Moms and Babes- What do you think?

Hi Mandz

I took Elam to Moms&babes workshop last "term" & for me, I enjoyed that she got to interact with other babies her age. I also got ideas from the activities they were doing and used them at home too to stimulate her motor skills development.

While everyone is arriving, there is free play time and there are toys all over the place & you just let the babies go wild. Then "class" starts & the babies have to pack the toys away. Then there is a little "welcome to moms & babes" song with stomping and clapping etc. Then it is the structured sort of activities designed to stimulate their motor skills, hand-eye co-ordination etc. Then free playing outside.

I work fulltime so I normally come in early on a Thursday morning so that I can have the 2 hours to take her but most of the time I'd be late getting her there and sometimes ahve to leave early to drop her home & get back to work so maybe I didn't have much time to interact with the other moms (which apparently was possibly a blessing hehehe). Thinking of taking her back next term. I enjoyed the singing, the routine when it was time to pick up toys etc and the little babies would have to help pack things away.

The teacher was also really nice.

Also found one of the moms there who sells imported baby clothes which are absolutely gorgeous and her mom has a nail bar near me and also offered her services (a bit of useless info there) But all in all, a good experience for us.

Chickybird I'm starting Toptots with Aaqil in October so we can swop experiences:)

I "sadly" do not have any alcohol stories to contribute to the other part of the discussion;p

1st Timer wrote: I don't work so without organised baby activities i'd be hitting the gin by 10am....

me = hysterical laughter.

me - baby groups = hard drinking to recover from my feeling slighted from all the moms who appear to have it so together.

I do agree mommy at home with baby can be lonely, but I personally really found the group stuff grim.

I started with J at about 5m and continued until "graduation" last month. We start Moms and Tots next week. I really enjoyed it but the teacher is amazing (basically a weekly free clinic sister I had on speed dial) and I already knew 4 moms from the group so that helped. I think it depends where you go and how your group is. I also go to Clamber club where I knew 3 of the moms from antenatal class. I've been going for 3 boths and to be honest don't know any of the other mom's first names... But i'm a bit of a bitch

Clamber club is great for gross motor skill and for wearing out hyperactive toddlers. Moms and Babes is better for fine motor I found. I don't work so without organised baby activities i'd be hitting the gin by 10am....

Can I possibly throw in another "perspective" on these groups.

I tried them each time thinking it would make me a better mom and I would make so many mates and it would all be fairies and unicorns.

Unfortunately I kept finding it was these groups of woman sitting around telling everyone how fantastic their child was - and it often made me feel a bit "well, less" as my child was not rolling over or giggling when I walked in the room or what ever.

I found the experience excrutiating, and I really took very little from these mommy and baby groups other than it made me feel less than a great mom, and there was truly something wrong with me as I just was not that excited about junior all the damn time.

Okay, so that is my opinion and my experience.

Hi

I didnt go to Moms & Babes but something with a similar concept.

I loved that however busy life got as a working mother, this was my time with him -one on one- where we learnt and did things together as a unit away from the hustle and bustle.

You also get to meet and chat with moms from different backgrounds with kids of similar age which is nice as you get exposed to different parenting styles and perspectives..

Oh great, you will start before me! Let me know how it goes Laurakim...

Especially at that age, it's really nice to interact with other moms. I wanted to do it earlier but we have only had moms and babes start in our area now, so first class is 1 Ocotber!