I don’t think I ever got around to posting about this on the blog, but a while back we successfully completed the excellent Baby Gym series of workshops, hosted by the wonderful Geraldine Consani out in Bellville, in a little clinic situated right next to Louis Leipoldt Hospital.

If you aren’t familiar with Baby Gym, it is a five week long stimulation course, which basically aids you as the parent in the proper stimulation of the various aspects of your baby in the hopes that it will promote the building of the necessary connections in their brains in order to promote healthy development.

Each week is split up into a particular facet, and each workshop consists of first some theory and some knoweldge sharing, followed by a whole lot of hands on practical with your baby! For the record, this is what we did over the duration of the course:

  • Week 1: The Importance of Touch and Massage
  • Week 2: The Importance of Movement
  • Week 3: The Importance of Sucking and Neck Control
  • Week 4: Why Both Eyes and Both Ears must work Together
  • Week 5: Prevent Hyperactivity and Poor Concentration / Coordinate and Control those legs and arms

(The sixth and final session is reserved for Graduation Day, which really is just an excuse for a bit of fun with the kiddies!)

As an example of what we got up to in class, these two video shorts should give you a good idea! :)

As I mentioned above, we do cap off the series with a fun graduation day, where each baby is handed a little blue graduation cap and gown, forced to pose for endless photos, before enjoying a cupcake and of course the all important bubble machine!

For more photos, check out the gallery.

In summary, I must admit to have thoroughly enjoyed doing Baby Gym with both Chantelle and Jessie, and was absolutely blown away at how much the exercises and things we were taught in class aided in a sudden explosion in terms of Jessica’s development, making it an absolute case of money and time well spent. Definitely, definitely highly recommended for any parent with a newborn baby, that’s for sure! :)