The Contented Little Baby Book - A helpful guide for babies under One (The Contented Little Baby Book - Gina Ford)

Member Name: Katie-Jane

Product:	The Contented Little Baby Book - Gina Ford
Date:	21/08/02 (377 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good advice taken from years of experience

Disadvantages: The routines can be a bit rigid for some

WHAT THE BACK COVER SAYS....
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 what the future may hold. If you can afford it, you hire a maternity nurse to help the baby settle but for most parents this isn't an option. The Contented Little Baby Book is the perfect alternative. Based on twelve years of research and studying the natural sleep rhythms and feeding patterns of young babies, top maternity nurse Gina Ford has devised a strategy that is easy to follow and takes into account the needs of individual babies.

Gina's secret is simple. Once you've established her routine, everything else will follow. As a result, your baby will:

* Sleep through the night from an early age
* Feed regularly and well from either the breast or bottle
* Be less likely to suffer from colic and
* You will get a better night's sleep and feel more in control

Practical and calm and packed with 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 is can work for you.

GINA FORD....
A very experienced Maternity Nurse. All the 300 or so babies that Gina has helped looked after are a happy testament to how a routine can help.

THE CONTENTS....
Preparation For The Birth
The Nursery, Baby Equipment, Breast or Bottle Feeding Equipment, Clothes for the Newborn, Your Baby's Laundry.

After The Birth
Leaving the Hospital, Breast/Bottle Feeding - What to Expect, Common Problems, Dummies, Crying, Bonding - What to Expect.

Understanding Your Baby's Sleep
Demand Feeding, Sleep Rhythms, Your Questions Answered

Feeding In The First Year
Breast/Bottle Feeding, Milk Production, Weaning Your Baby From Breast to Bottle, Your Ques
tions Answered, Structuring Milk Feeds During The First Year.

Routines For The First Year
Benefits For Your Baby, Benefits For You, Establishing a Routine, Daytime Sleep, Adjusting the Routines, Several Routines for Different stages of Breast Feeding, Several Routines for Different Ages of Babies.

Introducing Solid Food
Weaning Your Baby, Different Stages, Your Questions Answered, Feeding Plans From 4 Months to 12 Months

THE BOOK....
As a new mother to be it can be quite daunting searching for information of what you can expect. I liked the title of this one and it had been recommended to me by a friend. I though it was a reasonable price and purchased it from WH Smiths.

Gina Ford gives alot of practical information and advice on what you need for the baby, through first coming home with the baby, feeding & sleep routines and weaning onto solids all up until around 12 months.

She answers alot of commonly asked question which I found particularly useful and provides alot of charts showing how much milk or food the baby needs to have and when etc..

I personally found the routines that she set far to rigid as you planned your day around the routine and I felt this was not always easy to do when you are a young mum and have to rush to baby clinics, first time mums groups and baby massage classes etc. I therefore took her advice and guidance and fitted a routine around myself and my daughter which suited us fine.

(Routine's start at 7 am, whereby if baby is not awake you must wake them, it then tells you when to feed, how much or how long for, when to play with them, when to put baby down for a nap and finally to bed at 7 pm!)

My daughter is 14 mths old, she has two naps a day, has slept through since a very early age and eats well I put it partly down to what I have read in this book and in Secrets of the Baby Whisperer.

There is alot of very good common sense advice and in
valuable information in this book and I would recommend it but say this, don't feel disheartened about the routines you can just use them as a guideline.

REMEMBER a book is to empower you not to dictate or patronise you. It is after all a guide and not a gospel!

ISBN 0-09-186914-5

PRICE £8.99 Available from all good book stockist in the Family/Health Section or your Local Library for a free loan!

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