To think "classes" for babies and very young children a re a money-making scam?

[Gateau]

I've never heard anything so ludicrous in all my life - "classes" for babies and very young children. I'm talking about the likes of music and singing classes, 'gym' classes, overpriced swimming classes etc etc.. The list is endless.
Recently someone told me their baby learnt to "wave" at a music class and another told me their little one learnt to climb stairs at gymn classes. Ummm, can we not teach them these ourselves??! I did.
I just find them so patronising and more than that, I don't think it's fair to put them in classes at such a young age. There's enough time for classes when school comes round.
I know some Mums, partic SAHMs want their LOs to socialise with other LOs and classes are a social outlet for them, but what's wrong with natural growth - ie nursery,a playgroup or mother and toddler group, soft play, the park, the garden, playing inside with them yourself, inviting other LOs round to play......??
IMO these classes are nothing but a money-making scam; I can't believe so many parents have fallen for it.

I take my son to KinderMusik and pay £35 for the privilage (10 week course)

I have taken ds to Monkey Music since he was a few months - he has always seemed to like a tune!

I did however avoid baby yoga, signing, etc etc. as in those early month the thought of ds lying still and quiet while I did a few sun salutes was laughable. If I had brushed my teeth by lunchtime I was doing quite well. Have also avoided swimming lessons on teh ground that I think he's too young and the price took the piss.

We just take him swimming ourselves instead - he gets in free that way! And we have a laugh and a splash about as a family.

I have been to baby "yoga", baby massage and the singing things.

Baby massage was free and provided by the health visitors locally, it really helped my DD's tum issues.

I don't really see them as classes?

I dont want to her to learn, I just want to be out and about, meeting new mums and letting DD be around other kids.

Theres only so many sessions on the park that I can cope with. She is only 7 months.

Went to the baby/toddler things, it was mainly older children. DD too young to crawl etc so don't think she really enjoyed it. However, they did half an hour of singing at the end and she loved it - cheaper I guess!

Singing is too expensive, £62 for 15 weeks (classes are only 45 mins) Am only on SMP now so may have to cancel that one.

I will miss it, DD probably won't!

Stripeymama: "I had friends before I had children, some of whom also have children and some of whom don't. I still see many of them.

I genuinely am surprised that people don't already have friends and have to find them by going to baby classes"

Are all your friends at home during the weekdays then? Don't they work?

I'm sure pretty much all of us had/have friends! But I'm also sure I'm not alone in that most of my existing friends (other than those met through toddler activities) are either at work or have older DCs, don't live that near, or have other things to do during the day, etc. Still see them of course, but either at weekends or evenings.

I think baby classes are a load of nonsense, to be honest. I did a few sessions of Gymboree when my son (PFB!) was about 6 mths old and it was a pointless pissing away of good money. I suppose the upside is that people make friends with other new parents (although I didn't - far too harassed and miserable at that stage post-natally!).

Now my son is 3.5 yrs old he is actually getting a huge amount from the two 'classes' he goes to (swimming, Enjoy-a-Ball).

I went to music 'classes' (would people like them better if they are called 'music groups'?) with my children because:
1 It was a chance to go somewhere warm out of the house with my baby
2 I could see some adults who were also a bit fat and elastic-waisted
3 My kids loved seeing other babies and toddlers
4 They all actively liked banging drums,rattling rattles and (mainly) listening to the leader singing Incy Wincy Spider
5 I was forced into 'quality time' (ick) interaction with my child without thinking I should be putting the washing on or tidying up the squalid pit that was my home, which was a good guilt-buster.
6 Afterwards the kids got juice and biscuits and I could eat a biscuit
I thought that was quite good value for about a fiver.

And I agree. I had loads of friends. Mostly I worked with them or had worked with them. So when I was at home with a baby they were busy at work. I also live in London and worked in Central London, and my friends came from all over London, sometimes their homes were nearly two hours drive from my home. I wanted to meet a few people who were at home during the day, who lived nearby and had babies so would understand a bit about naps and crying and not be scared/freaked by breastfeeding!

My other challenge was that I went back to wrk f/t when ds was only 4.5 months old (that was all the standard maternity leave yuo got then ) so even if I had wanted to, most "extra" classes were not available to me.

I think ds got a few ducklings classes before I started back - and I only managed to re-start the ducklings class when I found out that there was a class on a Sunday morning - even if it did mean being at the pool for 9a.m.

I really don't know (or didn't) know many people outwith work and most of my good friends are spread around the country, so going to classes would have been a good way to make new friends.

Msdemeanor, I could have written your post! Specially the bit about elastic-waists! (Remind me, when does that stop exactly??)

Maybe it's just me, but I just cannot work out what mothers with babies/toddlers who aren't in nursery do every day without going mental if they don't take them out and about, groups etc. As someone else said, there's only so many times you can take them to the park, just you and them, again. Not that my idea of heaven is spending an hour in a hall full of noisy toddlers, or singing the grand old duke of york yet again, but DS is 16 months and if we didn't do things like this and the weather's crap, what on earth could we do day after day?

i guess people wouldn't go if they didn't get something out of them
people probably do them in combination with all the other things mentioned ie park, M and T groups etc etc
just another way of getting out of the house and getting some company
no big deal really

Not to do with baby classes, but the one thing I love, now that ds is at school, is that I have met other people who are local to us, so that we can walk back from thier house, having had an impromptu glass (or four ) of wine and not worry about drinking and driving!

I think it does depend on what's available and what you think is worth while. I have attended 'classes' about once a week - a little singing group thing that the kids run around and enjoy.

But my sister who is a SAHM is obsessed - she lives out in the sticks and drives bloody miles every day to 'do' things for her kids. Her DS has major sleep issues and I swear it's because she is over stimulating him and he get's rubbish sleep in the back of a car.
So far she must have spent nearly £1000 teaching him NOT to swim (as he is only 2.8. and apparently they can't swim until they are over 3.5) So there loads more money to be spent yet.

It's madness - even if we go for a splash at the local pool she won't let him wear arm bands/rubber ring etc as their swimming teacher doesn't approve... WTF????! He's only 2 let him have some fun.
All I can say is I will obv. eat my words if he is in the olympics in the future!

Nothing wrong with a class here and there.
But some Mums take their kids to a class every day. My neighbour only the other day told me about the "timetable" she had made out for tsis term for her LOs. One is 18months, the other 3 months.
A "timetable"??? Let them be kids for goodness sake.

Actually, not let them be kids. let them be BABIES.

i have participated in most baby and now toddler classes eg baby yoga,gym,yoga bugs,monkey music,baby signing,aromatherapy

and no i didnt feel conned

no one compelled me to go -shall continue to go to

I think an activity every day can help keep new mothers sane. It's certainly healthier IMO/IME than staying at home every day or doing endless lonely chores/shopping. And I can't think of a worse torture than being in the park on a bleak, rainy November morning. I had a 'timetable', in that I had a list of which classes/groups, playgroups, library storytime, one o'clock clubs etc operated on each day of the week, so I could get out every day. I think that would be even more necessary if I had an 18month old AND a three month old! Poor woman, imagine if she felt she had to stay at home all day in order to let her babies be babies.
Of course, anyone can take things to extremes, and it is pointless and silly to take your child to groups that neither you nor they enjoy (Tumbletots springs to mind here), but otherwise, what's the harm?

Only read first 10 or so posts and frankly YABVU

WHy should it bother you if there are these classes? If you don't like them don't go. My ds's both loved music classes. For sure I could have just sung to them at home but then I would have gone slowly mad without the interaction with other mums and my ds's wouldn't have had the benefit of the social interaction they got.

I'm not saying that there aren't other ways to do this that achieve the same thing. But I think you shouldn't have a pop at people who choose to do this. Where I live they're not that expensive either - no more than M&T groups.

And if they are making a killing then surely that is because people actually WANT to go - have you thought of that? I mean we're not rounded up and dragged there kicking and screaming - we have actually chosen to go! If the organisers are making a mint then good luck to them!

Monkey Music saved my mental health . it was my way of meeting people in similar position when I had PND and wouldn't leave the house.
There may be a small no. of people who think that by taking the babies to 'classes' they are producing the next ' Mozart' or Olympic gymnast, but I'm sure that most just want a bit of variety in their lives.

I believe DS has benefited from this but even if he hasn't I have and that's important too.

It doesn't bother me, alicet, what you or other people do.
My point is that most of them (and I'm talking the expensive ones like Tumble Tots and Gymoboree for example) are a money-making scam.
It's so boring when people say: "If you don't like it you don;t have to go." Of course that's obvious. I'm not going and have no intention of doing. I am just giving my point of view.
If you want to waste your money by waving a scarf over your child's face, that's up to you.

Oh lordy, has the intelligence quota on MN dropped so low this summer such that we actually need to discuss whether such classes are designed as money-making enterprises ?

Thinks, "oh no the good ladies run these classes because they are evangelical about their chosen class, be it tumble tots, music and movement, baby yoga, signing, baby massage or whatever, that they want to share their discovery with as many other parents as possible" and then slaps oneself in the face because deep down one knows that the class tutors want to earn money doing something they enjoy rather than sit in an office/wherever all day.

People need to earn a living you know.

Yes these courses are to earn money but its going a bit far to describe them as scams.

Personally, the "classes" kept me sane when DS was a wee one and I can see the benefits of them still. And he could still be a "baby" for the other 6 days, 22 1/2 hours that we weren't in a "class"!

I am GLAD we did Waterbabies which he did from 6 months old. As a result I have a little boy now who adores being in the water and is not scared to put his head underwater.
I am GLAD we did a little music and movement class from 6 months old. He adores singing and dancing.Now I can't say if this is a direct result of the classes but the fact that I took him and enjoyed them myself, I reckon plays a part.
I am GLAD we continue to do a local gym group. Gives him the space and safety to throw himself off things, climb, jump and dance around.

And I've never felt ripped off. If I didn't want to spend the money on them, I wouldn't have. WOrth every penny of the fiver an hour or so I'd say.

why are so het up,my money, my baby.yes i went to pricey classes so what.we enjoyed

But ladyhellen, most of what you say is true of all children. Ds1 didn't go swimming until he was 3.5. He loves the water, is confident, and puts his head under. His only contact with music is the radio, Boogie Beebies, school and my crow like attempts at songs - he is always tapping, whistling, jumping, dancing, (bouncing) and has started copying some old musical score he found lying around and demanding I play it on my trumpet - which I rarely play with him around. Between the park, the garden and his bed ()and my sofa, grr), he has always jumped, bounced, rolled, slid, balanced etc.

I certainly understand their value to isolated new parents with no ready made support groups, but don't kid yourself that they are doing something for your child that won't happen anyway! IMHO they are just very expensive toddler groups.