[Offers for parents and babies] What only do with baby?

As soon as mom (or dad) is alone at home with the baby, boredom sets in after a while, especially with the first child. The question arises as to what offers there are for parents with babies.

The advantage is that you meet other parents who are in the same situation, you get out of the house and still get input through the experiences of others and through the offer itself.

In this article I would like to present some parent-baby offers that are available in different (German) cities. Whether the individual course is also offered in your city, you have to look up yourself. But this much in advance: There is a large selection! You will surely find something.

Summary

Fitness courses

After the actual postpartum course, which is usually offered by midwives and the costs of which are covered by most health insurance companies, there are various sports and fitness courses for parents with babies. I will introduce you to some well-known concepts.

Kangatraining

On the website(kangatraining.info) of Kangatraining I can read that Kangatraining is the comprehensive term for sports during and after pregnancy. There are elements of sport, fitness and dance that come from various other concepts such as Pilates, High Intensity Training and Core Training.

At Kanga there are different course concepts for pregnancy, with the baby in the carrier or for dads, just to name a few examples. Kangatraining is now present in many cities.

buggyFit

Similar to Kanga, buggyFit(www.buggyfit.de) also offers many different courses, both for pregnancy and for regression and staying or becoming fit. The focus is always on fitness in the form of strength and endurance training. The baby is with you, while you as a mom can get fit and thus do something for yourself.

Most buggyFit classes take place outside.

MAWIBA

MAWIBA(www.mawiba.net) is a course concept from Austria that is mainly about dancing. Through dancing, there is light pelvic floor training. The courses are aimed at pregnant women, moms with babies and also all other women who like to dance.

Burzzi Dance

Burzzi Dance(www.burzzi-dance.com) is also a dance concept. If you don't take the class while pregnant, your baby will be with you in a sling or carrier while you dance.

There is also a special dance class for children: Burzzi Kids Dance, which is about movement, dance, language and music in a playful way.

superMAMAfitness

SuperMAMAfitness(www.supermamafitness-ausbildungsakademie.de) also includes various courses. In addition to classes for pregnant women and young moms, there are also classes for children (superKIDSfitness). In addition, there are also trainers who have received further training in the area of regression and pelvic floor as part of Super Mama Fitness and who also offer appropriate courses in this area.

Mama-Baby-Yoga

Some yoga studios now also offer special yoga classes for mothers with babies. It varies whether only you as a mom do yoga exercises geared to the current situation after the birth, or whether special yoga exercises for babies are also included. Sometimes there are also other elements such as singing or movement games. The exercises and content can vary greatly, as it is not a concrete course concept.

Fit thanks to baby

Fit dank Baby is also a fitness concept that includes different courses. There are, for example, courses during pregnancy, courses with small babies, with mobile babies, outside, in the water, ...

On the website(www.fitdankbaby.de) I can read that the baby is always actively involved and the course is oriented to the age of the babies.

The courses can also include elements with special carrying tubes. In this case, your baby is actively involved, but at the same time is held by you.

Baby classes

In this section I would like to focus on the classic "baby classes". It is mainly about the babies and the input on development, needs, as well as the exchange of experiences, whereby the focus is always slightly different.

Baby massage

Actually, baby massage courses are offered in all cities. These can be very different in terms of scope, duration of a single session and content. However, the focus is always on intensive contact by touching mom or dad with the baby. Sometimes special sibling massage courses are also offered, in which older children massage their younger siblings.

Baby massage courses are mainly aimed at parents with small babies who are not yet mobile.

I also offer baby massage courses here in Oldenburg. You can find all scheduled dates under Workshops & Courses.

Baby swimming (and baby sauna)

A course that is also offered in many cities is baby swimming, sometimes in combination with baby sauna. Baby swimming is about experiencing and enjoying the element of water. Again, the concepts can vary widely.

Baby Steps

Baby Steps is a course concept developed by Frauke Ludwig and Diana Schwarz (found at www.einfach-eltern.de). The course includes a mixture of exchanging experiences among parents, practical input from the course instructors, and play suggestions.

The course is designed for different age groups, so that the content of the course is adapted to the respective developmental stage of the babies.

You can find out what Baby Steps is all about, for example, in this promotional film from the YouTube channel Einfach Eltern - WISSENSCHAF(F)TBINDUNG.

PRIMA baby course

The PRIMA baby course is the course to the Artgerecht project(artgerecht-projekt.de), which was created by Nicola Schmidt. Exactly as it is described in her book "artgerecht", it is about attachment-oriented family life in everyday life with baby.

In this course, topics such as carrying, breastfeeding and diaper-free are discussed. So it is about the "natural" way of dealing with babies. In addition, in addition to the respective topic and exchange of experiences between the participants, there are also relaxation, as well as movement offers and singing games for the babies.

THEKLA - Thuringian Parent Child Learning & Active Course

THEKLA is also described on the website(thekla.de) as a bonding and relationship-oriented course concept. So there are already some course concepts here that go in this direction.

Here it is about the following topics: Bonding and autonomy development, motor development, social and musical education, and artistic education. For example, a cloth swing, movement landscapes, dance and singing games or design games are used.

This course is not yet so widespread and therefore not represented in so many cities.

DELFI

DELFI courses(www.delfi-online.de) are offered through family education centers in very many cities. The course is always aimed at a small age group in order to support the respective developmental stage as specifically as possible.

In the course, there are age-appropriate movement and perception suggestions, holding and carrying, finger and touch games, as well as songs. In addition, there is information on various topics related to babyhood.

This video from the Ev. Familien-Bildungsstätte Emden, for example, provides an insight into a DELFI course.

PEKiP - Prague Parent-Child Program

In PEKiP(pekip.de), the babies are also around the same age. The course provides play and movement stimuli for the entire first year of life. It is about the perception of the individual needs and abilities of your baby, the development of first social contacts with other babies and the exchange with the other parents and the course instructor.

According to the course concept, the babies are naked during the Prague Parent-Child Program in order to allow as much free movement as possible.

babySignal

BabySignal(www.babysignal.de) is a course concept developed by Wiebke Gericke. It focuses on communication with the help of signs. Signs are a simple form of communication with the hands, which many babies (with a little practice) often master before they actually speak.

Signing, therefore, allows babies to communicate and express their needs at an early age.

As you could read, the contents of different course concepts sometimes overlap a lot. Often it is only the choice of focus that determines the difference between the courses. I am sure that you will find a suitable course for you and your baby in your city. This is true for the classic baby courses as well as for sports, fitness or dance courses with baby.

Pikler course

In courses based on the ideas of the pediatrician Emmi Pikler, the main focus is on the free development of movement and free play, although the emphasis here can also be set differently.

It is also about mindful interaction with each other, the importance of care, as well as the meaningful and conducive design of the environment.

More information about this course concept can be found on the website of the Pikler Association(www.pikler-verband.org).

A short insight into the Pikler pedagogy can be found in this video by Initiativ Liewensufank.

FABEL Baby Course

FABEL(www.fabel-kurs.de) is the abbreviation for Family-Centered Baby-Parent Concept. It is primarily about accompanying the development of the baby in the 1st year of life. Elements of the course are therefore exchange, observation and play. The FABEL course aims to improve your baby's sensitivity through observation, which should strengthen your parent-child bond in the long term.

As you could read, the contents of different course concepts sometimes overlap a lot. Often it is only the choice of focus that makes them different. I am sure that you will find a suitable course for you and your baby in your city. This applies to the classic baby courses as well as to sports, fitness or dance courses with baby.

One-time meetings / low-cost offers

Toddler groups

Toddler groups usually only have the goal that parents meet in a room where babies can move freely. In this setting, the focus is usually on the exchange of experiences between parents. Toddler groups take place in district centers, family education centers or privately organized.

Toddler groups are inexpensive or completely free of charge.

Parent-child meetings

Parent-child meetings are, similar to toddler groups, without a fixed concept with the exchange of experiences in the center. This is not necessarily a fixed date every week, but they can also take place irregularly.

I offer parent-child meetings in Oldenburg. You can find out more under Workshops & Courses.

Breastfeeding Café / Milk Café

In some cities, lactation consultants or hospitals also offer special breastfeeding or milk cafés. At these meetings, the focus is on exchanging experiences about milk feeding. Individual questions can be discussed with a lactation consultant as a specialist. Sometimes these meetings also have specific topics, such as breastfeeding positions or breastfeeding infants.

Open Artgerecht meeting

The open Artgerecht meeting is the counterpart to the PRIMA baby course and is also led by an Artgerecht coach. The Artgerecht meetings are about like-minded parents getting to know each other and sharing their experiences in everyday life with baby.

Counseling services

For many parents, becoming parents is associated with a lot of excitement and often also with uncertainty. Sometimes special counseling offers can help to dissolve this insecurity into self-evidence and thus provide security. Again, there are many different offers. The costs can be very different.

Holistic parent counseling / coaching

The topics of a holistic parent counseling are very individual. It can be about your new role as a mom, you as a couple and parents at the same time, various problems and insecurities from everyday life with baby or many other things. The content of a holistic parenting consultation or coaching therefore usually does not only cover a specific area like babywearing or breastfeeding, but rather the general handling or the current situation.

With this form of counseling, I would always recommend looking at what qualifications the counselor/coach has and whether the chemistry between you fits. Unfortunately, there are also some consultants in this area who are not sufficiently qualified and professional.

Breastfeeding counseling

The fact that breastfeeding in our society unfortunately does not always go smoothly has a variety of causes. In addition, many mothers have questions about breastfeeding after giving birth, or are unsure whether breastfeeding is correct, how sore nipples can heal, whether nipple shields make sense, etc.

A lactation consultant can provide support and guidance for all uncertainties or problems related to breastfeeding and bottle feeding. If necessary, this can also be done during pregnancy to clarify questions that have already arisen. Sometimes there are also special breastfeeding preparation courses.

You can find out more about my services as a breastfeeding counselor under breastfeeding counseling.

Breastfeeding counseling

After breastfeeding comes the introduction of complementary feeding. While breastfeeding (or bottle-feeding) is still a matter of course for many, the questions start with complementary feeding. You can make another appointment with your midwife or a family midwife to find out more about complementary feeding.

Alternatively, and also in more specific situations, there are also consultations on the topic of complementary feeding, which can be completely individualized. Sometimes such appointments also take place as part of a workshop. Topics can include porridge or finger food, the "right" baby food, the right time and much more.

By the way, many lactation consultants can also support and accompany you during the transition to complementary feeding.

Cry ambulance / emotinal first aid

When babies cry a lot, it is probably emotionally very stressful for you as mom (or dad). For such cases, there are special crying clinics where you can get support and information about crying. Unfortunately, waiting times are often long, so you should make an appointment there sooner rather than later.

Emotional First Aid is also a counseling service for young families with babies who cry a lot. The goal is to find ways out of such crisis situations early on.

Babywearing counseling

In a babywearing consultation, the aim is to find a suitable and comfortable way of carrying with a sling or a baby carrier. Here, the question "carrying or stroller?" does not arise, because all parents carry their babies (in their arms). Under guidance, different models can be tried out and/or the tying of the sling can be practiced.

If you have a baby carrier but can't adjust it properly, many babywearing counselors offer a "baby carrier check," a brief babywearing consultation just on how to properly adjust the carrier you already have.

Some babywearing consultants also offer workshops in which parents can learn and practice in small groups on various topics such as baby carriers or ring slings.

You can find out more about my services as a babywearing consultant in Oldenburg under babywearing advice.

Sleep consultation

The topic of baby sleep affects all new parents and is often linked to high expectations, misinformation and frustration. Lack of sleep takes an incredible amount of energy and can be very nerve-wracking.

A specially trained sleep consultant, I recommend sleep consultants according to 1001 Kinderacht(www.1001kindernacht.ch) or sleep coaches according to the Artgerecht project, will find a suitable solution together with you, so that both your needs as parents and those of your baby can be satisfied.

Cloth diaper advice

Today's cloth diapers are not as complicated as they used to be. There are now many different systems that are easy to use. But because there is such a wide selection these days, it's not so easy to get an overview.

A cloth diaper consultant can help to find a suitable system with materials that suit you, gives information about storage and washing, as well as how to put on the diapers.

You can find out more about my services as a cloth diaper consultant from Oldenburg under cloth diaper consulting.

Diaper advice

Babies need diapers. That's what most parents think. But this is not necessarily the case. Babies already signal from birth when they need to go. With the diaper-free method, however, it is not absolutely necessary for your baby to wear no diapers at all. It is more about the contact and communication between you and your baby.

During a diaper-free consultation, you will receive not only theoretical information, but also many practical tips on how to hold your baby and useful accessories.

You can learn more about my offer as a diaperfree consultant under diaperfree consulting, and you can also read more about the diaperfree method in my article"Ganz schön Windelfrei".

As you could see, there are many offers for young parents. There is something for all needs and wishes. But if you want to do a course at all and if so, which one, only you can decide.

I am sure that I have forgotten some of the courses or counseling services. So if you still have something in mind, feel free to write it in the comments. Also, I would be happy if you share with the other readers your experiences you had with a certain offer.

The cover image comes from unsplash.com.

The image in the article under PEKIP comes from unsplash.com.

The image in the article under baby massage comes from unsplash .com.

The image in the article under babywearing advice comes from unsplash .com.

The image in the article under cloth diaper advice comes from unsplash .com.