Parent-toddler classes may be becoming all the rage in the city, especially among parents who are anxious about their children getting into the ‘right school’ and feel that early development programmes may give them a boost.
Sujata S. Iyer, who founded ‘mommy and me with Su’ in 2013, defines her programme as a prep step towards schooling. “After running a pre-school from 2010 to 2012, I realised there were very few programmes for mothers and toddlers in India so I decided to start this in Bengaluru,” she said. So far, she has completed ten batches and has worked with 50 children and their mothers. “The class is to make parents aware of their children’s milestones and also help them learn about their surroundings,” she said.
Jose Paul and Anju Cherian, who own the franchise of the U.K.-based Baby Sensory, have three outlets in Bengaluru. Both studied early learning and development in UK. “The programme, which was started by in the U.K. provides information to parents on sensory stimulation for children and gives them insight on visual stimulation for children and their sense of touch,” said Mr. Paul.
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The nature of a class varies depending on the age of the child. In one activity, children are allowed to play in an inflatable pool filled with toys. Once the music starts, they are made to move towards the toys, thus helping in sensory development. The programmes are divided into different categories – baby sensory and toddler sense, based on the age of the child. Paediatricians have a mixed response to such programmes. Karthik Nagesh, chairperson of Manipal Advanced Children’s Centre, said that the classes perhaps were useful to parents who live in nuclear families and are looking for support on how to up bring their children. “The sessions should note that children are innately willing to learn, and give scope for the child to explore things on their own,” he said.
Another city based-paediatrician Chikkanarasappa Reddy, assistant professor of Paediatrics at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, said that there was a need for more scientific research in this field to understand the impact of these interventions. He said that children inherently learn things based on their age and environment.