Rating: 
Summary: Fascist Piece of Tripe
Review: I am horrified by how many positive reviews there are of this book. Have the past 40 years of solid, proven research in attachment parenting been for nothing? Why does this woman view babies as manipulative little tyrants (count how many times she says that they are howling and shrieking, among other emotionally loaded terms), and the parents who are her clients as naive, stupidly warm and fuzzy dolts who don't know the right end of a diaper. I can't even pick up this book and look through it again to marshal my arguments because it will make me too upset, but just off the top of my head, the most ridiculous things in it that I can think of:
1. Black-out curtains should be in their rooms when they sleep--you shouldn't be able to see your hand in front of your face in their rooms (really practical, and what are you going to do when they grow up?).
2. Don't talk to or make eye contact with your baby in the middle of the night during feedings (oh, please!).
3. Flannel sheets are a no-no.
4. You should see the diagram of the crib-sheet strait-jacket she wants to put infants in--it makes the swaddling in the hospital look like free range movement!
5. Bassinets are a no-no for infants--they need the big lonely spaces of a crib.
6. Let them cry. They'll learn their lesson.
7. Breastfeeding is too troublesome. Give them formula supplements (who cares what the American Academy of Pediatrics says).
8. Who cares if they're hungry. Let them cry (see #6 above). Let them fit in with YOUR (read GINA'S) schedule. I could go on and on in this vein. Her anti-breastmilk diatribes are the most frightening. She seems to view breastfeeding as something that is ok in small quantities, but too messy and troublesome in larger doses. The control-freak nature of this parenting advice (not to mention how incredibly complex her daily routines are) reminds me of why Monty Python exists--think of the poor British babies, lying in their cribs, crying and screaming, being told to keep a stiff upper lip at age 6 weeks, growing into absurdist comedians rebelling against a strict social order of emotional repressiveness. They're BABIES, for goodness sakes, not clever con artists trying to steal your last cent. Just because she claims this works with the families she's worked with doesn't mean that these kids won't end up on the therapists couch in 20 years. The whole book reads like a horror story to me. It must be the conservative backlash in parenting that's making so many people like this book. I'd hate to see her next book; she probably advocates caning "bad children."
Rating: 
Summary: Should be called 'The contented little MOTHER book'
Review: When I asked a friend in my 'Mother's Group' what her secret was with her amazingly contented baby, she tentatively replied 'it's all in this book'. I had got to the 8 week stage and was at my wits end as to why my baby that would sleep all day and night suddenly didn't want to do that anymore. He constantly needed a dummy to keep him pacified and no amount of walking, holding, feeding etc made any difference. We also had the most terrifying 'witching hour' between about 6 and 9 pm when he would go beserk if the dummy slipped out for even a second. When I read her routines I realised that he had been trying to tell me all along that this was the feed, play and sleep pattern he wanted. He didn't want a long sleep in the late afternoon anymore and he was certainly ready for bed by 7 pm. The great thing about Gina's book is that it's not just about sleep. I have followed her feeding plans for moving onto solids with fantastic results. We often get comments like "is he going to eat all that" or "my baby wouldn't touch that, it's great he'll eat all those vegies". I guess my final comment is, if you don't like Gina's advice on leaving babies to settle themselves, then don't do it. However, I know that I am able to be more affectionate, loving and happy after a good nights sleep than if I have been up even once a night. I can also focus all my attention on Heath during his social/play times, as at 9 months I still get 2 to 3 hours during the day to clean up, have a shower etc.
Rating:
Summary: Gina Ford is a Godsend
Review: I can not believe the critics of Gina Ford! Can you not see how important structure is? Human beings by nature look for structure in their lives. It's all around us and has been since the dawn of recorded history. What amazes me is that with any important endeavor in life - writing a book, constructing a building, composing music, producing a television show - if we want to do a brilliant job, we start with a plan, an outline, a blueprint, and we structure it right (all great creations are well planned and structured) yet with a child, easily the most important endeavor one could ever undertake, many of you prefer to go with flow, let the chips fall where they may, feed on demand, let baby dictate when and how long they sleep. This is madness! If a good book merits planning and structure than why shouldn't a child? To the smart parents out there who want a truly happy, healthy baby, I highly, highly recommend this book. It worked beautifully for our little girl who started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks. She is the happiest, most peaceful baby we could have ever hoped for. To the rest of you, I have only one word - idiots!
Rating:
Summary: Strict but worth it!
Review: I actually bought this book by "mistake" and thought the content would be completely different as I was just 3 days out of the hospital after my first (and only, so far) child was born. Thus, I didn't even read it until she was 6 weeks old and I was at my wits end. Within 3 days of adhering to her "strict" schedule, Ellie was sleeping through the night and no longer crying for long periods of time during the evening hours. I actually thought Ms. Ford was ridiculous the first time through but I'm telling you, Ellie is like clock-work and has been since I started--she is now 7 months old. This book is my gospel and I have since bought 9 copies for all of my expectant friends. I am just now ordering it for my friend who had twin boys. I also liked that she referred to Dr. Weissbluth who wrote "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" which I had already read. The writing style may seem gruff but it is a no-nonsense approach that cuts through to the core of the matter: How to make your baby calm, content, and sleep through the night. Easy and a quick read but worth trying her approach! Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: It works!
Review: Okay so I didn't believe that scheduling a child could actually work as good as they write; it does. Ethan is 7 weeks old and we started at 3 weeks because he had his days and nights confused. The first day we saw a noticeable difference and by the first week he was sleeping until 4 am a week later and he was sleeping until 7 am! Not only does he sleep well, he is more alert, eating well and gaining great weight. I thought Gina was a crazy brit, but in fact she knows what she is talking about! I recommend this book; buy it and do yourself a favor.
Rating:
Summary: Too rigid
Review: Fine for you if your idea of fun is staying home all day, eyes on the clock, adhering to strict feeding, sleeping and waking schedules. It doesn't allow for parents that have other children that need to be taken to pre-school or whatever. You are never going to succeed with this rigid plan if you have to run around each day. Besides, anyone who advocates waking a sleeping baby has obviously never had one of their own and in my opinion, their methods are always going to lack a parent's wisdom....as is the case with the author of this book...enough said.
Rating:
Summary: This book saved my sanity!
Review: As a single mother since my son was 3 months old, I can truly say that this book saved my sanity. My boy is now 20 months and he has benefitted beyond measure from the structure that this book teaches you step by step to instill in your child's life much as our Mother's did back in the day. As many others who follow Ms Ford know, when you really work her program, the result is truly a child who functions according to the same flow that we adults do....sleeping througth the night, with short rests during the day with meals organized in a sensible way. Furthermore, due to the consistent routine each day and the adequate amount of rest my son gets, he is overall happy and is rarely sick. As far as I'm concerned, Gina Ford is a genius and anyone who dismisses her book as cold, rigid or just plain ineffective either has not read it or has not followed her program to the T, which is mandatory in order for it to succeed. I thank God for this book!
Rating:
Summary: you only need this book AND your own judgement
Review: first of all, let's admit that the idea of "getting babies to sleep through the night" is very selfish - we work, we go to school, we are parents - we want it all! but to get it all we need to rest - and that means more than occasional light nap "when baby is sleeping" but good solid stretches of sleep. perhaps babies are as happy waking up every two hours for food as they are sleeping through the night - i know i am not. this is why i found the book by gina ford so helpful. to all the critics of the book i will say one thing - do not get mad at strict routines but use the book as a general guidance and OF COURSE listen to your little one every minute of the day to see which rutines work well for her (and you!) and adjust accordingly (e.g. we start the day anywhere from 7 to 8am (not a strict 7am); i do my chores - including shower, breakfast and pumping between 9 and 10 not before 7am; she goes to bed at 8pm, not 7 as gina suggests; we dropped 10pm feeding first and then 4am feeding gradually dissapeared - gina suggests dropping night-time feeding first; etc.). so here are the reasons to buy the book:
1. specific brief practical advice on nursery set-up
2. specific, simple, practical guidance (in form of routines) on getting children to sleep through the night rather than a bunch of obvious (make sure they are not hungry - how exactly??), wrong (have them sleep with you until they are 3 years old), lengthy and touchy-feely (40 pages on "treat them as a person" - dhaa!!!) or overly comprehensive (brain-waves....) stuff
3. help in recognizing the progress your child makes in reaching that "sleeping through the night" heaven (e.g. which night-time feedings are usually dropped first; how much sleep does the baby need as they grow; what changes during growth spurs, etc.) and moving them forward through routines accordingly when they get comfortable with each milestone
4. many ideas about what to do when things get off track (e.g. keep your baby awake more during the day; create a "sleepy" environment during the night; guidelines about how much you need to feed them during the day to minimize the night-time hunger, etc.) bottomline? gina's advice worked as a clock - my baby sleeps about 4 hours during the day; feeds 5 times a day; i keep her active while awake and keep the room very dark when she is asleep. result? the day she turned over 12lbs mark (suggested as a milestone by gina) she slept from 8pm until 7am and have been doing that ever since! p.s. those reviewers who thought that gina opposes breastfeeding, cuddling and loving your baby completely missed the point of the book
Rating:
Summary: We're the envy of all our friends with little ones!!
Review: The reviews of this book do seem to break down to people who read it and hate the idea, and the rest of us who followed the overall general principles and have children who benefited from the comfort of structure.
We have friends who are still struggling to put their toddlers to bed without elaborate hours-long rocking/bedtime procedures. After all our experience with this book, we created an environment where our son became confident early on that he could get himself to sleep. We just ask our son, now 2, if he's ready to go see his teddy, and he goes back to his bedroom all by himself! We put him in his crib, and he rolls over and snuggles in. Baby sitters are amazed. We started using this book with our son when he was a few days old. He had reflux (an issue she addresses) and was having a lot of trouble eating and resting comfortably. As brand-new parents, we were uncertain of what he needed -- uncertain even of where to begin. Our lives improved 100 percent the day we put him on the schedule. We didn't follow it exactly all of the time, but the closer we got to it, the happier we all were. He was sleeping through the night by the time he was 7 weeks old. The changing schedules every few weeks/months really do match the changing needs of the baby. And if you read carefully, you do see that Gina Ford says you should feed the baby when he's hungry, not just on the schedule. But this overall schedule makes sure he's getting enough opportunity to eat during the day so he's not hungry all night. I no longer have my copy, as my sitter (who just had her first baby) requested it after watching my son the first two years of his life. But now my friends are requesting it, so I'm off to buy more copies! Note: This is the earlier edition of this book, and it did have some editing holes that I hope were fixed in the next edition. It's also has details more fitting England than the U.S.
Rating: 
Summary: Controversial, but effective
Review: We knew from the start that this book evoked strong feelings, with parents either loving it or hating it. In the UK Ford's profile is so high that admirers think of her as a saint; the other camp refer to her as the "Baby Nazi".
We made a half-hearted attempt to follow the book with our six week old baby. But it was around Christmas and we found the rigid routine too constricting as it didn't fit in with all the comings and goings of the holiday period.
We also found the book unhelpful in providing answers when our baby's behaviour didn't tally with the routine ("baby should be sleepy by now" when our baby was blatantly wide awake...)
At nine weeks, we tried again, also following Ford's plan for increased breast milk supply. It took a couple of days for our daughter to adjust, and we had to be strong enough not to pick her up immediately if she couldn't settle. After four days the results were incredible: she sleeps from 11.00pm until 6.45, and settles down instantly. We can interpret her needs better, she seems happier, and we are no longer the wrecks we once were, meaning we can give her so much more quality attention when she is awake.
Try to stick to the routines, but use them only as guideline if necessary. Think of this book as in investment in your future sanity: it takes some effort but is worth it in the long run.
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