Sampling baby classes

I was able to get out of the house with Mia this week, since our ventures did not require her sitting in a stroller or shopping cart! (as of this afternoon, she will still not go in the stroller!)

On Monday we went to Gymboree class. We've been going to the Gymboree on North Avenue and Kingsbury since Mia was about 2 months old. I've been really happy with it, and have especially enjoyed the covered parking through the winter! We're up to level 3 classes now, and have really loved the different classes and especially our instructors. However, I'm now interested in finding some music classes for Mia, since she seems to be very musically inclined - I think more than normal. The music classes at Gymboree don't fit into my work schedule, so I'm planning to try out some new options in the coming week.

On Thursday we did a trial class at Bubbles Academy. Again, the music class that I wanted to try didn't work with my schedule, so we tried a general class for babies 12-24 months. I'm pretty certain that Mia was the youngest in the class (she'll be one year old next Wednesday), but we had a lot of fun! I think that the new venue was exciting, no doubt simply because it was new, but also since it's a huge open space with great colors and images. She definitely enjoyed running around, and she was fascinated watching the older kids. I talked with some of the other moms in the class, and many have been going to Bubbles for a long time and really love it. There's parking available here too, which is a plus for a venue in the city!

I'm not sure yet where we're going to end up signing up for class, because I'd like to try a few other options. I'm hoping to try a class at the Suzuki school, as well as Wiggleworms which I have consistently heard great things about. A place called Bucktown Music recently opened in our neighborhood and will be offering Kindermusic classes, which I was VERY excited to hear. However, it sounds like the class for babies will be at 10am, which is prime naptime in our house. I'm hoping that perhaps if I can get some other moms together who would prefer a different time - maybe 4pm or so - we can get another class going. If you're interested, please drop me an email at sue@chicagokids.com and let me know!