Product Description

The prospect of bringing a tiny baby home for the first time is daunting. Horror stories of sleep-starved nights, inconsolable crying and feeding on demand can make any proud parent fearful of the future. Maternity nurses have long been used as live-in babycare tutors who will settle your baby as well as boost your confidence; this book promises to do the same and for a fraction of the price! Gina Ford uses her years of experience in caring for hundreds of different babies to produce a plan that will ensure your baby is happy and contented. She believes that simple routines can avoid months of sleepless nights, colic and feeding difficulties that many people believe are a normal part of parenting. Her babies feed regularly and well, never have colic and sleep through the night at six to eight weeks. Practical and calm and using lots of parent-friendly schedules and time-plans, The Contented Little Baby Book has already worked for hundreds of mothers and babies all! ! over the world. Now it can work for you.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-06
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
If you are still struggling to get your newborn to sleep through the night, still getting up throughout the night to feed the little one, or perhaps you are feeling as if no end is in sight, you need to read Gina Ford's The Contented Little Baby Book. It may be the only thing you need to bring peace back into your frazzled existence with your tiny baby, or babies.

After all, this book promises to teach parents tried and tested methods to get their baby to sleep through the night by the time they are 10 weeks old.

For parents who are craving their first night of unbroken sleep, Ford's book may be the answer.

Ford's methods conjure up the image of a strict and loving old nanny from yesteryear. Her techniques go against the grain of many currently popular parenting philosophies. For example, Ford, an experienced maternity nurse, is against demand feeding, believes in the necessity of waking a sleeping baby in order to establish a daily routine. Her philosophy may not be the norm today, but Ford is confident of her methods based on years of experience handling hundreds of babies.

Providing an hour-by-hour, week-by-week guide on how to get a new baby into a routine, the book includes feeding and sleeping schedules based on a baby's age. The Contented Little Baby Book provides so much information that it may be necessary to keep this paperback book handy for reference should you employ Ford's techniques.

Experienced parents may not benefit from Ford's methods, but first-time parents may learn a lot from her ideas, and for the discerning reader of parenting books, this one is a must have. For the reader who would like to weigh other parenting methods before adopting Ford's techniques, the following books may be of interest: The Baby Book, by William Sears, M.D. and Martha Sears, R.N.; What to Expect in the first year, by Eisenberg, Murkoff and Hathaway; and Your Baby and Child, by Penelope Leach. --Abbe Jacobson

The Telegraph
`This book could be your salvation!'

You Magazine (Mail on Sunday)
`Gina Ford is the Delia Smith of parenting...'

Customer Reviews

Sensible easy to follow guidelines (not rules!) for a contented baby!
I think when some people read the book they mistakenly perceive the book as a set of rules that must be followed to the letter. It isn't. It's a simple and clear set of guidelines that helps your baby to find a natural and balanced rhythm.

We followed the book carefully with our little one and it wasn't a case of rigid timelines in the slightest. We have a very happy, healthy, contented baby who from the age of 6ms year was sleeping (happily) from 7pm to 7am. She knows her meal times (yes the Gina Ford weaning book is also fabulous) and the difference between a lighter day time nap and night time sleep.

By following these simple guidelines you can ensure you have a contented baby.

I would also recommend the Contented Baby website which provides lots of useful advice, tips, on feeding, sleeping, development, recipes for weaning and also a useful forum for posting questions and discussing topics with other parents.

Avoid this book.
We bought this book on the advice of my sister, we were new parents and needed a little help with regards to feeding and sleeping etc. We could not belive our eyes when we read it however, this book is nothing more than set of strict authoritarian rules on how to live your entire life.
I mean it even gives you advice on how to use your own washing machine for goodness sake, when to get out of bed, when to eat, what is this woman on? A massive power trip as far as i can see!

Our midwife took one look at this book when she came to our house and said burn it, this book apparantly gives her many problems in her day to day job. She said Gina Ford is nothing more than a nanny and has never even had her own children, or hadnt when she wrote this.

Our son has found his own routine, and is very happy and contended without the ludicrous advice of this book.

A friend at work is living his life according to this book at the moment and is one of the most stressed individuals i know right now, it may not be purely this book but it cant be helping him or his family. Being a parent isnt just about having a contended baby, it's about having a happy and contended family.

The stress of being a new parent can be difficult enough without having to suddenly set your life around this books strict rules and regulations. If you need help speak to your family, friends, midwife, health worker, doctor, neighbours but seriously do not buy this book.

My lifesaver at a very stressful time!!!!!
This book was an absolute lifesaver to me. As a new mum, was very worried that I would do the wrong thing for my baby. This book gave me the confidence to make decisions that would benefit him. 1 year on I have a very happy contented little boy who is thriving in every way!!!!!! Thank you Gina Ford!!!!!