Which Y Program is Best for Your Baby – and Why

Winter may be over, but your baby can’t tell spring fever from cabin fever if he or she can’t go outside. They’ll scream, they’ll stomp, they’ll do anything but tell you that they’re not hungry or they don’t want to see the “Dance” episode of Yo Gabba Gabba! for the hundredth time  – they’re just bored. They want slides, ball pits, moon bounces, other kids, and honestly you’d rather give them those things than worry that they’re watching too much television.

So while summer is the best time for playgrounds and parks, parents may want to check out some other options to get their tots through rainy days.  The YMCAs in Phoenixville and Spring Valley offer quite a few programs for kids too young for preschool that will let them have fun before a very long nap time.

The second spring session begins on April 28, so there isn’t much room left on the class lists. Still, if you’re interested in getting your child involved, here are a few programs you may want to watch for in the early summer:

Pee Wee Playground

Think of this as an indoor playground with a supervisor. The kids have a full array of obstacles at their disposal, including a ball pit (at Spring Valley), slides, balls, tunnels, and cushions. The only thing they don’t have is a structure – no songs or circle time. It is a free-for-all where kids (and their attention) wander freely.

Speaking of free, that’s exactly what this class is for full members of the YMCA. It also fills up incredibly fast, so if you want your child here you’ll have to get to the membership desk within minutes of the registration start time.               

Gym Tots

The best thing about this class is that, if your child sticks with gymnastics, he or she will be able to say, “I’ve been doing this since I was a toddler.”

Gym Tots has a little more structure than the Pee Wee Playground, in that each session begins and ends with songs sung in a circle. In between, it’s all free time. The toys tend to be more gymnastically oriented – in other words, more trampolines, ramps, and balance beams – but again the kids have free reign to do what they want to or don’t want to. All the parents have to do is keep up (which is a workout itself) and offer a helping hand when the child attempts the big steps or narrow rails.

My Parent and Me Gym

And now we get to the most structured of the toddler classes. After some free time, the kids start class by singing and dancing in a circle, play games with a parachute, and get a wide assortment of instruments for a musical interlude before ending with “Ring Around the Rosie.”

 Ideally this will teach the kids to follow a routine, cooperate, and even share, but how well they actually do that varies by age and crankiness level. It’s not uncommon for parents to have to sit out an activity or two to calm a crier, so don’t be embarrassed if it happens to you.

Sign Language for Infants/Toddlers

If you’ve heard the stories about how teaching a toddler sign can do anything from boost IQs to improve temper tantrums, you may want to check this class out. I learned from experience that it’s best taken with an infant or child that won’t crawl/run around so much that you’re spending more time chasing than signing.  Even though it’s helpful to learn the sign for “come here,” it doesn’t work when your child is too busy looking through another parent’s backpack to notice you.

For best results, you should get some books or DVDs on sign language to refresh what you learned in class at home. It also helps to dedicate some time when the child can’t look away – such as when he/she is in a high chair or ready for bedtime - to practice the signs. The class will teach you how to sign out such classic books as “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” and “Goodnight Moon” so you can add a kinetic element to your storytelling.

Shrimp/Kipper Swim Classes

Getting your child accustomed to water early in life can keep them from being “chicken of the sea” as adults. This very friendly class has parents help their children through the fundamentals of kicking, grabbing water, lying on their backs, and playing with toys. They won’t be Michael Phelps at the end of the session, but even he had to start somewhere.

Parents who are a little hydrophobic can rest assured that their children don’t need to be submerged any more than necessary to blow bubbles – and they don’t even have to do that. Since your little ones will always be in your arms, waterwings or other floatation devices aren’t necessary, but swim diapers definitely are.