I took some of the thoughts/advice from CLBB - completely ignored the rest. The only three things I took from the book with DS1 were (1) sleep bub in a darkened room (2) try to bottle feed bub once a day so dad can participate and give mum a little break; and (3) a bub that is awake more often during the day, sleeps longer at night. I don't even do #1 or #2 with DS2, but he still sleeps and feeds well. What didn't work for me at all, were Ford's rigid routines. In fact, I didn't even try the routines. Always said I'd give them a go if I had a child who just wouldn't settle at night, but that never happened.

My two bubs set their own "routines". I think this is probably the reality vs Ford. My two have wanted to be BFd approx every 3 hours (I've always fed on demand). DS1 starting sleeping through the night at 8 weeks; DS2 at 3 weeks. Both piled on the weight in a big way, so there was no reason to wake them up for a feed. DS1 we gave 1 x EBM bottle a day from the day he was born, particularly after it took us a few weeks to establish BFing. With DS2 I've BF'd exclusively. Interesting tho that DS1 would settle easily with DH, while DS2 doesn't. I don't wake my boys at 7am and neither goes to bed at 7pm on the dot - but we have our own morning/night routine we stick to.

IMO only ... we do what works for our babies, and yes - for us too. If mum is totally lost on how to manage a new baby - particularly if mum is on the verge of meltdown after baby wakes for several hours in the middle of the night every night and cannot be settled - then, just maybe giving the book a shot is worth it in their opinion.

While BB is a gentle parenting sight, I don't think other BB users who are dedicated to their babies, and have happy children, can be frowned upon for trying somebody's routines. Healthy debate is essential, as proven by this thread, you get to see both sides of the story. I don't think there'd be a single BB user who would use Ford's book with a single intention of having a contended baby but didn't give a damn about their child's happiness.

To anyone thinking of using the strategies in the book I'd say read it with an open mind. Personally, I'd advise people not to be governed by Ford's structured routines - you could get too caught up in rigidity of it. Rather think about some of the thoughts/suggestions, and work out for yourself what works for your bub and you .