Contented Baby vs Baby Whisperer routines

Just interested in people's opinions. I have read Contented Baby but was a bit too regimental for my liking, haven't been about to get hold of a copy of the baby Whisperer yet, is it much different?

Also do you put your baby to sleep in the dark during the day or leave it light so they get use to the difference between day and night??

We have read the contended baby - and i agree it is too regimented - there are good bits to take from it though - particularly the end of day eat, bath, eat sleep bit by 7pm. we dont make the room dark during the day and have no issues with him sleeping. He now sleeps 7pm - 7am so it does work! (we never did the wake him up at certain times we let him wake himself up)

The baby whisperer one works on the EASY routine - Eat, Activity (play), Sleep and You time - we do this and works a treat.

So really - its about taking bits of what feels right for you and baby - I also think the Contended Baby one has the baby up for too long - our little guy could never last as long as she suggests

Also meant to add that we did the one hour turn around with DS.

So he was up, fed, changed, tummy time and back down in an hour. This lasted for about the first 6 weeks (i think) and worked really well as we never had a grumpy over tired baby. Admittedly I FF which I think may make the one hour turn around easier to follow as BF can sometimes take that long.

I have read both and I have followed The Baby Whisperer as well as a bit of Babywise but both quite loosely as each day is different.

My DD sleeps in her room for all sleeps and thats with blackout curtains (it just makes it dim dure the day not dark) but she can also sleep in the light as she naps at other peoples places or in the pram no problems.

The one thing I would recommend is white noise it has worked a treat for us for helping with day sleeps and if a door slams or the neighbours dogs go nuts (all the time) it does not wake her.

WE have contented baby as a girl in my an class followed it religously.
I threw it on the bookshelf.
Then at about 4 months I went back to it. Its very um, she tells you what to do word for word. But I like her sleep and feed times. The rest I just block out.

Hi Mrs B.

I have read both books. I really thought that I was going to be a contented little baby follower right down to the last detail HOWEVER Ben didn't read the book.

Our issue is that he won't sleep for more than an hour at a time. That means when I put him down for the two hour 8 am sleep he wakes at 9 we are an hour ahead of schedule so the rest of the day was out the window.

Ben sleeps really well at night ie down at 7pm up at 2-4 then sleeps till 7 am... and has been doing this for the last month -6 weeks.

My advice re routines is this...
1 They are a great guide for new mummies like me who had no idea.
2. Don't be too serious about them because they can cause more stress than they are worth...
3 Also if you can't fit into the schedule don't throw out the whole book (you might like some of it or you might get it to work later)
4. Ben's daytime time 'routine' would be deemed to be a failure by both authors but means great nights for us so we are at ease as we are.

Best of luck.. I birthed at Waikato Hospital and the midwives in the delivery suit were great esp Karen Walker and Leigh Veitch.

Oh and we sleep with the curtains open during the day unless it goes to custard and I use closing the curtains as another tool in my SLEEP BABY PLEASE SLEEP arsenal....