To bin off baby sensory

[autoclave]

Hi all, FTM posting for advice.

After a long time on a waiting list, I recently became eligible for baby sensory in my area. It's incredibly popular here and one of my friends raves about it.

I've now been to 4 sessions and I hate it, I'm just wondering whether it's important for development to go to the class. From what I've experienced everyone sings a song with matching sign language (which seems a bit culty to me but I admit that it could be my opinion clouding my judgement). Then the leader seems to go around the room handing out rattles. We listen to a song shaking the rattles, and then they're collected and we get given pom poms to shake while we listen to music, and the rest of the class follows in the same way.

I find it incredibly tedious to attend, but I'm not sure if I'm missing something as it's so popular! Baby doesn't seem to care about any activities and I'm just wondering whether doing things like rhyme time (free at the library) might be just as good as paying for the class.

YABU: Baby sensory is important for their development. Suck it up and do the class.
YANBU: sack it off and get a coffee instead

I love the corn because the corn feeds me…

Just have a coffee instead and chat to your baby.

Those classes are more for the benefit of the parents rather than the babies.

Back in the day baby sensory didn't exist. Definitely not necessary.

Hated it too. Binned it off after 2 sessions
was it music bugs?

Sack it off. I went to one session with mine and realised it was a huge waste of money

As long as your baby is experiencing different sounds, textures and sights, which they will if you live a normal life and leave the house now and again, this is sufficient.

Unless baby is really deprived of sensory input at home (just left in a pram all day or something) it's not necessary and the ones who are deprived won't be taken so pretty pointless I'd say.

Might be a way to meet other mums if you don't know many.

As long as you are talking, reading speaking to your baby taking them outside they will be fine

I found it tedious but it was someone else deciding the entertainment instead of me !!! Same as music , dancing etc tedious but I can take me planning activities hat off for a bit … phew

Life is too short to do something like that you don't enjoy. If you find it tedious stop. Some parents will enjoy it and others won't and baby definitely won't be affected by not attending.

Absolute waste of money. The world is all a sensory experience for babies. Just engage with them and take them places and if you need a chat go toq. Church run playgroup for £1

Just go to a free (or couple of quid) Stay and Play (playgroup) or rhyme time at a local library.

Like all baby groups the real purpose is to get out of the house and meet like minded mums. Babies get nothing from them. If you don’t enjoy it and have plenty of friends already then sack it off. It doesn’t become important to do things like that for their benefit until they’re toddlers.

Waste of time! Get a mum friend round for coffee, think of something for the babies to do, glo sticks, foil blanket, instruments, bubbles save yourself some bother and some money.

I've never been to any such classes because I live abroad in a country where they're not a thing. Mercifully, because it sounds like hell on earth! DD is fine. Kids in this country seem to be surviving without. Bin it off and do something you enjoy!

I’ve said YABU because it’s so clearly a thread to sneer at the sad mummies who take their baby to classes. Sad cows, eh? You’re obviously superior.

Classes like these are for mums to meet other mums, not something that affects development.

Well it's not compulsory is it?

Do what you enjoy. Your baby/child doesn't give a toot about it at all.

They get sensory feedback from licking the cat or chewing grass.

It's absolutely not important for a baby's development.

I understand that for like mum and bub exercise classes, just struggling to understand what benefits there might be for adults here!

Yeah it's more for mums, and there was a wait list for mine (7 years ago now). What happened was that DD got the same experience at Hartbeeps, but Baby Sensory was full of cliquey mums who would gather off in their groups in the free play time and not even say hello to me. So I left each session feeling like crap. Sack it off, I wish I'd done sooner!

Endured it with my first baby trying to fit in with all the other mums, second baby absolutely not! Don't see the point of it at all.

I went to some stuff with my baby because I wanted to get out of the house and it was winter. Had some nice sessions; didn't make any lifelong friends but they served their purpose.

But calling songs with signs "culty" is utterly batshit.

I hated those church playgroups with a baby. Just noise. Much more fun when you've got a toddler and there are all those toys and a big space.

Do the laundry while talking to your baby about what you’re hanging out. Waft the different fabrics over them.

Then go to a nice coffee shop and get a decent coffee and cake and adult interaction (and point stuff out and talk to child while there).

I used to take DD2 to a weekly group where we sat round and sang nursery rhymes like a bunch of muppets at the local library 😅, but it was warm, free, close by, and DD2 seemed to like it. I actually do like having a bit of a sing song and learned lots of new verses to nursery rhymes which also helped with bedtimes.

It's for mums to socialise mainly. What about your local children's centre? They normally do free or affordable classes