Bonding with your baby is an enjoyable experience for some new parents while it brings on anxiety for many others. Learning how to bond with your baby in a way you both have an enjoyable experience is critical while stepping into your new role as a parent. While I am not a first time parent, I am new to juggling a full time work schedule with a baby at home. Everyday brings on a new challenge and it’s easy to get lost in the business. I have personally felt a little mom guilt knowing I’m not giving our second baby the same attention I gave to our first. With our first daughter our schedule was always full – baby gym class, library programs, reading at the book store, play dates, park dates, etc. Six years later with our second child we are just not in the same place and my work schedule does not permit a day full of baby activities. With that in mind though, I do make a daily effort to plan time to simply enjoy her. Bonding with your baby is important and just because you don’t have the time to commit to many scheduled activities doesn’t mean you can’t make meaningful moments with the time you do have. I recently attended a Mommy and Tots Yoga class at Let’s Grow Studio in Gilbert. At the time she wasn’t quite crawling so the Mommy and Baby Yoga class would have also been appropriate. I’m not a regular at yoga classes but the hour I spent simply enjoying my baby was wonderful and she loved it too. We attended the week of Halloween so the children in class were invited to dress in costume. My little Tinker Bell looked adorable.
Your infant can join the Mommy and Baby yoga class as soon as your doctor okays you bringing the baby out of the house. Like many parents, my maternity leave certainly could have benefited from an organized and supportive class with peers and their infants. The class started out with friendly introductions of parents and their children. Then we started a structured class with the flexibility to allow the babies and toddlers to explore. My seven month old daughter enjoyed the introductory stretches and poses. Each activity was performed with an engaging song for the children.
Plenty of props also kept the class engaging. My daughter’s favorites were the bouncy balls, bubbles, and scarves.
Bonding with your baby was the main focus of the class and it felt easy to forget about all the day to day work I had waiting on my desk that afternoon.
For me personally, the first step in a health bond with my baby is recognizing I can’t do it all. I can’t maintain the same schedule I did when her big sister was a baby. I can’t attend multiple activities each week. And I can’t snuggle her to sleep at nap time. But what I can do is enjoy every little moment we have together and set aside time for excellent intentional bonding experiences like attending the classes offered at Let’s Grow Studio.
What do you do to make sure you are making the most of your time with baby?
Studio hours are flexible and offer many different classes for adults, children, and parents with their children. Learn more about Let’s Grow Studio by connecting with them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Disclosure: I have a working relationship with the studio and was invited to attend the class, but all opinions are my own.