Babies vs. Toddlers: Which is the Right Group for My Child?

At Movers and Shakers we run three different types of group:

• BABY GROUPS
  There may be babies as young as 2 or 3 months at these classes. Carers should feel safe lying babies on the floor under the parachute without worrying that they are going to be trampled. If older children come to these classes, then their parents need to be vigilant and step in if necessary.
• TODDLER GROUPS
  There may be children as old as 3 years at these classes. They will want to dance and move around. If babies come to this class, then they should be kept safe on their grown-up’s lap.
• MIXED AGE GROUPS
  We run these groups in venues where we can have only one session per week, or in new venues where we are building numbers and don’t have enough customers to run two separate groups. These groups are also convenient for parents who have two or more children of different ages. At these classes we ask all grown-ups to be sensitive to the needs of others around them. It’s a good idea for walking children to take their shoes off in case they accidentally step on another child’s fingers.

We define the age groups as ‘baby’ or ‘toddler’ rather than prescribing particular ages. This is because every child is different. Let’s take two examples:

• Amy is 11 months old. She is beginning to walk but prefers to crawl at super speed across the room. She is robust and inquisitive and wants to explore the space and investigate the other children. She would probably be happier in a toddler or mixed-age group. She’ll learn a lot from watching the older children as well, and Amy’s dad might feel anxious if she were zooming around a room with lots of young babies laying on the floor!
• Bethmi is also 11 months old. She is happier sitting with her mum and watching everything going on around her. She can shuffle on her bottom and is starting to move further away from her mum during sessions as her confidence grows. Bethmi might be happier in a baby class or a quieter mixed-age class. She might feel overwhelmed in a room full of boisterous toddlers.

Of course the best thing about Movers and Shakers is that you can try a few different classes to see which one works best for you, as we don’t make you sign up for a whole term at one venue. So if you’re still not sure which class is right for your child, try one out and see if it works for you.

If you have any ideas about ways in which we can improve the classes offered to children of different ages then please comment below!