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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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