The New Contented Little Baby Book: The Secret to Calm and Confident Parenting Paperback – International Edition, March 13, 2012

Pros- The baby was sleeping through the night by week 2- The feeding schedule works if you follow it diligently- Helps set guidelines for what to expect with child developmentCons- It is a controlled and "selfish" approach at parenting- Can seem cruel to third parties unfamiliar with the techniquesFirst off, every baby is different. We are very lucky that our baby has been easy and took to the schedule almost immediately. We really only read about 70-80% of the book and applied about 60% of the techniques. We followed the techniques closely and never strayed too far. Some key takeaways (and again, every baby is different!):1) Getting the feeding schedule down is the backbone. The book is very detailed with the feeding schedule and amount to feed at each meal. We followed each and every word of the schedule for the first 6 months. There were only 2 memorable nights where I had to wake in the middle of the night. My wife and I sleep 8 hours every night since our baby was born.2) Don't be a softy and give in, stick with the schedule. You will be tempted to feed when she cries, let her nap when she dozes. Don't give in. Especially early on, every minute you stray from the schedule is potentially another minue you'll be awake in the middle of the night. Straying from the schedule has a cascading effect that throws off the schedule for the next day, then the next. The grandparents hated how we allowed our baby to cry and kept the baby awake, but in the end, my wife and I are the ones that suffer the consequences of an off-schedule.We had our baby within 2 weeks of my wife's sister. Her sister is a stay at home mom and has a laissez faire approach. She's had many many sleepless nights for feedings, sleep cycle reversals etc. Every baby is different, so it is hard to say how effective the techniques are. All I can say is that it seems to have worked for us. Our book is all beat up with dog ears and notes around each of the feeding schedules. We've abandoned the book at around 6 months, as we have been very lucky with our baby, and no longer need the tips and tricks. We are believers, and will definitely be following the same guidelines when we have our second and third!

Not many American's are familiar with Gina Ford but she is renown in England. IF you follow her guidelines to a tee, you will enjoy hours of sleep, your child will be well rested and adjusted, you'll be able to plan because you are on a schedule and life will be bliss with a newborn. the key is following the somewhat rigorous schedule which many people can't figure out how to do. You will need to make adjustments but like anything the first week or 2 are tough but then it gets easier and then it's just the way of life. I hear so many parents speak of having to sleep with their child, oh my child is different, oh s/he just won't go to sleep, we could never have a schedule - we are too busy, etc. All excuses in my book. Look, it's simple, usually the problem lies with the parents - it's their issue, they need to go to this or that event, they like holding the baby all night long, they don't want to hear the crying, etc. Get over it! kids need boundaries. This book helps you set them early on and while you are helping your child you are really helping yourself. Gina does an amazing job of outlining a very sensible feeding and sleeping schedule, and most importantly the little things that are often over looked like black out blinds. it's an easy read, and your pages should be earmarked.By 10 weeks we had gotten rid of the baby monitor and our baby was sleeping from 7pm to 7am with no waking up. The benefits don't stop when they turn 1 - by teaching the child at an early age the lessons in this book, they carry through the rest of their life. Today, at 8, my child goes to sleep with no trouble at 8pm and sleeps until 7am.Date night at my house every night!I have given this book as gifts to 1st time mothers and the ones who thank me for it have babies who sleep through the nights and they too are well adjusted. The others, well they rattle off one or more of those excuses above. I've read all the other baby books out there because I'm a huge fan of research and not one of them stands a candle to Gina Ford.If you buy one thing to help a new mother or for yourself, this is it! Forget the baby clothes, toys, and other gifts, this book will keep giving all your life and through your child's.