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Behaviour/development

should I take DD to baby gym?

7 replies

mama37 · 15/05/2008 17:37

I've been taking my LO (now 16 weeks old) to a baby gym franchise once a week for just over a month now. Problem is, for much of the time she's really unsettled: she often bursts into tears as soon as I lay her down on the mat, which means I end up spending a lot of the session cuddling/soothing her rather than joining in. This doesn't seem to be related to naps/feeds - for example, I've tried feeding her just before a session and another time feeding her an hour or so before, and her behaviour was no different.

I realise she's still very young and the baby gym environment can be massively overstimulating, but the times when she has joined in the activities (usually at least once per session) she's really seemed to enjoy them. Should I persevere and keep taking her? Has anyone else's baby had a similar reaction but enjoyed this type of activity more as they got older?

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TotalChaos · 15/05/2008 17:40

I really wouldn't bother. If you really enjoy taking her, then carry on, but otherwise I don't think 16 week olds need any specialised activity.

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BlueberryPancake · 15/05/2008 18:19

I think it could be overstimulating for her. 16 weeks is very young for that kind of activity.

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seeker · 15/05/2008 18:30

I wouldn't bother. She doesn't need to go to this sort of thing. Fid a nice mother and baby group where you can sit and chat with a cup of tea while the babies roll round on a rug. At this activities should be for your benefit, not the baby's.

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asteamedpoater · 15/05/2008 18:30

If it upsets her, I would stop doing it for a while and take her back when she's older and more able to understand what's going on and what she's supposed to be doing. At 16 weeks, I really don't see what benefits she could be getting out of a baby gym that you can't provide for her at home or just taking her out and about to visit your friends and their babies.

I did have a similar experience with my son and swimming, by the way. As a young baby he detested it with a vengeance. I left it until he was a bit older and bought him a wetsuit for the next time I tried (I think being cold was part of the problem, as he was a very skinny baby) and he is now a very keen swimmer. I think persevering when he was very little could have put him off for life.

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seeker · 15/05/2008 18:31

Chat to another person while drinking a cup of tea, I meant. Obviously chatting to a cup of tea would be at best silly - at worst a symptom of deep sychosis........

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yogimum · 15/05/2008 18:36

my ds was like this in baby massage but I put it down to the time of day as he loved massages at home. I teach baby yoga and the babies love it most of the time but there are occasions when they are fussy. If you are not enjoying it then I would do as everyone else has suggested and do something else.

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mama37 · 15/05/2008 21:15

Thanks everyone ... much as I enjoy taking her (apart from when she's fussing, obviously!) you've confirmed my suspicion that I should leave it until she's older. It's aimed at 0-6 month olds, but perhaps 12 months would be a better age to start off.

At least going to these sessions has given me new games to play with her at home, where she seems to enjoy them much more. We have plenty of new-mum friends, so I'll stick to seeing them for the time being.

LOL at chatting to a cup of tea, btw - nothing would surprise me at this stage of motherhood (says the woman who nearly left the house wearing her slippers last week...)