Which baby/parenting book do you like best?

Savvy_Sue

Queenie wrote:

I loved: "Toddler Taming" (Dr Christopher Green - I think) But, ultimately, nothing can replace *your* instincts!!

It is Dr Christopher Green. And it's excellent, I'm glad to hear it's still found useful, I must have one of the early editions! I think what makes it so great is that he recognises that parents are only human! He recommends, he makes suggestions, but he admits that his ideas may not work, and he also stresses that you can only do what you can do, especially with regard to eg controlled crying for sleep problems!

The other thing I relied on - and TBH still do to some extent, and mine are all teenagers now! - is the Dorling Kindersley Baby and Child Medical Handbook. Helps you work out what might be wrong (if you don't know already), and tells you whether you need to see the GP urgently, less urgently, or not at all.

I didn't have a general development book, relied on the HV to tell me if anything was wrong, also the free books which came in my Bounty bag. But my best friend was a HV and her son was 3 weeks older than mine, so we compared rashes and generally cross-infected each other, which probably helped!

Crispy_Ambulance

I know people swear by Gina Ford but my advice is to be very wary of any book that promises you all the answers. Your baby has not read any of these books and so does not know that it is supposed to sleep through the night if you do X Y and Z.

Very strict routines might be fine if you are happy to live your life by the clock - I looked at Gina Ford and it would have exhausted me!

It is important to remember that sometimes there are no answers and no solutions other than time - everything is a phase and your child will grow out of each one and into another. What worries me is when parents think they are doing something wrong because they have followed a particular expert and their baby still isn't sleeping etc. Some babies just aren't ready to sleep through until later on.

For older children, I do like Toddler Taming - he acknowledges that not everything is foolproof and is very supportive of parents.

JMHO

purplepatch

A friend bought me a couple of Gina Ford books and tbh I found them horrific. Have since sold them on amazon marketplace! Much too regimented for our lifestyle.

Perhaps I was lucky but without adopting any of Gina Ford's methods, my DD was sleeping brilliantly at a very early age and now at 2.75 years of age is a very contented child settled into a routine, albeit a flexible one

I have to agree that it was a case of following instincts rather than advice in books - there aren't really any that I would overly recommend. I used to dip into the Bounty books that you get given from time to time and found they were helpful enough for my needs.

plumpmouse

I love the Baby whisperer by Tracey Hogg and can thoroughly recommend it.

She also has a programme on discovery health (or which ever one it is that shows the baby progs)

purplepurple

I know people swear by Gina Ford but my advice is to be very wary of any book that promises you all the answers. Your baby has not read any of these books and so does not know that it is supposed to sleep through the night if you do X Y and Z.
Very strict routines might be fine if you are happy to live your life by the clock - I looked at Gina Ford and it would have exhausted me!
It is important to remember that sometimes there are no answers and no solutions other than time - everything is a phase and your child will grow out of each one and into another. What worries me is when parents think they are doing something wrong because they have followed a particular expert and their baby still isn't sleeping etc. Some babies just aren't ready to sleep through until later on.

this is true... but I see friends who are still struggling to get their kids into bed before 10pm and can't help thinking that because I got mine into a routine, we've had our evenings to ourselves since they were babies. Obviously you should decide what your priorities are and just take out from a book/idea what you need, and leave the rest; I found the Gina Ford books flexible enough for me to do that. Most of it is just common sense anyway :snow_laug

black-saturn

I had one called 'Your pregnancy week by week' which I read like the Bible. I cant remember who it was by though

s@sha

Thanks again for all the ideas. I haven't tried any 'routines' yet with my baby, (obviously, as I haven't read any books yet!) but he's always slept well at night since newborn, only waking to feed & then going straight back to sleep. I've just gone along with what he wants really, and at 3 months he seems now to have settled into having a feed about 10pm & then falling asleep til about 5am, feeding again, then sleeping til about 9am.

A few of you have mentioned following Gina Ford routines, those of you that got your babies into a routine that had your babies in bed all evening...did they not simply wake up earlier in the night, or really early in the morning & then not go back to sleep?

purplepurple

I found that the more sleep my two had, the more sleep they had ... if you get what I mean! They woke for feeds and then slept until 6.30 - 7.00am. Both my two are Larks (you either get Larks or Owls) and do get up early, but then I'm a lark too, so we all get up early without it being a real problem. (obviously I'm married to an owl, so he uses that as an excuse for not getting up with them! :snow_laug ) They generally slept 12-14 hours a night, if it was 12, they'd make up the time during the day, which I didn't mind as it gave me a chance to breathe! sleep is really important for their development, the more they can get the better! :rudolf:

£Ronnie

I love Gina Ford's routines. I think she gives great guidelines on what you can expect of your baby. eg, length of time awake, how much sleep, how much to eat/drink. I have three of her books, contented baby, confident child and the weaning one.

If you are happy with the way things are going then you might not like her style, but if there are any problem areas then she' great. Once I started both my babies on her routines I always knew why they were crying, and they never cried for long as I knew what was coming next. Initially they may feel restrictive but as your baby is three months you shouldn't feel it now, especially if your little cherub will sleep in pushchair, car etc, rather than just in his cot. The great thing is that if you want to book an appointment or arrange to meet a friend you know when a good time of the day is going to be, rather than get stressed out, be late etc.
Re your question of them being in bed early evening and waking in the night, if you went Gina's suggested way, you would bathe feed and have baby in bed for 7pm, then wake at 10pm for a top up then straight down till 7am. The 10pm feed drops off once they are established on weaning. Getting those evenings back is fantastic. You can go to bed early, hubby do 10pm feed, spend time with hubby, go out with the girlies,long soak in the bath, or catch up with the housework. (note how far down on the list the housework is!)

If you want a routine she is great, if not don't waste your time reading it. I have recommended it to many and all who have tried it love it and value it. If you're not sure, can you borrow it from a friend or library?

For developmental information, The "What to expect" series is great, I wish I had discovered it for my pregnancies. For behaviour, (bit early yet) like the others I like Christopher Green's book, Toddler taming. Although I have to say thankfully we havn't needed it too much and a lot of that I put down to Gina's routines!

Whatever you decide, enjoy your little bundle now. It is amazing how quick it goes. Nuzzle his hair and implant the feel and smell to your memory to cherish forever, cuddle him hold him and just "be" with him. It won't be long before he won't sit still in your arms, exploring the world and then the time really does fly.

Sounds like youre doing really well, enjoy your first Christmas together!:xmassmile

Little_Miss_Winner

Gina Fords 'Contented Little Baby Book'.

My three 15 months, 3 and 6 and I swear by this book. They are all in bed by 7pm - 7.30pm and 8pm. Respectively. And all sleep for 12 hours!

Borrow a copy from your library for a month, and have a good read then decide for yourself - nothing to lose?

:xmastree: :rudolf: :xmassign:


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