Approved by the What’s Up Moms Medical Advisory Board
Some of your parent friends may be taking their babies to classes now – music or baby massage or movement. You may be intrigued and wondering if you should get on the bandwagon – especially if these classes will make your kid grow up to be smarter, happier, and able to leap buildings in a single bound. Gotta keep up with the Joneses right? Kidding! Well. Yeah.
Listen. At this point, the reason to do a class would be for you. Which is a valid reason! If you’re looking for something to get you and baby out of the house, or you need to break up an otherwise expansive afternoon, or you want to meet other parents with kids the same age… go for it – just know that your baby doesn’t need it. So don’t break the bank or jump through hoops to fit a class into your schedule because of #FOMO.
Remember: your baby is learning all the time. She’s stimulated by everyday life and is absorbing things at a rapid clip. Literally everything is novel to her — the grocery store, the park, the rosebush down the block — so you don’t need to stress about providing her with a structured class. Around 13-15 months your toddler will be ready to participate more robustly in a music or gym or art class, so consider saving your pennies for then.
In the meantime, you can support baby’s exploration of her new world by:
- Reading to her
- Talking to her
- Snuggling her
- Responding to her – Remember you can’t spoil a baby this young. Be attentive to her cries to make her feel secure.
- Giving her some white-space; Build downtime into each day so she doesn’t get overstimulated. A chance to just zone out gives baby’s senses a much-needed rest.
Now, carry on. With no #FOMO.
