6 Fun Classes To Take Your Baby To

Hi Everyone, so this post is all about the baby classes I have taken Jasper to. I wanted to share this because when Jasper was born I had no idea where to start with baby classes. There was just so many to choose from and I didn’t know what any of them would involve and whether they would be any good. I know that a lot of how good a class is can depend on the people there and the people running it but I still wanted to share my experiences of these classes which I genuinely found really fun!

1. Baby Massage – This was the first ever baby class I attended with Jasper which I signed us up for a 5 week term when he was about 8 weeks old. This class basically involved the mums learning to massage a different part of their baby each week and by the end of the course I was able to give Jasper a full body massage. It was a really nice class to go to in the early days because it was a relaxing atmosphere to go to after the early sleepless nights! Baby massage is a great way to bond with your baby because of all the skin to skin contact and it also has loads of benefits for your baby such as helping to soothe them with things like teething and aiding digestion.
2. Baby Yoga – I started baby yoga with Jasper after we finished the term of baby massage. I initially signed up for a 5 week term but loved it so much we ended up doing 3 lots of 5 week terms (and I only didn’t sign up for another term because the yoga teacher was going on maternity leave!). These classes involve putting your baby in to yoga poses, usually with a sensory play break, and then ending with a relaxation for your baby. Some of the benefits of baby yoga include helping your baby to meet their milestones such as rolling over and crawling, teaching your baby about their body and it can even help your baby to sleep better.
3. Sensory Play – I never actually signed Jasper up for any terms of sensory play sessions but a lot of different places such as soft play centres, nurseries and children’s centres offer free sensory play sessions. I liked to go to these sessions because it was great to see these different places and see everything they had to offer. So we went to these whenever we could and I found Jasper liked them most from about 4 months old.  Sensory play has a lot benefits for babies because there has been research that show it builds nerve connections in babies brains which can help them learn more complex things in the future.
4. All Kinds Of Play – From Jasper being 6 months old we have been going to an all kinds of play session once a week at the children’s centre. These mainly involve everyone sitting around on the floor on blankets playing with toys and there is also a messy play activity and access to a light and sound room. These classes are probably one of the easiest for both myself and Jasper to socialise with the other parents and babies because its is mainly just play time.
5. Messy Play – When Jasper was 5 months old we went to our first messy play session and I am trying to go to one about once a month. These involve getting really messy with mainly edible things, Jasper has played in a Christmas dinner and jelly and cream! I think these sessions are probably most worthwhile when your baby can sit up and it might be better going when the have started weaning in case they accidentally eat any of it. I would also recommend a wearing something you don’t mind getting dirty because you will probably get just as messy as your baby.
6. Tiny Talk – The latest class I have started taking Jasper too is Tiny Talk, we started a 12 week term when he turned 7 months old. These classes teach your baby sign language so that they can communicate with you before they can even speak. I love going to these classes because I feel like I am learning a new skill as well as Jasper and I really like practicing with him outside of the classes.

I hope you found this post useful and I would love to know if you have any recommendations of baby classes and which classes you enjoyed the most.

I just wanted to add to the end of this post that I know that baby classes can cause quite a bit of anxiety in some people. I always find it a bit nerve wrecking walking in to a room full of people and it also feels like everyone already knows each other, does anyone else ever feel like that? I have found a few ways to help with this, including things like attending taster sessions, which has made the classes more enjoyable so I am hoping to write another post all about that and I would also like to hear if you have any tips for helping with this.

Thanks for reading, Jen x