Experimental Programming for Caregivers & Their Children Ages 0-36 Months

Yoga? Zumba? Support groups? There's really no reason these types of classes can't happen in a library; after all, moms and their babies ARE learning some new skills, and gaining new knowledge about each specific form of exercise!

Mom and Baby Yoga

• Baby and Me Yoga 
• I am so happy, because I had planned a bunch of Mom and Baby Yoga classes at my last library, but left for my new position before they were scheduled to actually happen. It took a lot of research and communication, but I was finally able to track down a wonderful new instructor to come all the way out and teach some classes here at my new library.

• Musical Performances for Babies & Toddlers
• Tunes with Tim comes highly recommended by the the Old Town School of Folk Music, which is a big name in Chicago, and even the greater midwest. I spent a bit of time clicking around their website and looking through their kids' classes, which they list the instructors for. This is where I found Tunes with Tim. I was really looking for a music performer who was able to gear their performance to the tiniest of patrons -- birth up through 24 months -- and so I was looking at the Wiggleworms instructors. 

Zumbini = Mom and Baby Zumba

• Zumbini
• Have you watched any of the amazing Mom/ Baby Zumba videos on YouTube? If you haven't, please prepare yourself for the adorableness that is Zumbini. Most moms just strap on or wrap up baby in a front or back carrier, and then let loose! However, there are some classes I've seen videos of in which babies and children are down and dancing with their caregiver, but it really is adorable to watch as mom exercises, and baby bounces along for the ride. 
• I kept thinking to myself, what a wonderful experience for moms: you can exercise AND spend some quality time with your baby. And really, moms with the littlest of children are usually looking for opportunities to get out of the house and do something with their child that involves GROWN-UPS too. So, why not try hosting some Zumbini classes at the library? After all, a lot of libraries host Zumba for adults these days!

• Stroller Strides
• Stroller Strides is basically moms exercising while their babies stay in the strollers. The exercises range, so some of the time, moms may be facing their children or using the strollers in their exercises. What you CAN'T see in pictures is that most of the exercises have children's tunes and rhymes that go along with them, and the moms all sing them together. Also, the instructors will sometimes read a short book to the children while moms do some brief intense exercises on their own.

New Moms Support Group

• New Moms Support Group
• Although I'm not a mother myself, but I've been trying to learn more about the culture of new motherhood, in order to better serve the many caregivers of our tiniest patrons. From what I've learned, being a new mom can both be joyous and scary, and even if you're experiencing the miracle of bonding with your new baby, you may feel more alone than ever. My goal is to create a community group of new moms who can meet together in a safe space, like a private programming room of the library, and bond over their struggles and joys. Libraries ARE becoming more of a community hub, and so my only question I'm left with is: why NOT facilitate a support group of new moms in our community? 
• Start by contacting Doulas and other "new parent" focused organizations in your area. 

Baby Sign Language

• Sign with Me, Baby!
• Baby sign language is pretty awesome. I helped run some baby sign language classes when I worked at the Ann Arbor District Library in Michigan (disclaimer: I didn't RUN the class, just helped out!) and I fell in love. Not only does it help develop your baby's hand muscles, but it more importantly helps your baby learn to communicate with you before they can talk. Signs like "all done" and "more" can make meal times much less of a headache! 

Mommy & Me Classes in the Library: Where to Start

If you're interested in offering a wide variety of new and interesting programs for caregivers and their babies at your library, I suggest starting off with a quick Google search of "mommy and me classes ____ (your town/city/zipcode)" and seeing what pops up.
I'm fortunate that I'm not TOO far from Chicago, so there's a lot offered in the area.
When I searched Google, I did find a lot of "round-up" type articles, which were really helpful. For example, Red Tricycle writes a lot of round-ups on things to do in Chicago with your child (note: they also cover other major U.S. cities, take a look!), and so I found that their article 20 Things You MUST Do With a Baby in Chicago to be super helpful for not only sparking ideas, but also for places to contact for instructors.

The magical fortress that is Little Beans Cafe (Evanston location)

One of my other secret weapons is Little Beans Cafe in Chicago/Evanston, from which MANY of my ideas for mom/baby programs were sparked! This cute little cafe features a play space and offers a ton of classes for young children. Caffeine? Entertainment for your child? Too good to be true? A big ol' YES. Why? Because you have to pay an arm and a leg for these classes! I'm sure they're wonderful, but why pay when you can attend similar programs at your public library? That's my point of view, at least.


So, my advice to all of you readers is: Check out caregiver/child hubs in YOUR community. Where do parents and nannies mingle? What's hot? What are they PAYING for that you can offer for FREE them in return for their hard earned tax dollars? What can you do to better serve the parents, caregivers, and their young children in your community? What new experiences can you offer them? There is so much out there. You'll send a lot of emails, and do a lot of back-and-forth communicating, but in the end: it'll be worth it.