Something i had seen as a new mum looking on Instagram and Facebook I’d see advertisements for baby sensory classes. Eager to make new friends and get out of the house on my own and not be nervous going out just the two of us we signed up. Our first class Elijah was around 8 weeks and we followed the classes till about 8 months. I will be as honest as I can with this post so mothers can see what the groups really are like.
First of all the people who attends the classes. I was so eager to make friends with people just like me with mums who where in the same boat exhausted tired and trying to navigate the mum world. I found out very quickly the people who attended where quite posh. I mean I have nothing wrong with posh people but it made me feel a little shit. There I was in my baggy maternity jeans and my hair looking like a birds mess against my red patchy skin, while the mums come in dolled up and in designer clothes I was jealous. The mothers seemed to be in friendship groups and make no effort to talk back to you when you spoke to them. A few of them seemed more interested in looking like a good mum and attending to their needs before their child’s I.e taking photos more than engaging in singing and sensory activities. I remember one time a mother turned up half an hour late to class and decided to eat her sushi in the middle of class before realising it wasn’t appropriate to eat seafood around children that could have unknown allergy’s. The only time I was late I was helping an old lady who had fell over and was bleeding heavily on the pavement till a ambulance turned up and didn’t make a big deal as I rushed in! True story my friend came with me to try the class this day and watched Elijah while I was in the floor looking after her! When mothers brought their husbands they got in the way of other mothers and children attending the class sitting in the way or taking toys away. I met one nice lady who id walk to town with and back but I didn’t make any friends. Not that I was disappointed when I heard them moaning about other mums and comparing children’s developments. Weaning early to judging mothers choice of food.
Lesson structure, there would be a song at the start which is the hello sun and learn sign language. There would be a few songs and use of bells, maracas and different objects each week. There would then be half hour of solo play with the bits she’d leave out such as ball pits, sensory objects, blankets, crunchy material, toys,musical instruments, books exetera. Then we’d return for a few more songs and a big group song where we’d do things like have bubbles lights off with disco lights on and use covers with holes and balloons.
Price, Well when I first started it was a fiver a session and you had to pay all at once for a term. It was term time so there’d be weeks without lessons which kind of sucked and the woman who run it would cancel often for sickness or weather and only offer a extra session next term or a lesson for a friend not a refund. Steadily the longer we went it went up to about 8 pounds a lesson and for 30 minuites if singing and 30 of free play I didn’t find it worth it in the end. I’ve been to community centre classes which had no structure and terrible compared to these classes however.
Did your baby like it? Yes my baby adored the classes and I feel it was so good for his development. I copied things I saw in class and brought them for home and did things at home too. We learnt lots of songs and he seemed to like being around other baby’s. I felt like he was always smiling when he could. It was a great bonding experience just us and it was nice to get out of the house us too. It gave me enough courage to go out just me and Elijah and it’s something I’m grateful for as I now have the confidence to go to other classes and talk to other mums and strangers.
How long did I go? I stopped going when Elijah started crawling I think he became too old for some things and I decided it was too expensive. I would have to pay to get there and as it was at lunch time I’d have to go buy my lunch straight after. Elijah would need a feed and scream wherever I ate down and it became a very stressful experience.some of my friends who had babies after me attended the classes and went till just over a year.
Life with the Hazelwoods 