I Don’t Get Baby Sensory

[SlyAvocado]

And I’m not sure my baby does either

We spent twenty minutes thanking the sun for shining on us and the corn for feeding us, and everyone else seemed to know all the sign language.

I don’t actually like corn so I didn’t particularly want to thank it, but the other mums seemed to really be appreciative of the corn and the other things in the song. The only sign I got to grips with was waving.

My baby didn’t give a toss anyway and spent most of the class staring at a bottle of hand sanitiser.

Then we waved some scarves over our baby’s faces, while the instructor danced around blowing bubbles to ‘Morning Has Broken’

My morning was broken at 4am anyway by my crap sleeper of a baby, 10am is practically afternoon for us.

I am new to the area so I tried to be jolly and talk to the other mums but they weren’t interested, I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t thank the corn.

I wore my Tears For Fears t-shirt with a sequinned blazer which might have been an odd choice but I thought, sequins are sensory aren’t they? The instructor asked if I was off to an 80’s party and I said no, I’m on my way back from one.

We will finish the course because I paid £65, so it’ll be like that time I got drunk and signed up to Zumba classes and made myself keep going even though I hated every minute of it and was rubbish and was asked to stand at the back by the fire exit.

Is there something I’m missing, are all baby sensory classes like that? Do I need to learn all the sign language?

I’m not overly bothered from a friendship point of view because we go to a music class too in a different area which is held in a pub and the parents are really friendly at that one. The baby also loves to shake a maraca like Bez, so I think he prefers it too.

Why are mums not just all nice to each other at these classes? Do you think everyone is just socially awkward due to a combination of mat leave & sleep deprivation?

Is it sort of like when you first go to a Pilates class and assume that everyone there is friends and knows everything and you’re not welcome but then after a while realise everyone is just awkward?

I think humans are just weird in groups - it always confuses me when you have a lovely instructor smiling and making jokes and everyone is completely stony faced. I always over do the smiling and nodding so that they don’t feel like shit.

@SlyAvocado

If there’d been a taster season, I’d have done it.

I took my baby brother years ago to a baby sensory at Centre Parcs, and it was all fibre optic lights and lava lamps and glitter balls and funky music and bean bags to lay on. It was beautiful.

I thought it would be like that. Not laying on a dog-eared yoga mat waving a scarf with the blinding winter sun streaming in.

My SIL took her DC to sensory classes in another country and told me how much they loved it. It sounded like your Center Parcs class. That's what I assumed Baby Sensory would be.

When DS was a few months old we were in lockdown, so the classes were on Zoom. I wondered how all the optic lights etc would work over Zoom. Once I realised it was just me singing to my computer screen while DS slept, I didn't go back. Sunken costs!

First of all, me and you need to be friends

Second of all, baby classes aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. I went to 6 absurdly over-priced sessions when DS was little. It was nice to get out the house but I knew I wasn’t going to book any more.
First session i had bright pink hair and wore my motley crue tshirt. No wonder none of the nice mummies wanted to be friends with me.

As DS got a little older I found cheap free-play sessions in church halls that were much more fun for him.

@piney07

Why are mums not just all nice to each other at these classes? Do you think everyone is just socially awkward due to a combination of mat leave & sleep deprivation?

Is it sort of like when you first go to a Pilates class and assume that everyone there is friends and knows everything and you’re not welcome but then after a while realise everyone is just awkward?

I think humans are just weird in groups - it always confuses me when you have a lovely instructor smiling and making jokes and everyone is completely stony faced. I always over do the smiling and nodding so that they don’t feel like shit.

I don't recognise the "horrible mean girls at baby groups" thing. Everyone was perfectly pleasant when I went. Sure, some were already friends and I didn't forge a lifelong bond with everyone, but I never went to an activity where I was shunned or made to feel so ostracised that I never returned.

Nor did I ever go to a baby or toddler activity that wasn't on exactly the level I expected a baby or toddler activity to be.

I've no doubt that some people have bad experiences and that's a shame. I can't help but feel, though, that a lot of the time, it's about new mothers struggling with the change in their identity and the idea that their lives, at this point, revolve around simplistic stuff. They therefore feel a need to disparage them and everyone who goes to them, to prove to themselves that they may have a baby now but they're definitely not THIS BORING PERSON.

The irony being, of course, that they think it's everyone else who's unfriendly.

I never went to these classes as I had plenty of friends and family coming and going a lot engaging with ds in all different unique ways. It's fine if you need the social aspect though which I will understand and never judge those that go to them, it all a bit of fun at the end of the day but not something I was particularly interested in. For me it was outdoors all the way and the weather being great was a blessing too.

I think these classes are marketed at such a level where mums are often guilt tripped and think that their little ones are going to miss out developmentally.

We used to provide this sort of thing free at the local libraries I worked at, also story time and rhyme time. My granddaughter, aged 2 shouted loudly to all and sundry that DH, who had brought her to the session 'sleeps with my Granny, don't you!' causing hilarity amongst all the old men reading newspapersI so it can be entertaining sometimes

I hated it. Cold hall. Baby asleep for half if it. Then would do a vom or demand a feed did baby college with nct friendsand went to coffee after and that was lovely :) good luck, wouldn't mind a bit of sick now in trade for a baby cuddle

Haha OP I loved that description! You've brought back memories of thanking corn I had repressed baby sensory was never my favourite club! I don't bother with baby clubs with my 3rd - I reckon they are all overpriced and underwhelming.

I think swimming is the exception to this, 100% worth the (extortionate) money. You can take a one year old swimming but I couldn’t have taught my one year old safety skill

Your one year old won't remember those safety skills when they are 3!

My DS hasnt done any baby swim. I just took him myself every week to splash out. He's now (age 5) in a swimming class with a mix of children and the ones who did baby swim are no more advanced than the ones who didn't

I did a similar sensory/signing group and it was also really rubbish for making friends. I found the basic toddler groups in church halls run by volunteers and costing £1-2 per week so much better for meeting people! They tend to have a baby area and the mums of older toddlers tend to help bring cups of tea and cake to the mums with newborns.

These also do craft activities/painting for the toddlers and have some singing and/or story content. Just considerably cheaper and in a more friendly environment!

We loved it, especially the 7-13 months class when the babies were a bit more aware. I met some lovely friends there too.

Say hello to the sun 😁

You sound amazing, OP! If you rocked up to a baby class I was in, I would befriend you!

You don't go to baby groups for your baby! You go to get out of the house, chat to other mums, etc.

This made me really laugh 😂😂

Haven't had a chance to read all the comments but love your post! I tried to go to these classes etc to meet other mums yet as you have said OP - generally they don't seem interested in talking. I thought they were all just ignorant CFs - but now I realise - I just wasn't appreciative enough of/for the corn!
But seriously - why bother going if you won't make the effort?

@RidingMyBike

I did a similar sensory/signing group and it was also really rubbish for making friends. I found the basic toddler groups in church halls run by volunteers and costing £1-2 per week so much better for meeting people! They tend to have a baby area and the mums of older toddlers tend to help bring cups of tea and cake to the mums with newborns.

These also do craft activities/painting for the toddlers and have some singing and/or story content. Just considerably cheaper and in a more friendly environment!

As DD approached one year old, meaning I was going back to work and DH and I needed to sort out who was working which days (arrangement is that we have one person working, one childcare, each day), it is possible that we came close to arguing about who was going to get to take DD to the church hall toddler group, with tea and cake available.

(Don't worry, we've managed to arrange it so we both get to do it half the time!)

I think I depends on the person running it. Ours is great but unfortunately she's retiring soon. I like it, gives me something to do, people to meet, new toys/bits for baby to play with, new environment for baby to break up the day etc....it too is a loooooong one for us with an early riser wannabe rooster 😂 totally agree it's made up mumbo but it's fun mumbo if you're into that sort of thing and mad enough

I paid for the term, and attended 2 classes. LO screamed through both and fell asleep. Clearly she didn't want to say hello to the sun! Even played the soundtrack at home on Spotify and the screaming continued. I thought it was too loud and incredibly overpriced. LO loved swimming though. I just went to the local pool for £5 a week, unsure what's different about the £19 classes?

@kitchenSink5

Haven't had a chance to read all the comments but love your post! I tried to go to these classes etc to meet other mums yet as you have said OP - generally they don't seem interested in talking. I thought they were all just ignorant CFs - but now I realise - I just wasn't appreciative enough of/for the corn! But seriously - why bother going if you won't make the effort?

I found it being back in school which then made peoples behaviour make much more sense - you had the 'clique' mums etc. I think most people are just nervous and shy too!

Baby Sensory is the infant franchise of Zumba. It's a feeder system. They thank the corn because it makes people chubby enough to need Zumba. 👍🏻

Haha this is a brilliant post. I’m 3 weeks in to a baby sensory class with my 8 week old and have been having similar WTF thoughts. I figure it’s good to get us out the house, and if there’s a Mum for me to have a coffee with all the better.

Thankfully no thanking the corn at ours, but the adults do need to shake off their ‘adultness’ at the beginning. Yikes.

@toddybell

But if you want baby sensory, take little one to a lighting showroom.

😂😂😂

Or, better still, if you want baby and toddler sensory... Ikea.

Guys you say hello to the corn, not thank it. Jesus. No wonder you don't enjoy it

DS went from 8 weeks old and loved it. I went to a couple of different groups. First one the other mums weren’t friendly, the second they were (admittedly I knew a couple of mums already). We made mum friends at various church, toddler groups, library groups, baby massage groups, sign and sign groups and toddler sense. As you can tell, I spent a lot of mat leave out and about

I think all the groups benefited me more than DS though!