Have Fun This Winter - Try A Class Or Two!After the calendar-filled-chaos that comes with the holiday season you may be looking forward to cuddling up with your bundle of joy and staying cozy together through the winter months.
Last January, not only did I need to de-stress following the holiday season, I also found myself lonely and running out of ways to keep my four month old entertained. I had been toying with the idea with enrolling us in mom and baby classes but was a little worried about committing to anything over the winter months, what with the snow storms and cold blasts of air as we rushed to and from the car. I put my worries aside and left hibernation to the squirrels and bears.
I enrolled us in three classes offered by our municipality; Mambo Mommies, Tales & Tickles and Swimming.
The Mambo Mommies was a terrific way to meet other new moms while getting a chance to shed baby weight. The best part was having baby strapped in his snuggly the entire class--that made it easy. The moves weren't very complicated and surprisingly the latin beats sometimes even lulled my son to sleep.
Tales & Tickles was the class I feared the most. I cringed at the thought of singing baby songs aloud with other moms; not just because my voice was bad but because who could really listen to the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" sung by off-key women? Not me. But for my baby, I'd do it with a smile on my face.
To my surprise, this was the class that I looked forward to the most. Not only was my son loving the singing but so was I! I learned of new authors and books for my son, we toured the public library and best of all we BOTH met new friends.
Next on our activity list was swimming. I'm not going to lie, taking a baby swimming is a lot of work--it also meant I would have to shave my legs--ugh. Joking aside, the baby/tot class that we were in was a half hour and required lots of pre-planning in terms of clothes to wear to the pool and after the class. It took a couple weeks for me to find the easiest way to dress us quickly.
My son had a lot of fun in this class; towards the end of the program he would move his arms and legs in a swimming motion--a huge milestone at such a young age. The swimming instructor even handed out report cards, which was a proud moment for doting young parents and it made for a great keepsake.
If you are thinking about taking your child swimming, here a few things I would recommend:
- Wear a t-shirt in the pool. This makes it easier for baby to hold on to you.
- Put baby in the disposable swim diaper before you leave the house. This makes it easier at the pool less to do and ensure a happier baby
- Bring PJs for baby to change into after- although outfits for babies are very cute; Pjs are practical and quick. There is nothing worse that a wet cold crying baby and it's so easy to through on a one piece fleece sleeper.
- Bring your smile! Encourage baby to love water by smiling and having fun too. The sooner they are introduced to water the better.
Although Canadian winters can seem never ending at times, there are lots of programs out there that will make the season bright and special. It was a great chance to get out of the house and meet other moms with babies around the same age. It was really fun to see how my son interacted with the other babies and having him socializing at an early age was, and is, important to me. Not only did Hayden have fun but so did I!
-- Jennifer Hosick
jen@babyontheway.ca | 
