BABY ACTIVITIES

Harmony Olasimbo is the 'busiest' baby I know. When you want to do something with her mum Nikky, she has to check their schedule. lol. Today Nikky shares what they usually get up to with us and some of the benefits to Harmony and the entire family.

I know you will enjoy this one and probably find some suitable activities/groups around you to benefit your family.

What is a typical week like for you and Harmony?

We go for an hour baby massage and an hour baby yoga on a Monday.  She has a two hour session at the playgroup on a Tuesday then 40 minutes of entertainment and musicals at the music bugs on Wednesday. Thursdays is what we call daddy- daughter day as Harmony and her dad decide what they choose to do with each other whilst I take a break. Usually I go to our leisure centre for qym, aqua fit and aqua circus at that time. Fridays, she goes for 40 minutes swimming lessons. Saturday is our  family time; my husband and I take turns at the gym and then we all go swimming together

Sunday is our sabbath and that's the week gone. Whew!!!

What are your reasons for these activities?

We wanted to do more than just 'baby-sit' our child. We want to expose her to many valuable skills available and affordable so she can have options to choose from when the need arises.

The massage class is basically to pamper our little cutie and she loves it. The yoga class  is similar but a bit advanced and it has some quietness to it which absolutely calms the babies. The actual massage and yoga moves last about half an hour each and the residual time is for relaxation and  interaction with other mums whilst babies play with toys.

The playgroups is as the name implies, babies are brought to play together and share the kinds of toys they probably don't have at home. However, at the particular one we go to, there is always a breastfeeding officer and a health visitor to answer related questions and you have the opportunity to weigh your child each week. It's quite a good one.

Music bugs is an entertainment/music and sensory class. Babies are sensitised to various musical instruments to make their own music. Songs and nursery rhymes are also played from a CD player while the facilitator demonstrates with clapping, dancing and other gestures and  encourages parent and baby to do the same. Harmony absolutely loves this. Bless her!!!!!!!. We believe introducing her to music early would help her develop the needful skills as times goes on which will be of value to her if she develops a passion is in that area. 

And for the swimming lessons, her teacher does two things; she teaches and guides us to teach her to swim. So we are in the water with her. We started learning to swim as adults and  we decided our children ain't gonna go through that. 

Other activities we do include walking. Of course Harmony is just about 6 months so I do the walking while she looks around 😃😃. I have discovered that she loves to look at trees a lot. The moving green leaves on trees captivates her so much that my sometimes bumpy ride wouldn't distract her from them. And for me, Walking has helped me loose most of my pregnancy acquired weight and keep fit.

How did you find out about these activities?

Actually, I got to know about the baby massage & yoga  class as well as the play groups  from my health visitor. The music bugs and the water babies (swimming lessons) were recommended by friends.

Are they Free?

The massage and yoga classes and play groups are organised by various children centres and are free while the Music bugs and swimming lessons aren't free. 

What are some of the benefits to Harmony, you and your husband?

One major benefit is the uninterrupted  attention for her during these activities. Many times we get distracted with TV, phone calls, social media or even house chores whilst playing with our baby but these activities give no room for distractions.

These activities allow continuous body contact which helps to promote bonding. A family that plays and prays together stays together. It brings us joy to see her giggle and laugh out loud at those sessions especially Music bugs. Another benefit for us as a family is the opportunity to meet new and variety of people. 

Would you recommend any of these to other new mums?

I would recommend all of them as they all have their own significance in promoting the development of a child. However, it all depends on your availability and affordability. Swimming is a very good one because apart from the fact that it can be done for leisure, it is a significant life saving skill and some people make a career of it. It is good for them to start as babies before they start developing phobias... and please don't you think you have to be able to swim to take your child for swimming lessons. Don't get me wrong, it would come in very handy for both of you to enjoy the classes but it's not a requirement.

For the music class, I believe it depends on the parents. We sing in the choir and before we even had Harmony, we had planned to support our children to be better if they choose to sing.