Can I just say "Gina Ford" and then run away again before she gets slagged off!!
I've heard all the arguments and I take all on board but I think her routines are quite sensible if you ignore the crying it out approach. I'm currently trying to get Elliott to sleep from 7pm as we had managed a fudged version of her routine where he went from 9pm to 9am (with feeds at 11pm and 5-7am roughly) and it's funny but he was already sleeping at the times that she suggests anyway mostly- it's just the settling at night that he doesn't do.
A friend of mine whose baby is three days older than mine has been in a right state up to now. The doctors had just diagnosed her with post-natal depression based on her questionnaire results although she thinks she had been feeling bad because her baby hadn't been sleeping at all well and spent most of the time crying. In fact left to her own devices her baby would sometimes be awake all but an hour in 24 (crying) and then sleep the next day entirely. She has reflux which hasn't helped either. My friend's relationship was also suffering badly and her husband was very concerned about her as all she did was get angry and cry when he got home from work. Anyway he bought her "The Contented Little Baby" for her birthday and after two rather miserable days of putting her baby on the routine a miracle happened! She slept almost exactly on queue and even better she no longer throws up every time she is fed- the night feeds are so much calmer that she is keeping it down (she is still sick at other times as obviously routine doesn't cure it but it has seriously helped her situation). My friend is sooo much happier as she has actually had some sleep and her baby isn't crying very much at all any more and is obviously happier.
Anyway- this was obviously a one off extreme case but I just thought I'd mention it because Gina G (as my husband calls her!) gets such a bad press. I ignore the bits about only putting them to sleep in their cots and the crying it out business (I'm following Elizabeth Pantley's "No Cry Sleep Solution" for that) but I do think that encouraging them to nap at certain times of the day and sticking to that pattern most days helps keep everyone happy.
I've gone off on one again- sorry! I guess my suggestion would either be to try out Gina's routine or develop one of you own where he perhaps stays awake for longer during the day (with little naps at certain times) so that when he goes to bed he sleeps longer and deeper (I know Elliott wakes for no reason when he's in a lighter stage of sleep- he woke after a sneeze last night!). You might have to do this gently because despite what Gina implies you can't make a baby stay awake or go to sleep when you want them to but if you for instance let him have more of a cat nap in the eary evening than a sleep he might sleep better? I've just started sticking to Gina's routine in a closer manner and at first I laughed at the fact that she has a 15 min nap between 4.45-5pm because I didn't think he'd only sleep for 15 mins but strangely enough he did- he even woke himself up and was quite happy afterwards! She has three naps a day in the 8-12 week routine, 45 mins between 9-9.45, 2 1/4 hours between 12-2.15 (I take this as a bit moveable depending on if I'm going out and if he falls asleep earlier I just count the 2 1/4 hours from then) and then 15 mins from 4.45-5pm. So a total of 3 1/4 hours sleep between 7am and 7pm- not sure if this helps as a guideline?
Just a suggestion- might be worth a go you never know until you try!
Other than that could he be teething or ready to wean as waking in the night when they've previously been sleeping through can be signs of that can't they???
(Ducking for cover as I know Gina is v unpopular!)
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