AIBU to find baby sensory groups excruciating

[User88181992]

I’m not sure if it’s just me or whether most other mums feel the same way and are just hiding it well. I come away from most sessions feeling totally deflated. It’s not so much baby groups as a whole, as I’ve found the library baby rhyme time much more natural. There’s something about baby sensory…possibly how structured it is and the scheduled in moments to chat among ourselves? Waving a multitude of different coloured rattles at a blank face?
I signed up for a whole term to alleviate guilt about not doing enough on mat leave, and I thought my baby would serve as a good prop if I am totally honest. Instead it feels like the first day at school every week :(
Does anyone else find these sessions painful? Did anyone manage to make..Mum Friends?

Hm I suppose I just wanted to have a moan and also read other people’s experiences 💁

My baby loves sensory class tbh. I find it enjoyable because he does.

I use Bloom and love them ... so does my little one.

My girl is 6 now, but I used to read about these "baby sensory" thingies on Mumsnet and think "pffffff". I can only surmise many women put up with these inane groups in order to make friends with other mums.

I think groups like Baby Sensory are an absolute godsend! They're fun, they get you out the house, they give so many ideas of ways to play with your babies at home. Not NEXT to your babies (while you mindlessly scroll on your phone providing no eye contact or communication) but actually WITH your baby, looking at them, talking to them, teaching them songs and rhymes that you may well have forgotten from your own childhood, using so many props that you could never get bored or run out of ideas. I've been nannying for babies for over 20 years, and I am shocked but how little parents interact with their babies when out and about now. Headphones in ears, coffee in hand, eyes on phone. At least the classes give parents 45mins of meaningful engagement. Maybe go for a coffee after for your chat with other parents and use the class for what its actually meant to be... time with your baby. Personally, I think they're the best, and yes I think your are being unreasonable 😂 😝

I got talked into going to one when my middle child was a baby.

What a load of shit.

I prefered waiting until they were 18 months and then going to playgroups in church halls, just loads of toys shoved in a hall and some playdough and painting. They got far more out of going to a couple of those a week than they would have done some silk scarves being chucked around them as little babies.

I loved Bloom too.

I had a baby during Covid, the first summer so after the strictest lockdowns but our area was back in ‘local lockdown’ and remained in the highest tier or whatever system they were using throughout. So it was hit and miss when and if they ran. When they did run I went to everything going honestly - there was a memorable time I did 3 different groups in a day.

I never really encountered anyone being awful or cliquey but it was a weird time when we had to distance and wear masks and stuff anyway. We didn’t particularly get on with Rhythm time, loved Bloom it had some great tunes! We kept that up till DD was gone 2 I think. I also loved Tiny Talk baby signing and went on to toddler talk.

Also absolutely loved Artventurers, we didn’t start that till DD was a good bit older and I was back at work but would go on my days off. I was an Early Years teacher up to having DD, and fully imagined that I would be a ‘messy play’ type mum. Pictured myself lovingly making my own play dough and whipping out the tuff tray at any given opportunity. Turns out the mess just stressed me out when it was in my own home, so Artventurers was my way of letting DD roll around in paint or rub shaving foam all over herself in a safe and contained environment!

In terms of ‘mum friends’ though the lasting ones I made were from the church hall types, £1 and you get a cup of tea and a biscuit. I also went to a group specifically for mums with PND and PNA for a while and made a good friend there. And one from a toddler group they run at a local farm, but that was when the girls were old enough that they started playing together and sort of made the introductions for us, and I was brave enough to say ‘so shall we swap numbers maybe?’