Morning baby classes and sleepy baby

[SproutingParsnip]

I'm really lucky in that there are a large number of baby classes at community centres and libraries where I live. The issue I have is that they all run from 10am or 11am and my 12week old's 'routine' is to wake/nappy change/feed around 6:30am (give or take) and then a nap again until 9:30-10am (so I get a lie-in too...!!) but makes it difficult to get to the classes in time.
Should I be foregoing my lie-in to be up, showered and breakfasted in time for her 2nd feed so we can head out as soon as she's finishing feeding? Why are there no afternoon classes? Grrrr!!

[FaFoutis]

I would stay in bed.

[LittleBairn]

I would always proritise sleep at this point so if you are happy with it stick with your current routine.
If you would like to go to the groups I would get her ready at the 6:30 nappy change. Shower the night before and have your clothes ready too then start getting organised at 9:15/9:30 to make the 10am groups.

[Artandco]

Stay in bed. At 12 weeks they are getting no benefits of these classes.

Then go out when ready to swimming, walk in parks with friends, shopping, coffee, museums. The benefit at this age is they don't really care where you go as long as your with them so go where you want rather than them a few more months

[MrTumblesBavarianFanbase]

You can take her to the classes asleep if you want :o but for your sake - don't feel your 12 week old needs to be at classes.

I think groups are morning because afternoon ones would have to finish early enough for the school pick up run or include older siblings who might be at preschool in the morning.

[Chunkymonkey79]

Once i was getting some kind of reasonable amount of sleep at night, i started to get up early while DP was still around before work.

I could make sure I had eaten and was dressed so I could leave the house whenever I wanted to after baby woke up.

It made so much difference to me not being stuck in the house till the afternoon desperately trying to get myself ready to go out with the baby clinging to me.

When i wasn't getting much sleep at night i prioritised getting more sleep in the morning if possible, but if i felt fine i would get up.

While the babies don't get much out of play groups at an early age, they can be a godsend for mums!

[GlitzAndGigglesx]

My friend takes her baby to all the groups but she's already up and out dropping off her other DC to school. I think that counts towards the times they start too. I don't think I ever attended a morning group with dd. She's 4 now and I often take her to soft play but even the times of them can be pretty daft

[weaselwithin]

if you want to go, you could shower the night before and have clothes ready like pp said, also feed baby at the group

[squizita]

Does she nap in a pram or sling? I walk mine round the park (exercise for me) asleep then attend a club that is right by the park.

But with early ones I only went if we were up!

Now I have the opposite. .. dd up at 5 or 6 am! After 2-4 feed nights! Ouch.
I go to groups for the coffee haha.

[mewkins]

Are there are any groups that are less structured and you can turn up when you like? I am always late so toddler groips work better than structured classes.

[IDontWantToBuildASnowman]

I always found baby groups mostly of benefit to the mum in terms of getting out and meeting people. Very young babies need much less stimulation at that age than most people think, so most of these classes are not much value to the actual baby imo.

My babies were rubbish at sleeping outside of a dark quiet bedroom so I very early on dropped my expectations of being able to attend classes, as it always just led to over tired and cranky babies by the afternoon, and a very stressed and anxious mummy.

So I guess the answer to your dilemma lies in whether you think you would get anything from the class to justify the effort?

[ellemme]

I had a similar situation with my dd at that age as she slept in until 10am. As others have said - the baby doesn't need the group at this stage but, if you're anything like me, you might! I go a bit mad if I don't get any grown up conversation, so I went to unstructured baby groups where it didn't matter if we were late. And dd's waking time gradually got earlier so now at 6mo she wakes around 7 and then has her first nap between 9 and 10 on the way to a group/class. Things will change a lot over the next few weeks. Our routine feels like it is continually evolving.

[SproutingParsnip]

Thanks for all your advice. Attending the groups is more for me than her, although she seems to like the ones we have made it to!
I'll play it by ear over the next week or so. We do get out of the house most days but I'm getting a bit bored of pounding the local pavements.

[AntiHop]

I had a similar issue when my dd (now 8 months) was younger. The way I got round it was that she napped in the sling and if feed her when I got there. I'd still be late all the time though. You'll find it gets much easier to leave your home quickly in a month or so. I found it so useful to meet other mums.