before have said alot have found it works. Ill try anything at the moment. Im not sticking to it to the letter but more using it as a guide as alot of it makes sence and its not as harsh as I was led to believe. Ill let you know how it goes....
  • yes - i think if you use the advice its pretty handy. However, if you try and follow it to the letter you will become pretty frustrated if your lo has his/her own ideas about the routine.
    my first baby i thought it was great to have an instruction manual but became depressed when my baby didn't play along!! the book ended up in the bin, i went with my instincts and i was a lot happier. (so was my baby!)
    2nd baby and by 4 or 5 months he was all over the place so i tried introducing a bit more of a routine as recomended by gina ford and it helped a lot!
  • Hi,

    I have followed this from around 2/1/2 weeks, when I had to change my little boy from BF to bottle. I can't imagine attempting this if BF, it would drive me insane, however with bottle feeding I have found it works, don't get me wrong, its bloody hard work, and I have come close to giving up a few times- and I am not sticking to it exactly as its written- I tihnk some of it is far too harsh, and you will fidn your own way, but........last night my 5 week and 4 day old baby slept 11.30pm till 5.45am!!!!! He naps for an hour in morning and aft and has 2 hours at lunch, always at the same times, as for almost 3 weeks I have woken him up and out him down for naps- and he now does it himself at those times. And in case you think I am lucky to have an easy baby, he has reflux and has been anythign but easy!! I do think this pays off, but it makes going out and abotu difficult, as I find it easier to stick to the routine at home, going out generally in the afternoon. Although one thing I don't do is always put him in his room for naps, so when he is older i can go out more.

    I hope this helps, I have a friend who followed it with her baby- which is how I know about it, and her little boy is a dream!!! Sleeps 7-7 every night- so try to stick with it once you start....

    C xxxxxxxxx
  • Hi,
    I would definitely recommend Gina Ford's routine. My little boy is 12 weeks and we have been following her routine from Day 4 and it has been so helpful esp. if it's your first. It takes the guesswork out of knowing when they are tired, hungry etc.

    My son is a very happy baby has been sleeping through the night now til 7am on and off for about a week and if he does wake earlier it's only 5:30/6am. He feeds well and sleeps well and settles himself back if he does wake.

    I don't know if this is all down to Gina or not but some of it must be.

    Good luck!:\)
  • For those following this, as my baby has just started to sleep a longer stretch at night, what do you do abotu feeds, he is bottle fed and there is not as much info on this, this morning he had 2oz at 5.45am and was not interested at 7am, he took this slowly, and then combined wiht his 10am feed this knocked him out well before his normal nap time!! So do I cut back on the 7am feed to start with and then reduce his 5am feed?? I don't want to cut back at the wrong time.

    Last night was a first, so it might not happen again for a while, but I want to be prepared if it does!

    C xxxxx
  • Hi C

    Not sure about what you should do there. Im breast feeding so its even more guess work as Im not able to tell how much hes taken at each feed.

    Can I ask, has anyone following this had problems getting there littlin down at nap and sleep times. Mine seems to fight it and I end up having to give him a dummy sometimes which according to the book your not supposed to do. How do you get yours down when they just dont want to, do you let them cry ??? Its mainly during the day and after the evening feed. Also does anyone else find that giving a bath as part of the bedtime routine just wakes their littlin up. Mine seems to hate it and screams the place down which naturally gets him wide awake and not willing to settle. Should I cut the bath out of his evening routine??
  • C,

    Try a full feed at 5:45am then put him back down til 7:30am. He might only have a little but this should get him back on track by 10.

    bhrolachain,

    I found it really hard to let my baby cry to settle himself to sleep but it really worked. Try rocking etc. until he's dozy and then put him down. If he cries leave him like Gina says to settle himself. You do have to be quite strict with yourself though and be consistent. He will get the hang of it, hopefully pretty quickly! oh and I'm not sure what u can do about bathtime, my lo loves it! Maybe don't bath him every day or a massage afterwards to calm him down?



    [Modified by: tarniaj on July 20, 2008 08:54 PM]

  • Hi,

    I use a dummy! Don't beat yourself up about it, I plan to get rid of it at some point, but there is no way Sam could manage without it, he tries to use his thumb- but he doesn't know where it is! Once he does, I will get rid of the dummy.

    Also, I don't always put him in his room for naps, sometimes he sleeps in his bouncy chair, this has not affected his night time sleeping, and to be honest gives me more flexability. In terms of nap times, if he hasn't slept, I just carry on as if he has, for example, he only ever has half an hour in the mornings, as opposed to the hour, but he just doens't seem to need loads of sleep ( FYI he is almost 6 weeks) and I always wake him for feeds- hard as it is, it is the one thing I have always done, I find this helps structure his naps.

    We put Sam in the bath with one of us, he seems to love it,it calms him and he now enjoys the bath- plus its the highlight of our day. Might be worth a go? After the bath we have a cuddle, and massage, he often has his dummy then too, as even tho he has 4oz at his 5 pm split feed he wants more- greedy guts! But if he has more, he is sick in the bath, so I stick to 4oz.

    I am in awe of you doing this when BF, I could never have managed it, so well done you!
    C x
  • Sorry i forgot to add, i also bought the contented baby's first year book, it is more detailed than the one with routines, and has tips on settling to sleep, month by month development etc, I took a tip from this on settling, and we have a cuddle on my chest, then move to cradling him, then move to him lying on my legs, all the time drowsy, then I put him in his moses basket, it still takes him 10-15 mins to settle himself to sleep, but I find this cuddling routing helps, and until he is really settled I always put him to bed, so its not me one night and my husband the next doing things differently.

    Keep going with it, I have come so close to giving up, but have had the support of my friend who followed it. I know lots of people on here hate Gina, but if you read the book - like we have, you see its not actually that bad, and does not limit cuddling, it just points out if you cuddle your baby to sleep all the time he won't be able to settle himself. So don't read the negative stuff!!

  • Hi Click

    Id love to be able to massage my son after his bath but hes so utterly distressed I think hed explode. I express so I can give him the second half of his feed after his bath and this calms him down but not enough to sleep. I think I might get that other book as it sounds like it has a bit more detail on this. I think I might have to be brutal and start to let him cry down a bit, but Im worried he might actually be uncomfortable as he does have a bit of an issue with wind and the HV thinks he may have mild reflux which you just cant tell if its that or hes just being a bit of a bugger. I dont sleep him in his room during the day either as I think he needs to get used to sleeping with a bit of noise during the day and to help him work out the difference between night and day.

    Tarniaj, how long did it take for your littlin to get into the routine and when are you free to come around and sort out mine??
  • do you think he might need a bit more food at 5pm?? I know what she says in the book, but if he is that upset? Must be so awful for you.

    My little boy has reflux, go and get him checked at the docs, Sam is much more settled with the infant gaviscon.

    Right, I am off to wake my sleeping baby..I hate this bit!

    Let me know how you get on, I hope it works, and keep in touch so we can share tips!

    C x
  • Be brave,yes its 10.15 at night and your about to wake a perfectly happy sleeping screaming machine with the dreaded uncertanity of whether he will ever slep again, but feel assured in the fact that you are one of many and as soon as I finish expressing (also doing the 'increase your milk supply' routine) Il be joining you in your madness...God speed and hope you make it till the magic 7am....
  • Well it all went so well, woke him, fed him, settled him, but then he woke at 2am for his dummy, and it went on and on-wake-dummy-sleep-wake etc.... until I fed him at 4.30am- and I know he could have gone longer without a feed, but I was soooo tired. He then slept till I woke him at 7am. So, today I am going to attempt to settle him to sleep minus dummy. If at 6 weeks he wants it so much, its only going to get worse. My husband has had to go away for work all week, and my mum is staying, so I know she will help with " dummy wars"

    How did your night go? I have just put him in his bouncy chair for a nap- and is trying to suck his thumb!

    I really must sitck to my post baby diet this week, did so well all week and fell off the diet wagon into a pile of chocolate and wine!!

    C x
  • Hi C

    Sorry to hear you had such a rough night. I use a dummy now and then to settle my littlin when nothing else works but I take it from him (very very gentley,) when he falls asleep as Im terrified he'll get dependant on it. Its one more bloody thing you have to worry about isnt it.

    Well, last night went well, he slept untill about 2.45 and woke again at 6.30. He might have gone to 7, but he has a bunged up nose which was blocked and he woke up snorting like Dart Vader. He didnt do a great midday sleep today but I put him down around 7 and it only took a few trips up, a bit of a top up (and a change of sheet and baby grow due to throwing up) to get him to settle. Hes been asleep about an hour now and Im still sitting her holding my breath.

    Dont talk to me about diets. I desperately want to loose the stone of baby weight but my 5 packets a day Smartees habit isnt helping (Neither did the wine on the weekend (Im doing the routine to increase my milk which means I substitute a feed with formula which makes drinking possible yeah)). Are you finding getting out to exercise hard due to following the baby routine? I also worry Ill bugger up my milk supply by cutting down on the ole food intake (well thats my excuse when I fancy more smartees)
  • Hi,

    HOw did it go last night? We had a good night, he didn't have dummy at all yday and didn't seem to miss it. He took longer to go down at 7pm, but was asleep by 7.30pm,I woke him at 10pm, and I keep him awake longer now, so he is normally asleep for 11.30pm, and becuase of this is sleeping till 4.30am. He cried for his dummy afterthat feed, as he has a 4oz bottle and wants more- but if he has more he sicks it up, so dummy used to be handy. I just cuddled him, and he was asleep again by 5.30am, and I had to wake him at 7am!! He has not wanted dummy at all today, so I am going to try to hold off giving it to him.

    As my husband is away for work, my mum is staying, so took Sam this morning and I slept till 10am!! The longest sleep I have had since he was born!!

    i think he is having a growth spurt as he is eating and sleeping more these last few days.

    Yes, I find getting out a bit hard, I tend to go for a walk for an hour every aft, depending on this rubbish weather.

    I was so sad to have to stop BF, but I have to say it does make the routine easier, and means I have more access to a glass of wine!! I am doing weight watchers online, today was my first weigh day and I have lost 3lb. I have a stone to lose too. But then I gained 3.5 stone when preg, due to a serious addiction to M&S cornflake bites!!

    Where abouts do you live?

    C xxxxx
  • Congratulations on the no dummy day, Ive not quite managed that one yet.
    Mine was an hour out of sinc last night. I had to wake him at 10 to feed and he only did a half hearted job, woke at 2 and then at 6 . I tried just to give him enough to put him back to sleep and gave him a propper feed at 7. But he was out of whak all day. I had to give him a dummy to get him down for his nap and then he just wouldnt settle for his afternoon one. He slept and fed on an off for the afternoon. So Im not sure if he has slept enough or too little. I had a friend around in the avo which made it difficult to structure him. The strange thing is I stuck to his 5 routine, feed, bath, massage, top up and he was out like a light the second I put him down. I was so chuffed, the first time he has gone down without haveing to be settled, untill I realised it was only half six so theres no way hes going to stick it out untill 10...bugger.

    My God the sleep till 10 must have been amazing. Thats the problem with breast feeding, you cant give your boob to someone else, although I have been doing the last feed at night with formula so hubby can do it. My sisters up next week but even if he was on the bottle the chance of her getting out of bed at 6 or 7 in the holidays are slim to none. It will be good to have the company but Im not looking forward to the constant dos and donts on parenting (she means well but is very opinionated and not very open to methods that are not how she did it).

    Weight Watchers has to be the most sensible weight loss method, no fads or crap with it, just healthy eating. My sister did that and lost the weight in no time without feeling she was realy dieting. I put on two stone with the pregnancy, the first kind of went with the birth but the second is staying firmly put. I find it hard not to each chocolate in the evenings. I have been trying to get out at the 4 o clock nap with the littlin in a carrier, but as you say the weather doesnt help does it. The worst bit is my job revloves around fitness and nutrition and I was quite fit before I got pregnant, so everyone just thinks Ill pop back to normal within weeks and some are beginning to look surprised that I havnt. The people I work with are all crazy fitness and competivie sports nuts and have no concept of weight gain....unless its pure muscle, so theres a bit of unwanted expectations that I could do without.

    Im in Loughborough by the way, where are you?
  • Sorry! Down with Gina Ford, up with Dr Sears. Baby-focused, compassionate, loving.
  • Hi Lindsay

    I find it quite usefull as after four weeks of guess work about sleeping and feeding I needed something to follow. The routines are based on the principle that there are optimal times during the day for your littlin to feed, sleep and socialise that are best for him and will mean he will sleep longer during the night. You dont have to let him go hungery if its not time for a feed as the book tells you how to do it so he eventually gets to the point where he feeds and sleeps at the suggested times using different techniques etc. The same goes for crying, its a misconception that it incourages you to leave your child cry for long periods, it actually gives some realy good info on reasons for it and how to work out the cause and sort it. You also dont have to follow the routines to the letter, I dont sleep my littlin in his room during the day as suggested and it still seems to work. Even if you dont follow the routines there is some realy good info in the books. The routine for increasing milk supply has realy helped me as my guy wasnt getting enough in the afternoons so wouldnt settle and fed constantly. I was amazed that the two MWs who I asked about it didnt even suggest it could be a milk supply problem so it never crossed my mind. Now hes much more settled and it seems to have sorted it.

    Personally I think its a God send as a source of some realy good info, routines or no routines.
  • oh no not this woman again!!!
    enjoy your babies before you know it your wee one will be a teenager that you cant get out of bed for love or money lol
    keep saying (and yes i have read the books ) its sequence that works thats why when bhrolachain was able to get her wee one to go down so easy it was the sequence that gave her baby the signals that say "hey baby your going to bed soon " not as she found the strict gina torture as she hadnt followed it that day but had done the sequence.. think the gina followers should get their own forum
    fea x

    [Modified by: highlandfea on July 23, 2008 08:53 AM]

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