Police Car Hand Print Craft & Story Time For Oakville Mom And Baby Program

momstown Oakville's theme of the month is Planes, Trains and Automobiles.  Last week at our mom and baby program at Ellephysio we put those cute little baby hands to work making adorable birthday card that each mom took home (envelope included) and can give out to a special someone on their birthday.

In addition to spending some time being crafty, we read our Scholastic Canada baby book of the month "I Am A Train" by Ace Landers.  This book was one of my son's favourites so I was happy to be able to give a copy away to one lucky mama to take home and enjoy.

momstown Oakville's mom and baby program (Baby Basics) runs weekly and includes either a craft project or a guest speaker.  Take a look at our schedule for the next few weeks:

January 27 - Feeding Your Baby (Guest Speaker, Beansprout Nutrition)
February 3 - Baby Picassos
February 10 - How Physiotherapy Can Help After Giving Birth (Guest Speaker, Ellephysio)
February 24 - Infant Massage

Click here to join momstown Oakville and participate in our mom & baby program as well as the 40+ other events we have on our calendar each month!  Your one1 year membership also includes a 12 month subscription to Today's Parent magazine!

momstown Oakville's Belly Basics Prenatal Event Connects Moms To Be With Community Resources

Having a baby, especially a first baby, can be a very exciting but also an overwhelming experience. momstown Oakville's Belly Basics program is designed to connect moms to be to resources in their community and with other moms to help ensure that they feel supported and connected as they welcome their new little one into the world.

We welcomed all of our pregnant mamas to the event held at ellephysio with a swag bag and some yummy treats provided by BrightPath Learning & Child Care Centre.  Thanks to Melinda from Arbonne for including some samples from the Arbonne baby line.  Did you know that many of the "tear free" baby wash available for new little ones actually contains a numbing agent used to numb her little eyes to keep the soap from stinging!  ABC Arbonne Baby Care is a line of products designed for babies, children and even adults with extremely sensitive skin.  From Hair and Body Wash to Herbal Diaper Rash Cream and Sunscreen SPF 30, Arbonne has every inch of sensitive skin covered in botanically based, pediatrician-tested formulas that support and protect babies sensitive skin.  Contact Melinda at melindatarantino@gmail.com for more information!

We kicked off the evening with a quick presentation from Karen, the owner of ellephysio.  Ellephysio has so many resources available for women including physiotherapy, registered massage therapy and personal training.  Did you know that physiotherapy can help heal your body after giving birth? The ladies from The Halton Doula Group also spoke about the difference between a birth doula and a post birth doula and then we split our guests up into small groups so they had a chance to talk with each one of our community experts on the following topics:

Breastfeeding - Breat4Success
Doula Services - The Halton Doula Group
Physiotherapy pre and postnatal options - Ellephysio
Community Resources - Halton Parents
Babies & Sleep - Happy Little Sleepers
How Pregnancy Can Affect Your Spine - North Ridge Chiropractic

It was so great to see such animated chatter among the groups and seeing that the moms to be were really getting some very helpful information.  After the 'speed networking' was completed, we ended the evening giving away some great prizes like a cord blood kit from CReATe Cord Blood, one year memberships to momstown Oakville, and a baby gate from Bullseye Child Safety.

We wish all the moms to be who joined us all the best with their deliveries and look forward to meeting their little ones as they join us for our weekly mom and baby program!

Free Prenatal Event For Oakville Moms To Be - October 29, 2013

Momstown Oakville held our first Belly Basics event in June of this year and it was such a success that we knew we had to do another one!  So drum roll please....

Free Belly Basics Prenatal Event

Date:  October 29, 2013

Location:  Ellephysio 

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

RSVP HERE

This event is free for all women who are expecting a baby whether its your first, second, third baby and mamas expecting multiples are welcome too!  Oddly enough, last time we had three mamas attend that were all expecting twins!

You'll get a chance to chat with community experts about:

• Sleep and your baby
• Pre and post natal exercise
• Your body after baby
• Breastfeeding
• The importance of peer to peer support as a new mom
• Lots more too!  

The feedback we got from mamas who attended our June event was that they walked away with some really great information and felt the event was extremely worthwhile. And of course, there were a few sweet treats and some prizes too!  Space is limited so RSVP here to secure your spot!

To find out more about momstown Oakville, click here.

Sprout Right Teaches momstown Oakville Moms and Babies About Nutrition

momstown Oakville's mom and baby program, Baby Basics, is a weekly program held at ellephysio designed to connect moms with babies 0 -12 months to each other, to the fabulous resources available to them and to provide them with information that is useful and informative.  We were so pleased to welcome Lianne Phillipson-Webb, founder of Sprout Right, a company that specializes in pre-conception, prenatal, and postnatal nutrition for women, as well as good food and health for the whole family to speak to Oakville moms earlier this month.

Starting to feed your baby solids can bring a lot of questions and Lianne spent lots of time giving suggestions and information to help Oakville moms make sense of all the different theories that are out there.

She also brought along several great products designed to help with easier feeding and provided many great tips for common concerns such as when do you start, what food do you start with, how much, when, how do you make it, etc.  We also had some mamas in the group that were moving beyond purees and had a whole other set of questions in terms of finger foods, choking hazards, getting kids to chew the food and more.  

Packed Baby Basics event to learn from Lianne Phillipson-Webb

Sprout Right.com makes it really easy to wade through all the information and be comfortable with bringing the world of food to your babies and beyond.  They offer both private and public workshops on everything from making your own baby food, what to feed toddlers (how to avoid a picky eater!), nutrition expertise and starting your baby on solids.  

And while this Baby Basics session was focused on feeding the littlest members of the family, Sprout Right also offers Family Nutrition & Meal Plans - you can get a 21 day meal plan that provides healthy balanced recipes.  No meal planning for 21 days??  Sounds like heaven to me!  They also have a Smart Kids Breakfast and Lunch Meal Plan which sounds so appealing as I will face packing lunches for my son starting in September and would love ideas on making sure I am giving him great meals that will keep him full and energized.

Their website has such a wealth of information, tips, events and sessions for all ages and stages - I was impressed with everything they have to offer.  Certainly worth a visit - click here to be direct to their site.

To find out how you can join momstown Oakville's mom and baby program, please register here.  Our classes are just $45 for a year, you can join at any time.  Your membership also includes access to all of our other monthly events, our message board and our member discounts!

momstown Oakville's Belly Basics Event Connects And Supports Oakville's Expecting Moms

Next Belly Basics, free prenatal event, is happening on October 29th, 2013!  More details here.

Last night momstown Oakville held our first Belly Basics event at ellephysio.  It was a really successful evening and we've already received lots of positive feedback from the moms to be about how helpful the event was and how much valuable information they learned.

momstown Oakville welcomed our guests with yummy cupcakes from Cupid's Gourmet Bakery, some refreshing lemon/lime water and a very important piece of information required by all of our pregnant mamas - where the bathrooms were!  All guests also got a loot bag to take home which included great coupons from Fisher Price, Cupid's Gourmet Bakery and a gift card from Organic Baby Joy!

Karen Neill, owner of ellephysio

In addition to listening to some great speakers, there was a baby wearing demonstrations and the participants also did a 'speed dating' activity where they were divided into small groups and then had some focused time with each of our experts to get all their questions answered.  Our experts included:

-Evolve Yoga Studio on the benefits of pre and post natal yoga (mom and baby)
-Julie from Breast 4 Success for breastfeeding tips and support
-Halton Doula Group 
-ellephysio who explain how physio can help after birth
-CReATe Cord Blood Bank
-Good Night Sleep Site Sleep Consultant

'Speed dating' with Halton Doula Group

After the small group time, we gave away some prizes including a phone and email sleep consultant package from Good Night Sleep Site, a cord blood and peristem collection kit from CReATe Cord Blood and a one year membership to momstown Oakville (which also includes a 12 month subscription to Today's Parent magazine)!  The Belly Basics event finished with a relaxing prenatal yoga demonstration from Evolve Studio.

Prenatal stretching with Evolve Studio

We had a great group of moms last night (we had three who were expecting twins!) and can't wait to see them all again at another momstown Oakville event.  Based on last night's success, sounds like we need to get working on planning the next Belly Basics event soon!  For more information on our next events, you can subscribe to our newsletter or sign up for your free 4 week trial with momstown Oakville.

Belly Basics Sponsors

Free Prenatal Event In Oakville for Moms To Be

Calling all pregnant women in Oakville!  momstown Oakville is pleased to be hosting a free mom to be event - check out all the details below!  Come out and meet other expecting mamas, have fun and learn about some of our great community resources.  Enjoy cupcakes from Cupid's Gourmet Bakery and refreshments.

Win Awesome Prizes Such As:

Cord blood and peristem collection kit valued at $120

$50 Gift Card from Oakville Place

Sleep Support Package from Good Night Sleep Site

Baby Bath and Body Products from Fisher Price

One year momstown Oakville membership

RSVP to info.oakville@momstown.ca

momstown Oakville moms get long and lean with The Belle Method Pilates

The momstown Oakville fitness challenge continued this week as Oakville moms got a chance to experience The Belle Method Pilates.  There were so many moms that wanted to give this workout a try that we split into two groups so that everyone had a chance to participate.

For those unfamiliar with Pilates  it is a body conditioning routine that builds flexibility and muscle strength. It puts emphasis on spinal and pelvic alignment, breathing, and developing a strong core and improving coordination and balance.The Belle Method of Pilates is the creation of Nikki Bergen. Their fitness philosophy, specifically designed for women, combines the core technique of Pilates the intensity of boot camp and the zen of yoga.  I have done Pilates classes in the past and always admire the lean and muscular physique of those who practice it regularly.  

Learning about The Belle Method

The group was mixed with people who had done Pilates before and those that had never done a class.  We used Pilates mats, small weighed balls and flex bands to add intensity and challenge to the workout.  What I noticed right off the bat was the targeted intensity that I was feeling during the exercises!  Pilates also focuses on areas that have been exhausted by pregnancy and carrying around young children - your hips, your lower abdomen, your core, your chest and spine.  The instructor often referred to these areas during the workout and explained how these areas may be feeling week and it was usually a synonymous nod by everyone participating indicating that they did indeed feel weakness and fatigue in these areas.

It's always inspiring to be led by someone with passion and Nikki and The Belle Method team are full of passion!  They have a genuine interest in helping women become more fit and healthy.  Their positive and upbeat demeanour make the classes a pleasure to take.  Another interesting fact about The Belle Method is that they provide specific workouts for breast cancer recovery patients - so great to have someone trained to help breast cancer survivors begin to strengthen their bodies again.

Here's what some of our members had to say about their class with The Belle Method:

"One of the best workouts I've had in a long time. Surprised I cam walk this morning. Seriously considering going back, even though I have access to free classes at work!" - Mylene

"I liked it and am feeling it in my abs and legs. Nikki was great!" - Derryn

The Belle Method classes take place at ellephysio in Oakville and have three sessions a week that you can choose from.  Their next session will begin during the last week of March, check out their calendar for details and on how to register.  You will absolutely see results from these workouts!

momstown Oakville Babies Create Holiday Art!

momstown Oakville loves to let babies get creative.  This morning at our Baby Basics program we tried our hand (or our feet really!) at creating some holiday art.  Our Baby Basics group meets once a week at Ellephysio and either has a guest speaker, a chance to do some art or just time to chat with other Oakville moms that have babies from zero to 12 months of age.  Our upcoming sessions include infant massage, baby sign language, how to find quality child care and a holiday party!

Both moms and babies enjoyed getting a bit messy and painting their feet.  Then you simply press your baby's foot onto the paper and add a gold star on top!  Feel free to decorate your tree as you wish.  This is a really simple idea but makes a very cute keepsake.

Have you done art with your baby before?  Sign up for your free 4 week trial and come and  join us at our Baby Basics holiday party where we'll be making ornaments with the babies!