Healthy Living Books Books

Rating: - Chinese translation needed
My daughter has recommended this book very highly. I would like my chinese sister-law to read it as she has just given birth but her grasp of english is not too good.
I know this book has been traslated into either Mandarin or Cantonese but so far i have been unable to purchase it.
Please can anyone help in this matter.

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Rating: - In an ideal world
The book on the surface and at first glance looks to be very good. However if your baby is a big hungry baby that constantly feeds then the book is utterly useless. The main rountines are of military proportion and will limit the main carer of any new baby even more than a baby already does.

If your child is of "normal" size and feeding patterns and you are happy to spend the first 6-8 weeks indoors then this is the book for you. Otherwise forget it!

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Rating: - This book is breast feeding friendly and doesn't advocate letting your baby 'cry it out'.
I personally like the book. I bought it while still pregnant. At that time I read it and decided it wasn't for me. I went for a more baby led approach, following my son's demands for feeding etc. 4 1/2 months on I am exhausted and miserable, being woken up 2 hourly at night. Last weekend out of desperation I picked up the book again. I found Gina Ford to be sensitive to both mothers and babies. You deserve to be as well rested as possible and your baby deserves a happy relaxed mum.

I think the key the the CLB routine was starting the day at 7am, it means you can get most if not all the feeds your baby needs in during the day and encourages the baby to sleep longer at night. Within one day my little boy was happier. It was as though he read the guide. He fell asleep without fuss at naps times and seemed to feed better. We went from 4 hours each evening of angry yelling and frustrated feeding (I am breastfeeding)to less than half an hour and on somedays nothing. Gina gives good advice on breastfeeding and how to build up your milk supply.

You need to use common sense with this book. If you are not comfortable with parts of it adapt it to you and yours. For example the book recommends naps are in cot in darkened room which would mean being stuck at home. I follow nap times but let my son sleep in his pram if it's more convenient for me to go out. Also my son seems to follow the routine for slightly younger babies and still needs a small nap in the afternoon and a small feed around five before his bath. Although some babies my sons age (21 weeks) sleep thru the night, we still seem to need to feed him at night (2.30am) but by following the schedule we have gone from 3 feeds to just one.

I realise it is very prescriptive but it does seem to work and follow natural sleep patterns of babies. It is time consuming but no matter what you do after having a baby your life will never be the same again, at least this way you can have the busiest times during the more sociable daytime hours.

I agree with some comments re the order of the book i.e it's difficult to dip in and out of the book. Some of the best bits of advice are not in the section for example on sleep but in a question and answer part somewhere else in the book. That said I have nearly read it cover to cover and can now find what I need quite quickly.

Incidently I don't let my baby cry it out - I couldn't and I cuddle him loads. Even though we still don't sleep through the entire night, having a routine especially for the day means I have more confidence going out as I know my son is well rested and feed and is generally vey happy. If you are happy co-sleeping and being woken two hourly then continue to be fully baby led. I tried it and I admire mum's that can do as I couldn't. I felt resentful of being woken and spent my days in a haze. If you'd like a little more control back in your life while still giving your precious child what he/she needs then have a look at the CLB routine.

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Rating: - Fantastic book..just don't follow it to the letter!
I read this book from cover to cover (several times)when i was expecting and loosely implemented it when my daughter was born and have to say have found it absolutely invaluable in raising my little girl who is now 9 months. I think the trick is to follow it, but not to the letter (also to read the book thoroughly and really 'know' it). Most of what Gina advocates is absolute common sense. Yes..it is very rigid if you stick to it 100% but we didn't do that. We took Gina's basics and based our schedule on her ideas. I didn't even try to get my daughter into any kind of routine for the first 4 weeks or so but then (based on Gina's routines)i helped her gently find a pattern of eating and sleeping that suited both her and me. She was sleeping 11-7 by ten weeks and was sleeping 7-7 by 5 months.(she's bottle fed and weaned at 5 months). She is now 9 months old and she always has been, still is and hopefully will continue to be a very contented happy little baby. I really believe this is mostly down to the routines we've followed and the way in which i've applied Gina's theories. She's thrived on a routine...She is happy, bubbly and only ever really cries when she is tired or hungry. I have never had to leave her to cry it out...if you read the book correctly Gina does not advocate that. I was a first time very anxious mum in need of abit of support and a push in the right direction. Gina gave us that and i am now the proud, confident mum of a wonderful baby...it worked for us!! Buy it..and read it before the baby's born!

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Rating: - Very useful but not a bible
Bottom line: Are you a control freak? (be honest)If so, then this is the book for you. If not, then give it a miss.

I did not read this book with my first, who was a nightmare baby sleepwise, but was eager to avoid that fate with my second so I did buy and read it then. I found her general baby care advice very sound and helpful and wished I had read at least that first section with my first. As for the much discussed routines, I think that she has based them on what has worked with lots of babies and therefore they will work fine for lots of babies.

You have to take the book with a grain of salt and choose to use as much of the routine as works for you and your baby. I liked to dip into it every week or two and get an idea of how Gina thought things would be changing for my baby and then make up my own plan based on my baby's needs as well as the rest of the family's.

I have to say that I would often put him to bed thinking he wasn't tired, but give it a try because Gina said to and then find him out cold in seconds, so I do think she knows a thing or two about typical baby rhythms. However all babies are not typical, her routines are virtually impossible if you have an older toddler to manage as well, and if you are a go with the flow kind of mum you may find you don'e enjoy being a slave to a routine.

On the other hand, I think many new mums (especially type A ones) feel completely lost when they bring a new baby home. They have no experience with babies, and very high expectations of themselves. Finding themselves confronted with a whole new job, one which is far more important than anything they have done before and yet for which they are entirely unprepared, can bring on panic and depression (to say nothing of the effects of sleep deprivation and hormone upheaval.) This book can be a solid anchor for a new mum who feels out of control and overwhelmed. It tells you how to care for the baby, what to do with it all day, how to structure your new life, how to take care of yourself, and how to feel confident you are doing things more or less right. Once you feel like you have a grip on things, you can throw it away, or use whatever parts of it are working for you.

It is important to realize with this book that it is for the MUM, not the baby. Most babies will be fine on this routine, on another routine, or on no routine at all as long as they are kept warm, dry, fed and loved. A happy mum (and dad) are a great plus for your baby, so if you think you are the type of person who will need some structure and guidance to keep you sane, then by all means buy this book and give it a try. If you think you want to use your instincts and be free to go with the flow, then this isn't for you.