Local Classes for your Little One by Raheel Shaharyar

Reviewed by Raheel Shaharyar (Member of Facebook's Coquitlam Mommy Page)

As a new parent I knew how play is important for the development of a child. But wasn't sure how to play with a baby? I knew music was good for them but it took me 4 months to learn Baby Beluga!

So I signed up for a class. I tried out a few of the various ones offered in the Tri-cities, and have a short summary of what I found:

Jump Start Music and Movement
This class was a lot of fun and we partook in it when Liyana was 5 months old and a little more interactive. We learned a little infant massage, sign language and sang and danced to some fun songs. The only thing that bothered me about this class that it was ages 0-18 months. I felt that the age range was too great, with some babies barely able to lift there heads and others crawling and walking around the room. Since the babies are encouraged to roam and explore the parent was often singing by themselves while their baby crawled over to visit with someone else. It was distracting.

Boogie Babies (POMO Rec Ctr)
This class was almost exactly like Jump Start. The only difference was the songs we sang and the activities we did. I preferred it to Jump Start simply because it was closer to home. The age range however is again 0-12 months so you have babies walking and crawling all over the place. It really made me appreciate Gymboree with each level play group tailored to a specific age.

Gymboree Play and Music
I signed up to try a level 1 free class for this when Liyana was just 3 months old. I found it to be pricey when all we did was sing a few songs, give baby a massage and do some exercises to improve neck control.

I have been told by various friends that Gymboree is actually great for babies older then 6 months as they have a gym area and they help you do activities that improve a child's mobility, allow the babies to play side by side and help dexterity. I plan on signing up for level 2. Liyana is crawling and moving and I think she will benefit most from this class.

I think it's great that you can try a class for free with no pressure to sign up. If however you sign up for a class at the end of the free one you get a discount on your first month.

Mother Goose (Newport Village)
These classes are free and offered through West Coast Family Resources. They are great! You learn songs, rhymes and stories from two great ladies. You are given a song book only at the end of the 8 weeks of class. The idea is to teach parents the songs through repetition each week similar to the way a child learns.

In short, I think the perfect combination of play is to attend Mother Goose along with a paid class best suited to your child's needs and personality.