Research by Bell and Ainsworth (Maternal Responding and Infant Crying, 1972) showed that babies who are left to cry actually end up, by the end of their first year, crying more than infants who are attended to. Research also shows that by tuning in to an infant's needs, not only is the bond between parent and child strengthened, but the baby also learns alternative ways of communicating besides crying, and this stimulates the infant's physical development. My openness to Fordian thinking began a long time ago, when I was a student in New Zealand and my part time job was being a mother’s help to newborn babies in a posh part of town. Another piece of info I read (at some point) is that children in the USA are 5 times more likely to die before the age of 5 if not breastfed.

I got to see what worked well, and what didn’t work well, in a real, tender, dirty-dishes-and-shouty-parents-and-wet-beds kind of proximity.

About Me

It can also be a very noisy and somewhat stressful experience if you have a baby who refuses to settle while you are trying to get them to sleep. Cry-it-out might not help if you have an older child or toddler who is also trying to settle down at night. Key principles: Devised by Tracy Hogg, maternity nurse and author of Secrets of The Baby Whisperer, EASY is an acronym for Eat, Activity, Sleep, You. As in, eat food, have some activity, get sleep and have time for you. With her I did PDF from birth, sleep on her own bed, eat-activity-put down to sleep schedule.I watch out carefully for sleep readiness for put her down (swaddled) 35-40 mins after being up anyhow. She just stays wide awake for the next 320-30 mins or so, then cried on and off for hours until the next feed. However, babies respond to structure and predictability, and implementing a feed, play, sleep cycle from early on can help. From three months of age, your little one starts to become more switched on. If you haven’t already, now is the time to introduce sleep associations – such as bath, perhaps a baby massage, book and bed – to set them on the right path. Keep in mind that the routines are strict. You’ll also need your partner on board with the idea – it’s a lot for one person to manage and you will need a break from time to time. Why is Gina Ford controversial?

It’s also important to have a good quality nappy that will keep your baby dry and comfortable. Try Beyond by BabyLove Nappies, which are hypoallergenic, have absorbency up to 12 hours and are made in zero-waste solar-powered factories. In 2004 Gina recognised that, despite the wealth of parenting information available, many mothers still felt isolated. In an effort to fill the gap, Gina launched ContentedBaby.com and, in the process, created a wonderful, supportive and dynamic on-line community. Gina Ford has come to the rescue with her answer: the key to a good night's sleep for the whole family lies in teaching parents to understand the changing sleep needs of their growing baby. This book informs and reassures parents, dispelling many common myths and anxieties and offering practical solutions that work.Gina Ford is the author of several parenting books, including 'The Contented Little Baby'. Her methods involve getting a baby, from birth, used to the routine which she prescribes. Some commentators have likened her approach to animal training. Deviation from her timetable is not allowed as this will give the baby the idea that it is in control of the parents, when in fact the parents should set the rules for the baby. Whilst some persevere to follow her method 100%, most Gina Ford advocates seem to use her ideas as loose guidelines for working out their own method of introducing routine. Many of these also admit that they would not introduce routine to a baby under 5 months of age, especially if breastfed. Please note: this is not an endorsement of the Gina Ford method, simply an explanation of the concept. If you are considering the Gina Ford method, we would recommend seeking advice from your midwife or health visitor first. Most popular articles to read next Much of Ford's advice goes against NHS guidelines. For example, Ford believes in a structured daytime feeding pattern while the NHS advises that it's fine to feed your baby whenever they are hungry. Ford also says that babies should be put down to sleep in a separate room ASAP while both the NHS and The Lullaby Trust recommends your baby sleeps in the same room as you for the first six months due to the risk of SIDS. This method is called crying down because when a baby cries to settle to sleep his cries usually go down in intensity over time.

But, as the critics cry, having had no babies of her own, how can she really know what it is like to have a baby cry it out?Gina Ford (born c. 1960) is a British author of childcare books in the United Kingdom and a former maternity nurse who has cared for over 300 babies during her career. [1] Ford's 1999 book The Contented Little Baby Book advocates a daily routine for both the baby and the parents, with the day divided up into very precise slots. On the other hand, Dr William Sears (a paediatrician who therefore holds actual qualifications in infant development) and his wife, Martha Sears (a paediatric nurse, and also therefore qualified in child development - Gina Ford holds no qualifications at all) have eight children. They are the writers of the highly recommended ' The Baby Book' amongst many other publications. Unlike Ms Ford's book, The Baby Book is not a prescriptive system. The advice is given and it is up to the reader how they apply it. It also has huge amounts of information on all aspects of a child's development from birth to two years old.