Come Learn and Play, Baby!

So, you’re ready to venture out of the house with your new baby, but where do you go? What do you do and what the heck happens when your infant starts wailing in public?!? Fret not, my new mama friends! We are here for you!

I’m an extremely social being and the minute I got the hang of life with a new baby, I was ready to get out of the house. Yes, it took sometime (3 shirtless, breastfeeding-ready months to be exact), but soon I was ready to face the big bad world with baby in tow.

First stop for me was a mix between the Pump Station, Baby Group and walks along the beach. For me (and I think most new moms) finding community is key to survival (and sanity). I appreciated (and still do) knowing that I was not alone in this crazy new world of parenting. The breastfeeding support group at Pump Station and Donna Holloran’s Baby Group saved me early on. It gave be a safe venue to bring my tiny baby out into the world, to ask for support, learn from experts as well as women who were also going thru the same challenges I was and most importantly, appreciate that I was doing ok and settling into this new role as mom.

Soon after, I was looking for other enriching activities to expose my tiny little one to and that is when I found that this business that I had created (pre-baby in 2011) at BOOKS AND COOKIES was a perfect next step for any new mom, me included. I saw how we were so much more then a bookstore. Without fully knowing it, I had created a safe space for like-minded parents (looking to enrich their small babies) to come together and build community. Yes, the vision was and is to create community around literacy, but as a new mom it is more that just that. We are reading, singing, dancing and seeing first hand the importance of exposing very young children to this early on. We are creating social and sensory experiences through play and seeing how our babies thrive in that environment.

As a part of BOOKS AND COOKIES enrichment programming, I have created some fun and enriching activities for our youngest patrons. Our baby (non-walker) activities are a perfect way to encourage your baby’s development through play and learning in a safe and relaxed environment.

Our BABY PLAY TIME is the perfect place to start (Offered Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30am). This short, simple, but fun activity shares books, movement songs and simple sensory experiences in a warm and safe space. Stay for the remainder of the time and play with age appropraiate toys and meet and socialize with other babies and caregivers.

SENSORY BABY PLAY TIME (Offered Wednesdays at 11:30am) is similar in structure to Baby Play Time (with books and songs), but brings in more sensory experience through out the activity… from tickling tummies with feathers to dipping tiny toes in water. We also finish with a larger (often messy) sensory experience, which you can choice to participate in or not (if you are not feeling ready for it).

Our newest baby activity, MINI MUSIC MAKERS (Offered Mondays at 10:30am), will begin October 24th. This activity will introduce baby to drums, shakers, singing and dancing in a not-so-loud atmosphere. Where some of our music classes can feel overwhelming to our tiniest babies, this activity will be specifically focused to get those tiny bodies moving and grooving.

All activities are first-come-first-serve to the first 12 families, so please arrive early, as space is limited. We know its often hard to get out of the house with a little one, parking can be challenging and traffic unbearable, but we limit our numbers to keep the activity room safe and comfortable for everyone. All baby classes are $12 per child and limited to non-walking children.

Hope to see you in store, baby!