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There are many different theories on sleeping. Writer Deborah Jackson has championed the notion that a child should
sleep in the parents bed. Although now many people advise against this because of the risk of 'cot death', safe sleeping with your baby can
be a special bonding experience for parent and child. Then there are the parenting writers who believe in feeding a baby on demand, allowing babies to sleep by establishing their own
routines. Gina Ford, however, has long been a voice for doing something very different. She believes that children who wake many times in
the night need to be given a routine very early on in their lives rather than waiting until six months to 'sleep train'.
Her opinions have helped many parents who either feel the need for structure or who have babies who are wakeful and unhappy, and
respond well to defined sleep and feed times.
Organisation
Ford first examines what sleep is and how important it is for a growing child. She then goes through different sleeping routine techniques
for babies of different ages - in case you have only just discovered her writing and your toddler is now a troublesome sleeper!
A personal voice
Because Gina Ford is so closely associated with a particular parenting philosophy, she does become very self-referring throughout her
books. Quoting articles and citing the huge demand for her first book, she does tend to harp on about her success as a way of backing up arguments. If you're not entirely sold on her style of
routines, it can get quite annoying after a while!
However, Gina Ford has been a nanny and counsellor to many families through the years and her case studies - presenting various different
sleep-problem scenarios - certainly provide insight in a distinctive style.
She deals with various causes of sleeplessness and how to overcome them, and also how you should manage these problems if you
have twins, or you are not breastfeeding, etc.
I know people who swear by her techniques and I also know nannies who had to resign from their jobs because they felt parents using this regime were raising their babies in a way they simply could not agree with. However, if you are having real problems with a child who can't get himself off to sleep, or a toddler who just won't sleep in her own bed, taking a step back, assessing the situation and thinking about trying Ford's methods won't harm your child, and for you, it might well work!
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The
ThinkBaby verdict
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| An accessible and simply written book with clear sleep-routine instructions
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Usefulness: | 4/5
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Readability: | 3/5 | 
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Value: | 4/5 |
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