Please read - DO NOT buy this book! - Rated 
My husband bought this book for me with the best of intentions the day i gave birth to our first baby. I read it and was appalled at the content.
I don't wish to offend but i feel sorry for any baby/child raised according to Gina Ford's ideas. No baby ever benefitted from being breastfed by the clock and left to cry.
Believe me, the only 'expert' you will ever need is Dr William Sears, an advocate of 'Attachment Parenting'. This style of parenting is so much more loving than the strict routine style that Gina pushes. Do yourself and your baby a favour...avoid this book like the plague. I'm just sorry i have to give 1 star just to be able to review it.
Nice book but made me feel inadequate... - Rated 
I bought this just a few weeks before my first baby was born at the end of last year, I found the first couple of chapters on general baby care and newborn very useful but then as the months went by, Gina seems to imply your baby 'should' be doing this and that and I sometimes felt that my baby didnt measure up to her exacting standards and her patronising tones made me feel inadequate as a first time mother. Her strict routines are well known and of course they are in here, not as detailed as in some of the other books but detailed enough for those of us who seem to muddle through and have babies not so suited to routines.
I thought the photos were nice and some of the babycare information was good however this could all be got elsewhere in more detail, i.e. Miriam Stoppard, 'What to expect' books etc.
If you are a fan of Gina and would like to get your baby into a routine as early as possible this book is for you. However be warned it may make you feel a little inadequate as the months go on!!
a nice book but disappointing advice - Rated
I bought this book because of all the wonderful reviews it had gotten and read it cover to cover while pregnant. When baby appeared however i soon realized that the advice in this book did not suit my baby at all. To begin with there is absolutely no helpful advice given on colic.. we get one paragraph relating to the colic of a breastfed baby where Gina tells us its to do with how long we breastfeed our babies and that none of her babies ever had colic (making us feel like bad parents thank you!). Most colicky babies are formula fed (mine is as well, for medical reasons) and thus this paragraph isn't even applicable. She also advocates a 3 hour routine of feeding, burping, changing and sleeping and gives advice on how long naps should be. Since my baby has colic then this routine went out the window, as i found that as soon as i managed to settle my baby to sleep then according to Gina i would have to wake her up again for another feed. Obviously that was not going to work! I also found her advice abit conflicting - in one section she says to feed the baby every 3 hours, waking them up if necessary. In another section it states that formula fed babies can go up to 4 hours between feeds, which would then wreck the 3 hour routine. I also found that the advice for burping a baby - holding the baby in a sitting position and rubbing its back in an upward motion, is actually not recommended by physiotherapists here in Norway as it can cause spinal compression (in fact, it is not recommended to put a young baby in a sitting position at all here!) so i was quite confused by this book.
Don't get me wrong, i wanted to like this book as i had heard great things about Gina, and the book itself has lovely colour photographs and is split up into sections for each month. I just found that it was abit confusing and impractical and not suited to all babies. I would borrow this book from a library if you can before deciding to buy. I think i will be selling mine...
Gorgeous book, perfect gift - Rated 
Agree with all that has been said previously!!!!!! Perfect gift for any new mum (First, fith), gorgeous pictures and lots of simple tips. Perfect addition to the Contented Little baby series, but also excellent as a stand alone book.
Wonderful guide to the first year - Rated
This is a lovely book,packed with so much useful information that will guide you through the first year of a newborn.
I found that I not only read it cover to cover but returned to it time and again to read up on various milestones. I particularly liked the easy layout interspersed with beautiful photography.
Whether a Gina follower or not this is a great book to have and to give as a gift.
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