Sam & Hazel

A lot is said in later childhood about play-based and child-led learning, but I never would have imagined such a thing existing for young infants. It does – at Babies!

Babies! was an incredibly special place for me as a new mom. Most classroom environments I entered with my daughter were set up to entertain her, but at Babies! I was invited to step back and support her as she explored movement and developed her own interests.

My new-mom nerves were calmed by the expertise and kindness of the instructors, who gave me the insight to understand the million tiny steps and skills that babies develop between the big-name movement milestones – and the wisdom to see how I could support her without interfering in her natural development.

Now Hazel is almost 2 years old, and she has grown into a kid who can entertain herself, who knows what she wants and how to ask for it (boy, does she!), who loves to dance and move, and who is gentle with infants. Babies! played a huge role in that, and I am so grateful.