My Gym - Move over Jane Fonda... the babies are workin' out!
When Doug and I were thinking about having a baby we had
numerous discussions and made various lists of things we would probably
need. Diapers, bottles, cute little outfits...
you know, the stuff little babies are made of. We never imagined our six month old would have her very own gym
membership. A gym for babies? What could they possibly do? Lift weights? They are weights. What could a
baby possibly gain from a "workout"? I know babies have chubby thighs, but really now... My mom still chuckles when I tell her that Ava belongs to a gym.
It's actually a pretty cool place. We joined My Gym, a national children's fitness chain, with several of our mommy
friends when the babies were almost six months old. My Gym has different
programs for different ages and stages of a growing baby. Before the babies were crawling, My Gym's program
included activities that stimulated them at the level of their
development. Now that they are crawling
all over the place and getting into everything, My Gym is really exciting and
such a fun place to visit each week.
Each class starts out with a few minutes of warm-up called
"circle time." The mommies (and some daddies too) all sit in a big
circle on the cushioned floor and with the guidance of the instructor we help
the babies stretch their little arms and legs. We then all get up and move around the circle - either walking, dancing,
bouncing - with our little ones in our arms (this is often a work out for moms
too).
After "circle time," the babies get to explore the
gym which is filled with brightly colored activity areas, such as a ball pit, trampoline
and slides. During this time the instructors set up "adventures" for
the babies to participate in. They may
create a mini maze for them to crawl through or take them on a guided
"roller coaster" ride. It's a
free time and a good time to socialize as well.
Next they bring out the swings. This is by far Ava's favorite part of the
day. She's come close to shattering
windows with her squeals of happiness. She kicks her legs and shrieks with laughter when is she is riding high
and swinging away (I swear my kid is going to love thrill rides).
After the swings are put away, the babies move on to
"separation time." The bins of
toys are brought out for them to play with independently while the mommies sit
off on the sidelines. Now that Ava is a
champion crawler, her eyes light up as she races to the green, plastic turtle
filled with multi-colored balls. They are her preferred toys of choice. It's
also very sweet to watch the babies playing together. Some are sharing, some
are lost in toy heaven and some wander off to do their own thing again.
The session ends with a short, but baby-mesmerizing puppet
show and a happy good-bye song. The
class goes by quickly and the cheerful instructors keep the mood light and the
activities moving. It really is a great
program to be a part of. My Gym is
clean, well kept and an over all positive environment for both babies and
moms. Not only do the babies really get
a "workout," but they also get a lot of social interaction. And so do the parents.
So, yes, Ava does actually belong to a gym. But not just any gym... My Gym is very special
and we are so happy we found it. Oh, and
one more thing... Ava sleeps like a champ after her fun filled workouts. That alone is often worth the price of
admission.
www.my-gym.com
California
Locations
It's actually a pretty cool place. We joined My Gym, a national children's fitness chain, with several of our mommy
friends when the babies were almost six months old. My Gym has different
programs for different ages and stages of a growing baby. Before the babies were crawling, My Gym's program
included activities that stimulated them at the level of their
development. Now that they are crawling
all over the place and getting into everything, My Gym is really exciting and
such a fun place to visit each week. 
After "circle time," the babies get to explore the
gym which is filled with brightly colored activity areas, such as a ball pit, trampoline
and slides. During this time the instructors set up "adventures" for
the babies to participate in. They may
create a mini maze for them to crawl through or take them on a guided
"roller coaster" ride. It's a
free time and a good time to socialize as well.
The session ends with a short, but baby-mesmerizing puppet
show and a happy good-bye song. The
class goes by quickly and the cheerful instructors keep the mood light and the
activities moving. It really is a great
program to be a part of. My Gym is
clean, well kept and an over all positive environment for both babies and
moms. Not only do the babies really get
a "workout," but they also get a lot of social interaction. And so do the parents. 
We LOVE going to My Gym. My 1-yr old, Vince, especially loves the swings and the puppet show (he's always front and center enjoying the puppets and songs). I truly appreciate the "Separation Time" when the kids play while the mommies watch (and quietly chit-chat) from the sidelines. My Gym is a great experience for babies and mommies...To see Vince's happy face as we enter the doors of the gym is priceless.
Posted by: Aileen M. | June 11, 2008 at 09:48 AM
Little kid gyms are an awesome invention! While we've only visited MyGym, which was great, we bring Connor to Gymboree on Saturday mornings -- their class schedule works better for us. I also highly suggest "joining" a gym...it's wonderful for their physical and mental development...not to mention the socialization (for baby and mommy!) and entertainment. And, yes, the babies take nice, long naps afterwards! :)
Posted by: Ericka | June 11, 2008 at 08:52 PM