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Original poster

What is the best baby class you have been to?

35 replies

2015mom · 08/03/2016 01:33

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

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MrsA2 · 08/03/2016 06:38

Baby sensory for 6 months plus, but our class here has a wonderful lady who runs it so that might be part of it. Swimming from tiny is great, we started at 7 weeks. For tinies (under 4 months) bumps and bundles style groups are good as it's really all about you getting out the house and having a support network. Under 6 months we also did loads of meeting up with other mums and babies for coffee, not much fun once they can crawl/walk so make the most of the teeny stage. Music groups great from 4-6 months plus.

I loved maternity leave - can you tell?!

Gardencentregroupie · 08/03/2016 06:41

Baby sensory (from 12 weeks) and swimming.

Baby sensory was wonderful :) such a happy time, DD was entranced and usually had a great sleep afterwards. As for swimming, she's not 2 yet but adores water and can jump into a pool without a bit of fear or hesitation. (Am aware that may change)

OhShutUpThomas · 08/03/2016 06:59

So jealous
There's NOTHING where I live. There's 1 baby swimming class 40 mins away but that's it.

So I'd do them all!!

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maamalady · 08/03/2016 07:06

Rhyme time at the library. It's free, you don't have to commit to getting there week in week out, it's good for talking to other parents, and my DD loved it from a few months old. She's now 20 months and still loves it, but is getting to be a bit of a liability around the younger babies, which is a shame. She can join in with a fair few words/actions now though, which is super cute :)

My local gymnastics gym does baby/toddler classes, which are great - pay when you get there and play with the apparatus/trampoline etc, and some structured bits with instruments, balls, parachutes.

I wanted to take her to massage and swimming classes, but both required payment up front for a whole term, and we just couldn't be certain whether we'd make it every time to make the cost worth it. So we never went at all. Classes that are free or pay-as-you-go work much better.

WipsGlitter · 08/03/2016 07:19

Agree Rhyme Time - I loved it. But our local library were fab at it! They still remember us years later.

Also a thing at a gymnastics gym where basically everything was padded - fab!!

KleineDracheKokosnuss · 08/03/2016 07:19

Baby sensory and swimming here too. Provided the leader is good. Not so bothered with monkey music.

Otherwise, Church groups for babies and getting out in the park in the summer.

Ilovenannyplum · 08/03/2016 07:25

I loved monkey music, we did that when DS was 5 months for a few terms.

I wasn't so keen on baby sensory, I think personally because I tried it when DS was very little and not particularly interactive, the other mums were very clicky and I felt a bit silly and on my own iyswim.
We now go to Toddler Sense which is the follow on and we both love it, it's lots of fun.

Where I live, there is a fab drop in class called 'Boppin Tots' obviously only any good to you if you're local to Kent/SE London

SerenityReynolds · 08/03/2016 07:37

We did baby sensory from 9 weeks with DD1. We really enjoyed it, but will probably start a bit later with DD2, say 4-5 months. Musical Bumps was also good and DD1 still loves it age 3. The free library ones were great to dip in and out of when we were at a loose end, and we could then stay for a bit afterwards to look at some books. We didn't start swimming until DD1 was over 1. Agree with poster above who recommended making the most of coffee meet ups before they get more mobile! The local church toddler group was also really good.

Most of the groups offer free taster sessions, so I would do as many of those as you can and then decide. So much depends on the person leading it, and the timings of the classes, depending how fussy your LO is about nap times!

NerrSnerr · 08/03/2016 07:56

Our bounce and rhyme at the library is great. My daughter loves it.

Allyoucaneat · 08/03/2016 08:00

Baby sensory was great. We love Hartbeeps too, very similar to baby sensory but classes go up to preschool age.

We also had buggy walks near us, walk with other new parents then into the community hall for a cup of tea whilst babies 'play' on the floor. This was by far the best thing I went to for meeting people. And free! The health visitors came on the walk too.

Allyoucaneat · 08/03/2016 08:01

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

Jessiejane123 · 08/03/2016 08:27

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.

trixymalixy · 08/03/2016 08:30

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

Rinceoir · 08/03/2016 08:39

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.

BentleyBelly · 08/03/2016 09:27

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

GoldPlatedBacon · 08/03/2016 17:56

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.

scaredofthecity · 08/03/2016 18:03

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

backonthewagon · 07/04/2016 18:39

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.

Bubbinsmakesthree · 07/04/2016 18:53

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.

purpleme12 · 07/04/2016 19:33

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.

glorious · 07/04/2016 19:45

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

CutYourHairAndGetAJob · 07/04/2016 19:51

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.

ArriettyMatilda · 08/04/2016 14:40

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.

MargaretCabbage · 09/04/2016 00:12

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.

Mrsmulder · 09/04/2016 00:18

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

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