Mini Minds Yoga!

Mini Minds Yoga!

On Friday, Boo and I were invited to take part in a taster session of ‘Mini Minds Yoga’ with Alison. Being a Yoga lover myself and understanding the benefits of the practice, I was very much looking forward to seeing the approach to toddler yoga.

Alison was welcoming and warm and clearly enjoys her work. Her personality allowed a clear and honest delivery of an appropriate session for younger ones, combining story telling, activities and props with lots of yoga poses and movements.

Starting with a short warm up encouraging thoughts about breathing, meditation and help with being calm, it was great to see the little ones sitting cross legged on the mats engrossed in her explanation of ‘owl eyes’ and the link to meditation and positive energy poses.

The salutation to the sun was not something I had considered that children could access, but they most definitely can! It was wonderful to watch Alison walk through the different movements, encouraging sound effects for the cobra helping the little ones with the positioning gently where necessary. It was also lovely watching the grown ups joining in too! Being 7 months pregnant it wasn’t the easiest thing for me to do, so Nanny came along and joined in and it was great fun watching them both.

I particularly enjoyed the use of bubbles to teach children about calming breaths. Bubbles are so much fun and using them as an educational tool was very thoughtful and allowed a range of outcomes with big and small bubbles.

Due to the nature of yoga having positions named after animals, using cuddly toy animals and a game which everyone could join in with was another ingenious way of allowing the children to access the practice. The parrot, the monkey, the elephant, the cat, the list goes on and each one was explored through the appropriate yoga movement.

I also enjoyed finishing with a ‘story’ and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt was a great way to conclude the session, using the space to explore the story, movements allowing the children to really move and expel energy. It was great to see the product of the movements they had learned and how they culminated and concluded the session. Something different for a Friday afternoon and even though Boo was a little bit young having only recently turned 2, she has still spent the weekend talking about her ‘yoga’ class and breaking into downward dog and tree pose very often!

I would recommend contacting Ali for a taster session! Classes run at the following venues:

Wednesday 5pm-5.45pm

6-11 year olds

Old Arlesford

Friday 4.30pm-5.15pm

3-6 year olds

The ARC Alresford

Introductory rate of £5 per child

More about Ali:

‘As a lover of yoga myself, I know first hand the benefits for body and mind. It was whilst searching for an activity for my 8yr old son (that does not involve staring at a screen exercising his thumbs) that I stumbled upon an advert for children’s yoga. As a child who is not particularly sporty or competitive and struggles with anxiety I thought it would be perfect for my son.  When I couldn’t find a class locally I decided to train to be a children’s yoga teacher myself and I am loving it!

I am passionate about giving children a chance to breathe.  They are growing up in a fast-paced, pressurised, online world.  Yoga gives children a chance to “unplug”, teaches them to relax and be in the moment.

If they learn these skills now, they can be carried all the way through to adulthood and we can hope for a well balanced, emotionally healthy next generation’

Testimonials

‘Absolutely amazing class for kiddies, so much thought had gone into it and it worked so well combining story telling with yoga! Will def be back thanks Ali’

‘My daughter absolutely loved her first session. Yoga but made fun. Bubbles, feathers, masks and music but also lots of yoga combined. Thank you!’

Mini First Aid

I joined a lovely group of parents on a 2-hour course with Mini First Aid North Hampshire and East Wiltshire. It was immensely insightful and I came away feeling confident and extremely fortunate to have found such a great class.

Have you been thinking about doing a first aid class?

Well did you know…..

There is a significant difference in the procedure for giving CPR to babies and CPR to children over 1 year old

Around 5,000 children a year suffer from burns and the faster and longer the burn is cooled, the less impact of the injury there is

There is a specific part of the nose you should ‘pinch’ and apply pressure to if your child is having a nose bleed

Scissors in the average First Aid kit are not sharp enough to cut through clothing or fabric… Which should be one of their main uses

Whilst weaning, babies gagging can be completely normal, but you need to look out for ‘silent gagging’

The amount of force needed in a back blow or chest thrust to aid a child who is choking is probably considerably more than you realise

That febrile convulsions, seizures and fits are commonly caused in young children by a raised body temperature or fever

Do you feel confident that you could help a baby or child if they needed you in an emergency? If not, then I urge you to book your Mini First Aid class TODAY!

Lucy is an excellent teacher who shares her knowledge and expertise with you in a variety of ways. The class is interactive and allows participants to ask questions, take an active role in practising a range of procedures on the ‘dummies’ provided and, most importantly, is run a relaxed friendly atmosphere which allows parents to leave feeling confident and reassured.

As a teacher myself, I have undertaken mandatory First Aid training for a number of years, but this course is by far the best I have attended. Purposeful and informative, Lucy shares her own experiences with you which relate to her own children and her friends’ children, along with stories of how she has helped and supported parents and carers out in the community, you never know when you might be able to help!

Lucy runs a range of different classes throughout North Hampshire and East Wiltshire including:

-Baby & Child First Aid – Open classes and private classes available for parents, grandparents and carers

-Mini First Aid – Classes for children aged 8-11 and classes for early years children aged 3-6

-Mini First Aid at Work – For employees and their families as well as 12 hour paediatric training course for childminders and nursery workers

I would highly recommend these wonderful classes to you all. To have the knowledge and confidence necessary to help a baby or child in a medical emergency is worth investing in.

I urge you to book a class for yourself and for your children as soon as possible! Why not get a group of you together and book a private class in your own home? Or arrange a 1 to 1 session for you and your family?

Or just check out the great class options which are coming up in your area..

https://www.facebook.com/minifirstaidnorthhampshire/

http://northhampshire.minifirstaid.co.uk/book-a-class/

Boo & Mummy x

Picked by Penny

Picked by Penny has launched in Hampshire! Opened by local Mum Abbey, Picked by Penny offers a range of organic clothing for babies and children up to the age of 10. She brings online ranges of clothes made for children to Southampton making them easy and accessible for busy parents.

Abbey’s brand is inspired by her daughter, Penny, who she loves dressing in the bright, fun outfits which are kind to her skin and to our planet. After receiving lots of compliments about Penny’s ‘funky’ clothing she decided to help other parents shop for these fabulous outfits.

Picked by Penny’s stock is sourced from a range of independent retailers which include Frugi, Kite, Maxomorra, Piccalilly, Slugs & Snails and Smafolk. The outfits are bright, colourful, and embrace everything that children love, animals, rainbows, flowers, buses, trains… the list goes on!

They have an online shop but they have also stock a selection of their clothing at the Block Party Café in Bitterne, Southampton. Although online shopping is convenient for us busy parents, we agree with Picked by Penny that there is nothing quite like popping into a shop and having a browse. Especially a shop that has space dedicated to your little ones so that they can play while you shop!

We are delighted to be able to share our experience of Picked by Penny with you and hope that you consider shopping local and popping down to Bitterne to see the fabulous clothes on offer.

From the outset, our dealings with Picked by Penny were incredibly professional. Abbey has great knowledge of her products and was able to give sizing advice for the different ranges. Boo is nearly 2 but still only just about in some of her 18-24 month clothes (which seem huge on her!) so we wanted to know we were going to be getting the right size.

The very special ‘ladybird’ dress from Kite came accompanied with ‘ladybird’ tights, which Boo was very taken with. The colours were true to the online images and the bright and bold colours really ‘popped’ in her wardrobe, we couldn’t wait to try it on! We wanted a day where we could get out and about and following the endless days of rain, we finally saw some sun, so we headed to the beach!

The outfit was warm, comfortable and incredible soft to the touch. Boo was very proud of her ‘ladybirds’ which she kept pointing at and counting whenever she saw people. We had lots of lovely comments from members of the public about her dress and she looked like a real ray of sunshine enjoying every moment of her time wearing it. The moments captured below show the pure joy of being out and about and communicate how proud she was of her fabulous ‘ladybirds’.

The clothes have washed well and hang proudly in her bedroom, she asks to put it on every morning! Definitely one to save for days out with Mummy rather than days at nursery! I have found myself browsing the Picked by Penny website a couple of times a week and already have my eye on a number of the other items…. I particulary love the unicorn dress, the dino dungarees, the woodsy set… What are your favourites!?

Shopping with Picked by Penny is easy, you can shop online here: https://www.pickedbypenny.co.uk or you can pop into the store which can be found at 8-10 W End Rd, Southampton SO18 6TG. Follow them on Facebook too and fall in love with their unique clothing https://www.facebook.com/pickedbypennyUK/

As Abbey says, she is an ordinary mum who wants to help you fall in love with extra ordinary clothes.

Have a look at her fabulous stock, make a wish list and let us know what your favourite items are!

Tactile Tots Review

We were grateful to have been invited to the final week of a Tactile Tots Baby Massage course run by Catherine.

Having attended a baby massage course with Boo when she was small, I knew how incredibly important attending a well run and organised course is for new parents.

Catherine’s classes take place in a quiet, peaceful room in St Peter’s Catholic Church on Jewry St in the city centre. She has taken a thoughtful approach to the atmosphere of the space allowing a calm and considered feel to her class. The intimate and friendly nature of the group was felt as soon as they arrived and it took me right back to those early months with Boo this time last year.

As this was the final class, it was time to bring together everything they had learned on the 5 week course and complete the full body massage. After the rousing welcome song, they started with the feet and legs. Catherine had lots of rhymes and songs to help remember the different moves and the parents were really listening to their babies and understanding their different likes and dislikes.

Catherine consistently answered questions and reminded the class of the medical benefits of different areas of the massage and her knowledge and passion for her area of expertise shone through at every opportunity. Parents were encouraged and well supported when their baby cried or fussed and were given alterations to any moves that they found difficult or their babies were unsure of.

It was a wonderful class and I was reminded how important baby massage is for so many reasons. The positive interaction I witnessed between the participants was magical. Moments that were truly special and demonstrated the powerful bonding ability of massage, the oxytocin levels in the room were definitely sky high!

Catherine has added a special touch to her classes by teaming up with Hannibal-White Photography. In the final session on her course, a photographer is present to help capture those moments on camera and preserve the wonderful moments so that they can be treasured forever. This is a truly unique opportunity and one which undoubtedly provides something wonderful for the parents to keep at the end of the course.

What struck me most about the session was the positive, supportive community feel that Catherine had created in her class. The bond between parent and baby was clear but the bond between new parents had also been embraced. It took me back to this time last year, when I was attending baby classes with Boo and reminded me of the importance of these moments.

It also reminded me why I started the Boo & Mummy page. How important it is in those early days to meet and talk with other new parents starting their journeys. To have a reason to get out of bed, get out of your pjs and have a place to go where you aren’t going to be judged and you are going to feel better just because your day had purpose. Where you could talk about the fact that you have had a terrible week, you have just had an irrational argument with a woman at the supermarket, you need more sleep and you have no idea if you are ever going to get it. Where you can just be you, and try and figure out how this new ‘mummy’ version of you is going to function and fit within her new life.

Catherine’s classes are absolutely wonderful and of huge benefit to new parents in so many ways. I highly recommend that you get in touch with her and book one of her upcoming classes at St Peter’s Catholic Church.

Please contact Catherine on Catherine@tactiletots.com  and have a look at their Facebook page and website J