Marie & James

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you’ve shared with me and James! When I first heard about Babies! from another mom, I wasn’t sure what it was, and thought it might be like a baby yoga class, but what we experienced was unlike anything I could have ever imagined. I entered the beautiful room with sun pouring in through the enormous windows and saw all the adorable babies of all ages and their parents spread out on the mat among a sea of colorful toys. I changed James into the ‘undies’ and approached the mat, and noticed Sarah walking toward us with a gentle smile. She stood about four feet from us and waited patiently. (To be honest, I wondered “What is this lady doing?”) But then James broke into a smile, and she approached him and said to him, “Hi, I’m Sarah.” I think she was waiting for him to initiate a connection, and since then they have been bonded in a really powerful way. We laid down on the mat, and Sarah taught us about “Baby Ball” positions and a gentle way of helping babies move into tummy time, all the while explaining what she was doing and how it could help James move naturally, the way nature designed him to move. He was 3 months old at the time and HATED tummy time. (At home, I’d plop him on his tummy, he’d last for maybe 10 seconds, start screaming, and face-plant in defeat. Pretty much the story of every tummy time ever, right?)

I went home that week after our first session and worked on the method Sarah shared, and on day SIX, he was doing tummy time for 4 minutes at a time, looking around proudly and actually choosing to roll out of tummy time fearlessly when he was ready. I was in love with Babies! from then on because it gave me confidence and direction as a parent and seemed to make James happy, and since that first session, I have gone almost every week for 4 months. (In fact, side note, there is a joke in our mom’s group that when a new mom joins, I say “Hi I’m Marie, what’s your name, and have you heard of Babies!?”)

I love that Sarah and Amy share the same philosophy (let the babies move without forcing them into positions prematurely, intervene gently to help them along when they get stuck, and don’t judge whatever ‘limitations’ they might seem to display), but at the same time they each provide a unique perspective. I mentioned once that James only likes to roll to his right, and since then, they have been teaching James and me (and dad, who adores the classes too!) different techniques to encourage him to turn on his left side. “Who cares if he only rolls right?” you might say. Right? Sure, his life will be fine if he only rolls right, BUT, teaching him full range of motion helps him be more “integrated” and “balanced," and that can mean a lot when he is learning to pick up a single pea in his high chair, or play an instrument or throw a basketball or learn ballet. And guess what? After 3 weeks of focusing on helping him roll left, he does it comfortably now! Perhaps just as importantly, Babies! teaches me to be patient, to be present and totally focused on my son. No phones, no distractions, just me and the baby. It gives me a chance to observe how incredible he is on his own, and how much he can learn with simple guidance.

Babies! is so great that my family and in-laws wait for the weekly update on what James can focus on next. My sister-in-law even asked me to find out if there were classes in her state. When James enters the room for the Friday session, he kicks with delight and lunges for Sarah when he sees her. (I kid you not, I once saw him gaze into Sarah’s eyes for what seemed like 40 seconds before they broke eye contact — he adores her that much.) And believe me, I almost never write testimonies, and certainly not ones this long. But if there is one single activity I would recommend to all NYC parents, it would be Babies!. Sarah and Amy are like extended family, and they know James and all his quirks in a way that melts my heart. And they know it for all the babies there. I watch them gently help the big kids crawl without dragging one leg, and see them laugh and shrug when the kid insists on dragging the leg anyway, and to try again when the baby is ready. Babies! is the perfect balance of gentle guidance, non-judgmental feedback, and fun. I wish there were classes all over the city so that moms and dads everywhere could experience the joy that comes with learning from Amy and Sarah about the way babies move, interact with their world, and progress through milestones, big and small. Thank you, thank you Sarah and Amy! I couldn’t imagine James growing up without Babies!