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The Benefits of a Mommy and Me Group

The birth of your new baby is a very rewarding experience, but it can also be a challenge.  New parents often report extreme emotions; high highs, low lows and inevitable anxieties.  Life changes drastically and you are suddenly responsible for a new little person who depends on your physical, emotional and cognitive stability.  This change can be difficult.  Before baby arrived, your attention was focused on yourself and your partner.  Now you must focus a significant amount of time and attention on your baby, leaving less time for you and others.
A Good Mommy and Me Class can help smooth the transition into parenthood.  The benefits can be significant for both Mom and Baby.


Mommy and Me benefits for Mom and Baby.
Just Get Out!
Taking a class and participating in activities together outside the home will help strengthen the bond between you and your baby.  Inside the home the mundane tasks required for daily life can make focused bonding time a challenge.  A Mommy and Me class allows you to focus your time with your baby.  Parent and baby bonding is important for your child’s development.  Early bonding contributes to your child’s sense of security and self-esteem and serves as their model for intimate relationships later in life.  For mom, isolation is a recipe for loneliness, anxiety and depression.  Just getting out for a Mommy and Me class can help you feel refreshed and energized.


Mommy and Me benefits can be significant for Mom.
Mommy and Me benefits are also significant for Baby.
Cognitive Development
Motor Skill Development
Parent and Me Classes and don’t forget Daddy!

Connect and Learn
A Mommy and Me Group will allow you to connect with others experiencing similar success and challenges.  This can be beneficial for you because;
- You will learn and get new ideas from other moms who understand what you are experiencing.
- It helps creates a support system and allows you to make real friends with others feeling the same stresses.
-  Realizing that others are experiencing similar challenges will help you feel normal.  Never underestimate the power of feeling normal and understood.

Postpartum Depression
According to the National Institute of Mental Heath (NIMH) 80% of woman experience some kind of mood disturbance after pregnancy.  For most, the symptoms are mild and they go away naturally, but 15-20% of woman experience more severe Postpartum Depression.   Mommy and me classes allow you to bond closely with your baby and promote the self-esteem of both of you.  It allows mom to meet and connect with other moms and have a support system.  When a Mommy and Me group is led by a professional facilitator mom can get guidance identifying when additional help is needed and where to get help.

Baby Socialization
Getting out and spending time with other babies is important for your baby’s social development.  Interacting with other babies helps build social skills and self-confidence and allows them to be around others their own age.  This will prove beneficial when they begin pre-school or kindergarten.

Seeing other babies and other people introduces new sights, sounds and smells critical for your baby’s cognitive development.  A good Mommy and Me group will include singing songs, playing with developmentally appropriate toys and include Mommy and Baby movement activities.  This helps baby acquire reasoning skills and increases self-control.

A Mommy and Baby class that includes exercise will help your baby develop their motor skills and show them the importance of exercising and staying healthy.


Mommy and Me Options!
Whatever Mommy and Me group you choose, you’re making a great choice as there is a lot of
anecdotal and empirical evidence that suggests Mommy and Me groups are very beneficial for both mom and baby.

At A Mother’s Haven, our Mothers’ Gathering groups are our most popular and most full-featured Mommy and Me Class.  This class is led by a professional facilitator and is for moms and babies only.  The class starts as early as your child’s 4-week birthday.  Mother’s Gathering is an Education & Support group for moms who are looking for information & friendship.  This is not just a baby group, but a place to gather information and tools to determine what fits best for you and your child.  For baby, the class includes singing songs, developmentally appropriate play and movement activities.

A Mother’s Haven additionally has several other great classes for Mom (or Dad) and baby as well as a Daddy and Me class just for Dad.

In our Mommy and Baby Yoga class we show Mommies how to nurture and be nurtured in a fun, interactive way while getting a great yoga workout.  You’ll be doing exercises both on your own and with your baby, including warm ups, abdominal/pelvic exercises, leg work, arm work and relaxation. Babies are incorporated into the class both as observers and as active participants using soothing infant massage, songs, rhymes and other playful exercises.

In our Baby & Toddler Music classes we incorporate music, movement, play, and dance to help your child’s communication, social and physical development.  The class includes age-appropriate musical instruments, movement and sounds to introduce your child to music in a fun and interactive way. We have Baby & Toddler Music Classes available in English, Spanish or French.

Baby Sign Language is a fun and cognitive activity for you and your baby.  Baby Sign Language gives your baby a way to share their wants and needs as early as six or seven months old by using basic American Sign Language (ASL) signs.  Using signs gives them a way to let you know what they’re interested in before they can tell you verbally.

Our Infant Massage class explores the use of massage and the power of nurturing touch. Infant massage is a wonderful way to facilitate the important early bonding of parents and their infants. It is very helpful in relieving and soothing common discomforts, promotes physiological and neurological development and encourages restful sleep.

Daddy and Me is just for dads and babies ages 1-12 months old.  Daddy and Me is a class for Dad to spend focused bonding time with baby and meet other new dads.  The class has activities for baby while the class facilitator discusses strategies for your parenting toolbox, helping you to find confidence in your parenting skills and choices.

Visit our class pages at shopthehaven.com for more information!

Visit us at:
16101 Ventura Blvd. Suite 230
Encino, CA. 91436
p. (818) 380-3111 w. shopthehaven.com

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