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| Author: Gina Ford
Publisher: Vermilion
Category: Book
List Price: £9.99
Buy New: £6.44
You Save: £3.55 (36%)
New (29) Used (14) from £4.14
Avg. Customer Rating:  637 reviews
Sales Rank: 437
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.8
ISBN: 0091912695
EAN: 9780091912697
ASIN: 0091912695
Publication Date: April 6, 2006
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Patronising and rigid November 1, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
My husband bought this after the birth of our first daughter after repeated conversations with his mother who kept saying how wonderful this book is - although I don't think she had read it prior to that. I had never wanted this book as I had heard a few bad things about it. It is way too rigid for my liking. The bold and capitalised text is patronising in the extreme - it's like a boot camp for babies. Our daughter didn't sleep through the night until she was 19 months old - which was sorted in the end by a cranial osteopath - but she is, and always has been, an extremely secure and happy little girl and she was a contented little baby of our making. It may be heralded as a 'number one bestseller' but it doesn't mean it is actually liked - just mistakenly bought by some.
 It worked for me! October 30, 2008
I was a sceptic when my partner told me about this book. He said it worked for his sister. Upon reading I couldnt believe how strict and regimented it all was. But we gave it a try, and for two weeks we worked hard an got no results and I was ready to throw it away. Then, slowely but surely she started to sleep through the odd night here and there till it got to more nights sleeping through and less nights waking up, and by three months we had cracked it.
I can honestly say this really worked, my daughter is now 15 months old and has slept 7pm till 7am since 6 months old. I would recommend it to most mums who crave a good nights sleep!
 Excellent book in every way, don't believe the negative comments. October 29, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I genuinely and honestly can't understand why people have such a problem with Gina Ford. If you tell people you have a 'Gina baby' they look at you as if you've sold your child to Satan!
I read this while I was pregnant and remember thinking how ordered it seemed and how I wouldn't have time for anything besides her routines. Fast forward a few months and I have a three week old baby and absolutely no time for anything anyway! I started my daughter on the CLB at 3 weeks and within days she was transformed from a grizzly, overtired baby to a contented little soul who slept, ate and played well. Instead of having less time for me I've actually got more - two hours to myself at lunchtime and the evenings for my husband and I to share a meal and catch up.
Now at 9 weeks she is so happy that people comment on her contentment. Most certainly not psychologically damaged!! It's certainly down to the CLB, if something interferes with her naps then she becomes grizzly and very grumpy.
Ok, fans of attachment parenting this book is clearly not written for you. Putting that aside there is nothing cruel in Gina's approach - if you read the book carefully and also her other books which are recommended then it is obvious she has a caring and compassionate attitude to raising babies and pays attention to all aspects of their development. Teaching your baby to sleep independently is one of the most important lessons you can teach and if that is mastered at a young age it prevents long term sleep problems that are so hard to break.
Sleep is vital for babies health and development and the routines ensure that these needs are met. Overtiredness is such a problem in babies and you see so many tired looking infants being endlessly bounced on knees and having toys thrust in their faces by parents assuming they are bored when in fact all they need is rest. The routine assures that naps are evenly spaced throughout the day to prevent your child from becoming overtired and unable to switch off.
Another criticism of her routines is the impact on your life in that it restricts the time of day you can go out. I believe it's cruel to deny children the sleep they need by putting your own social needs first and the routines allow for plenty of time for socialising and getting out.
I would definitely try her methods - if you are pregnant, read and absorb the book (also get her sleep book too) as you won't have time when the baby arrives. Then start fairly early, that way you won't have created bad sleep associations like rocking etc that you will have to deal with later. Then enjoy your lovely 'contented' baby!!
lifesaver October 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As a new and first time mother, I found this book an absolute life saver. For the first few weeks of motherhood I didn't know what to do regarding feeding, sleeping etc etc. Someone recommended this book and although it's not for everyone, a routine is what me and my baby now depend on.
To be able to read about and understand the patterns of a babies waking, feeding and sleeping needs, in simple terms was reassuring and enlightening.
I wouldn't be without my Gina Ford book and would highly recommend it.
Can be damaging to you and your baby October 26, 2008
5 out of 9 found this review helpful
Please be careful with this book. It is misleading and could be damaging to the health of you and your baby.
I followed the books' advice for my first child who was born 9 weeks ago. Having now found my feet as a father, I can comment on my experience of this book.
This book is dangerous for 2 reasons...
You are a new parent. Your life has made a momentous change. You suddenly have enormous responsibility with a steep learning curve. Because this is so new to you, you are highly impressionable. You want to do the best for your baby so you seek advice. You hear of a bestselling book and it promises a contented baby, sleep filled nights, successful breastfeeding and everything else you could hope for as a new parent. Apparently, it is a "tried and tested" method used on "hundreds" of babies "all" of whom became contented little babies. It sounds like a miracle, so you buy the book.
The book does contain plenty of good advice, the crux of which is that a routine is beneficial for both the baby and the parents. Much of the books' content is common knowledge, which it combines with some of the authors own experience plus a detailed breakdown of self-developed routines. While some of the content of the book is controversial, what makes the book dangerous is not WHAT she says but HOW she says it. She writes with total conviction, asserting her regimented approach. She writes as if she an all-knowing guru, imparting her discoveries on you. Follow her and you and your baby will become happy. Stray from the routine and you're in trouble. That's how you feel when you read it.
You can become fearful of not following her approach to the exact word (and it is very exact). Even though our baby followed the routine closely most of the time, I was on edge, watching the clock, which created stress for both myself and my wife. After week 4 it became too much. This "method" just wasn't right. Our mind was occupied with meeting the requirements of the routine. Our eyes were watching the minutes of the clock. We would refer back to the book throughout the day as if it were an instruction manual.
But worse than that... we forced our baby to stay awake when she was "supposed" to be awake (even though she was sleepy). We did not make eye contact or talk to her when we put her to bed in the evenings. We let her cry for up to 10 minutes when she was "supposed" to sleep. These are recommendations prescribed in the book. Since dropping the book 5 weeks ago, we have let her sleep when she obviously wants to sleep. We talk to her when we put her to bed and we make eye contact. We have learned to read her body language and when we put her to bed, she does not cry. If she does cry, we soon know what is wrong and she settles happily thereafter. She sleeps for up to 9 hours unbroken at night and she hardly cries at all.
Which leads to my greatest criticism of the book...
This book is dangerous not just because of HOW it says what it says, but also because of what it does NOT say. It does not foster love, compassion or bonding with your baby. It does not help develop your natural parental instincts. It's just a prescriptive process for raising a child - not your child - a child. A big chunk of what you need to learn is missing from this book. In fact, love, bonding, play, laughter, talking and smiling are hardly mentioned at all in this book. Yet you are led to believe that if you follow this book, all will be well. This is not the case.
Finally, be aware that the author of this book is a clever businesswoman. She knows how to sell books. She knows how to grab headlines. It is these marketing skills that have helped make the book a bestseller. While the book does have its merits, remember that the author is a nanny - she has never been a mother and therefore cannot offer you all you need to learn.
I'm glad that we read the book and we continue to practice our own adapted routine for our daughter. But if you decide to read the book, do not take its advice as gospel. Read other books too including the outstanding Birth and Beyond and Raising Babies and Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. And remember that all the skills you need are already within you, you just need to discover and nurture them. Books help, but nothing beats your natural instinct.
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