What is the best baby class you have been to?

[2015mom]

Hi I am recently looking into baby classes and there are so many! From baby sensory to baby massage, to music classes to swimming to yoga and stay and play sessions and dancing and many many more

What was your best baby group and why?

Thank you

[2015mom]

Thank you everybody! Great feedback from you all.

I did baby massage last term.

This term LO is doing baby sensory along with sing and sign, swimming and we drop in to mother and baby group at our local school so I can get to know other local moms.

Next term I will maybe drop baby sensory and try rhythm time/Jo jingles or try and find zumbini it sounds interesting lol

[KingscoteStaff]

Little Dippers swimming - we did this from 8 weeks. When DS was 1 we swapped to a Saturday morning class so DH could take him - this became a really lovely thing that they did together.

Baby massage. Queen Charlotte's offered 8 free sessions, then I continued because both of mine enjoyed it so much.

Monkey Music from when they could sit up.

[nutmegandginger]

Sing and sign here too - DD loved the classes (from 6 months) and started signing at around 1, and when she realised she could use it to tell us what she wanted, it suddenly took off. Getting an insight into her mind before speech has been so amazing - at 7 months she can now sort of make conversation with us, telling us what she's interested in as well as her needs (things like 'where is the bird?' when she can hear one singing). Was totally worth it (and classes were fun) and really made me appreciate how much they can understand at this age. (She does get annoyed when she makes up her own random signs and I don't understand them though!)

Also baby swimming, because she is now so confident in the water (and the classes gave me confidence in how to handle her in the pool too), and that is also lovely to see.

[Binglesplodge]

Sing and sign for us too: it has really given DS the ability to communicate with us even before he could speak. At 18 months he has maybe 20 spoken words but easily another 30 signs, which reduces frustration.

[PeppaPigStinks]

Sing and sign. It's amazing seeing your baby communicate before they can talk and being able to see how much they take in of the world around them.

My d c 2 by six months was able to sign for when he wanted milk.

[eckythumpenallthat]

I live in the nw

I found baby sensory a bit wishy washy and only did a term

The physios did a post birth baby massage and exercise class. It was £1.50 at a local leisure centre and I loved it. I'm very active and after a section I was itching to get back into exercise. We did Pelvic floor exercises. Then A 45 minute circuits Training session followed by baby massage and there was a peer supporter from bfn there. Absolutely fantastic. Only downside was it was term time and just till your baby was 6 months. So having a March baby we didn't get the most out of it.

Both me and dd loved the baby 'swimming' sessions and have continued with lessons since

I also liked the baby yoga class we did as the instructor was fab and half of the class was yoga for the baby the other half for the mum with relaxation and meditation at the end. Best part of my week. Such a shame we couldn't continue when I went back to work

Bounce and rhyme at our library was good as well try 45 mins of nursery rhymes and stories then we'd take some picture books home. And it was free

[MaryPoppinsPenguins]

Gymboree - I loved it so much that is consider having another baby to go again

It was the best 45 minutes of our week, and we did loads of groups.

[backonthewagon]

Rhythm Time do a 4 week course for 0-6 month olds which is very similar to baby sensory but it only costs £15 so is a lot cheaper.

Lingotot is also £5 for 45 mins but often do 3 classes for £10.

[MissElizaBennett]

A baby massage and rhyme class when DS was very young (pre-crawling), and now a lovely termly music group (lots of instruments, puppets and games), which he's loved since he was about 8 months.

We decided against swimming classes on the grounds that they're quite pricy to commit to a whole term in advance, and some friends had mentioned they felt their babies were a bit overwhelmed by the pace. Instead we have fun going swimming as a family at the weekend when DH is there to help wrestle with our little octopus. DS loves it, and we can stay as long as we like.

[Wanderingwondering]

I liked baby sensory with dd1.
Ds has preferred general toddler groups

[Mrsmulder]

Baby sensory here too, it's a lovely class. Also loved water babies

[MargaretCabbage]

Swimming with Puddle Ducks. It's expensive (£13 ) but so lovely and DS always slept for ages after each lesson. If you can afford it I totally recommend. We switched to baby swimming at a local school because it was only £3 and still enjoyed it but it wasn't the same.

Loved Baby Sensory too, but we had an excellent leader.

We did Tiny Talk but it was a little bit boring and DS always got really grumpy so we practiced signing at home instead.

[ArriettyMatilda]

I agree with baby signing, we did Tiny Talk but I actually don't think it matters which franchise you choose. For a while it was just a fun class for me to learn signs but eventually my dd had over 100 signs. We stopped going when she was about 18 months and her speech was developing really well along with the signs by then. I loved the way it opened up our communication. Also stay and play at the children's centre is great for messy play and toddler groups at churches are good from about 18 months as my dd sees her the same friends there every week.

[CutYourHairAndGetAJob]

Baby signing was the most useful by a long way .

Never did baby swimming as the classes are so expensive. I never liked to take an even slightly poorly baby swimming so we would have missed half of the classes too. I did enjoy taking them to drop in sessions at the local pool though.

[glorious]

Sing and sign. Not for the class so much as the brilliance of signing! Though tbf that is the only class I did!

[purpleme12]

I went to stay and play still do though with my little girl but that's free and in walking distance so that's a given lol. The only other one we did was Jo jingles which I loved mainly cos she loved it so much. She got so much out of it it was brilliant. I would do everything I could if it wasn't for money and buses.

[Bubbinsmakesthree]

I found most classes which needed you to sign up for a term at great expense an utter bind - never seemed to fit around feeding and nap times, and I ended up resenting the fact I'd missed half the class with a feeding/sleepy/grumpy baby.

Library rhyme times were great as drop-in and free/token fee, we went when DS was in the mood and didn't when he wasn't.

Swimming was worth it as we have kept that up, but mostly when they are tiny it is for your benefit more than your baby - baby will probably enjoy a trip to the shops or the park just as much as a class!

We get much more out of groups now DS is a toddler.

[backonthewagon]

Baby swimming, zumbini, baby signing and Hartbeeps. Basically the only classes I thought weren't a rip off. I decided £5.25 for a 45 minute class was the most I was going to pay and these came in at or under that.

[scaredofthecity]

We've done baby yoga (tatty bumpkin) since DS was 8 weeks, he's now 12 months and he absolutely loves it.
Would Definately recommend it

[GoldPlatedBacon]

Baby sensory when dd was 8 weeks until 6 months. A little dominated by NCT groups but by default the non-nct mums became friendly with one another. I then started Jo Jingles when dd was 6 months and dd seemed happier at Jo Jingles compared to baby sensory so we dropped baby sensory plus I couldn't really justify the cost of both and jo jingles was cheaper. Jo Jingles is more about songs rather than 'sensory' like flash cards and balloons. Glad I went to baby sensory though as it gave me a lot of ideas that I could do with dd and got me out of the house.

I also go to rhyme time. Tbh jo jingles isn't hugely different to rhyme time except it is a structured class and the same mums go each week since you pay on a term basis so it is easier to get to know other mums. Our local rhyme time can be incredibly busy and dd gets a little overwhelmed so we sometimes have to leave early whereas jo jingles (or at least our class never has more than 12 mums & babies)

I did massage but only a 4 week course at surestart. It was fun but you'd need to do that with a small baby - dd would never lay still for it now.

Swimming is horrendously expensive round here (approx £185 for 10 classes) so I just take dd with DP on the weekend.

[BentleyBelly]

Baby yoga...it's something for you too. Think it was a Mitchy Titch franchise we went to. Loved it and really miss it.

[Rinceoir]

Baby sensory after 6months here too, run by the local library service so was a mix of rhymes/stories and sensory play. I also didn't want anything you needed to sign up to a term of. I also loved a group I went to for tiny babies- there were soft toys and soft mats to lie them on but it was basically just a way to meet other new parents.

[trixymalixy]

Swimming. I did loads of classes with DS, but the only one I did with both was baby swimming.

[Jessiejane123]

Me and DD went to baby sensory when she was 8 weeks. She fell asleep for half the class for the first 2 classes, which is common! Baby sensory is ideal for small babies, it isn't all about singing songs there do all sorts to get babies senses going. They do a song you have to sing and sign to at the start of each class called 'say hello to the sun' which I think is lovely and when I sing it at home my DDs face lights up. They do a goodbye song as well, it's a really nice, relaxed class for smaller babies.

My DD is 7 months now and I've just started taking her to Jo Jingles as well as baby sensory and it is brilliant. We go to a baby jingles class so only babies up to walking stage go. The leaders are a bit more involved with the children, I.e each get a sticker, they go round and Make you say bye to Jo (doll). Some people have taken their 4 week old babies to Jo Jingles which I think is a bit much to be honest, they are still tiny and it's all about singing and musical instruments and they just either sleep or Cry at the noise? at that age baby sensory is the best one.

[Allyoucaneat]

We so swimming too, but it's a bit of a chore for me. I hate all the faff of getting changed.