MOMMY & ME Classes brings parents and their babies together to learn  and enjoy their baby’s development. Clients are invited to relax, develop their respectful parenting style, and build a relationship to carry them and their baby through life. ThEsE classES ARE for parents of infants and toddlers, three- to 24-months-old, who want to meet other families and learn more about how to support their baby’s unfolding development. They will observe their baby moving, playing, and interacting with peers as they expand their capabilities in the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional realm. If they are interested in growing their toolbox or developing a more intentional parenting style, OLMC gives them the relational and practical skills to support their child as they grow. You can join us for as little as a month (although we recommend a minimum of eight weeks) or stay with us until your child turns two. 

OLMC focuses on baby’s capabilities, and address common parenting issues.

• Infant- and toddler-safe environment

• Understanding your pre-verbal baby’s cues and preferences

• Taking a capabilities approach to learning

• Body awareness and self-initiated movement

• Social-emotional learning

• Cognitive development

• Language acquisition

• Realistic expectations and positive development of discipline

• Approaches to learning

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The class is designed around the baby’s self-directed movement and play, we allow infants and toddlers to freely move, explore, play, and engage with other infants. This is how babies are designed to learn and grow. The classroom includes age-appropriate gross motor equipment that provides opportunities for infants to challenge themselves (if they choose). The OLMC Associate respectfully sets limits and facilitates the babies’ interactions, so you can observe their unfolding capability and competence. 

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Classes are generally organized by stage of motor development and age. Babies who are still lying on their backs are grouped together, as are babies who are able to crawl, and babies who can walk. Age varies. You can learn more by reading the following sections.

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Babies on their backs (starts at 3 months)

This class is for babies lying on their backs, learning to roll over or have rolled over (but not yet crawling).

The mother and her baby have moved through the newborn phase with days and nights starting to make sense. They are learning their baby’s language and responding to specific needs and preferences. Now is the time to give the baby opportunities to lay on their back on the floor so they can discover their body and the joy of movement. The mother will learn how to tend to the foundational need for security while supporting optimal movement development. This is the beginning of a new phase of life with the baby where a mother can enjoy time together and small bits of time apart. They will gain community with other parents and their child will enjoy observing, encountering, and interacting with other babies.

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Mobile Babies Class

This class is for babies who are crawling, standing, cruising furniture and sometimes, newly-walking.

Mothers learn how to support their mobile, pre-walking baby by setting up their environment for safety and learning, discover the benefits of self-initiated movement development, and get a new perspective on diaper-changing and other care activities as the core of nurturing. They will meet other new parents and get support for themselves as they develop their own parenting style.

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Toddlers (up to 24 months)

This class is for children who are walking.

The world is different with a walker. Mothers needs to recheck their space for safety. Their cognition and feeling life are expanding again and mothers will be working to support their budding independence even though they are still entirely dependent on them. This is an exciting and challenging time as a parent. Mothers will gain community with other parents and their child will benefit from social interactions even while their key task is still bonding with them.

Snack: This class includes a banana and water snack that the children may choose to participate in or not.

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We encourage people to attend the Mommy & Me classes for a minimum of eight weeks to get to know it, understand the approach, and see the benefits. That said, mothers can drop at any time. They can attend class for one month or keep going until the youngest child in their child’s group turns two-years-old. Babies and parents benefit from the community-building that happens when groups stay together over time. For many people, this is the most relaxing day of their week.

Babies are just getting to know the world. We find that babies and parents are best served by being in the same group of children over time. From the familiar faces, they gain security and feel free to explore and learn. We create intentional groups of families.

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