COMMUNITY
Words and selected images by Lynsey Riach Additional photography by Jessie Palanca
So you’ve settled down and had a baby, now you need to keep them active and happy We’ve compiled a handy list of places for you and baby to get involved which include great clubs and activities.
BABY CLASSES (0 - 1 YEAR+) Baby Swimming Lessons QSwim, Hamad Aquatic Centre Living in a hot country, it makes sense to teach babies how to swim from an early age, in fact, research has shown that babies who learn to swim show more confidence in water and are less likely to drown than those children who learn later on. Following the Australian system called AUSTSWIM, it is well known as the industry standard for Swimming and Water Safety Teachers™ and
is delivered and recognised in Australia and many other countries. Qswim offers a range of programmes for infants working closely to teach and provide learning skills that are appropriate and relevant to swimming and water safety skills that understand the principles and practices of water safety. Expect a fun class for babies full of nursery rhymes brought into the water, floaty toys and those all essential swimming basics.
Baby Music Class Tunes4Tots, Various locations This fun class has been in town for 10 years offering babies the chance to find their groove and rhythm with many instruments and play things to interact with. Let your baby find their singing voice, dance, sing, shake, rattle and roll whilst the bubbles fill the air (which is always a hit with the little ones!) Research shows for infants that music provides opportunities for playful interactions, challenging playthings are easily within reach so that infants can both try out new things and explore the possibilities of the familiar. Infants have freedom to move and to practice and perfect motor skills. Everything in the immediate environment is regarded as a learning resource. Individual endeavour, curiosity, and exploration are seen as positive.
Classes change weekly and are well designed to keep babies interested, learning and up to speed with their short attention spans. A music CD is given to each new class member to play and enjoy at home.
Baby Yoga Yama Yoga Studios, ASAS Towers The experience of movement combined with touch is possibly the richest stimulation we can offer babies from birth. In Yoga, this stimulation occurs through the mutual involvement of parent and baby, at a pace in which the baby can absorb and integrate it. As yoga postures induce deep relaxation in adults, in babies they bring out a state of great contentment and promote peaceful sleep. Baby yoga is a fairly new practice based on the old-age tradition. It includes simplified Yoga coupled with rhythmical, more energetic movement that can help maintain the baby’s interest and so both parent and baby can have fun together. During this four-week course, you will learn practical and safe yoga stretches for babies, based on yoga philosophy and principles. It will also include simple yoga breathing techniques and yoga stretches suitable for postnatal Mums. Each class is structured to give both mum and the baby a stretch, play and a chance to relax.
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Mini Yogis doing their thing with mum
Classes are taught in a calm and relaxed atmosphere which allows mums and babies to join in at their own pace whilst the use of music and nursery rhymes creates fun and excitement. Come and stretch, relax, play and bond with your baby through yoga whilst creating a community of new mums.
Baby Genius Gymboree Play & Learn, The Gate Mall A great new addition to town is the American franchise of this well-known baby gym full of fun and exploration for little ones! Gymboree Play & Music has been fostering creativity and confidence in children from the ages 0-5 for over 30 years. Today they are found in over 30 countries, making them the global leader in early childhood development programmes. Designed by experts, age-appropriate activities help develop the cognitive, physical and social skills of children as they play. Gymboree programme are also recognised for their unique approach to parent involvement— which encourages participation in and understanding of each child’s development. The Baby can explore the senses and support visual and auditory development with tummy time, flashlight play, first songs and more. Classes include parent discussion time to help learn about your child's development. The baby will also learn about cause and effect and build strength through play with ramps, slides and climbers. You can also explore twoway communication with your child in the play environment that encourages discovery, balance and coordination as parents learn to understand how their infant interacts and communicates with them and the world. n
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