A young child in beige shorts and a shirt is crawling on hands and feet on the grass outdoors, approaching a pink toy and a small shiny object, with blurred trees, tree stumps, and a wooden chair in the background.

Moving Babies: infant developmental movement education

In this playgroup, we observe and appreciate your baby’s unique developmental journey, wherever they are in the process. I offer gentle support for your baby as they grow into new perceptual abilities and movement skills, and practical support for you, the adult who wants to be present, responsive, and attuned. Together, we create an environment that nurtures safety, curiosity, and growth.

Some topics we may explore include: tummy time, flexion and extension, handling techniques, stimulation and rest, sleep, and other states of being. When babies feel safe and supported, their innate drive to explore and learn can flourish.

This group is also a space for you, as a caregiver, to deepen your own embodied experience. By engaging with developmental movement patterns ourselves, we cultivate an embodied empathy with our babies and develop compassion for their struggles and joys. Through this practice, we reconnect with our own parenting instincts and begin to trust them more fully. No parenting book or expert can replace the deep knowledge we carry in our own bodies.

A note on self-care: To survive and thrive as parents, we often hear we need time away from our babies—and sometimes we do! But we may also need moments of deep connection with them. In this group, we practice being with ourselves and our babies, together. We need our babies as much as they need us.

Thursdays 12:30 - 1:30pm

drop-in playgroup, ongoing!

NikosKids Music Center

386 1st Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn

$35

accessibility: ground floor with secure space for strollers inside

Sing up in advance below, or just show up and pay in person

1/29 sign up
2/5 sign up
2/12 sign up
2/19 sign up
2/26 sign up
3/5 sign up
3/12 sign up
3/19 sign up

 FAQs

    • parents and their babies

    • caregivers and the babies they care for

    • grandparents, aunts/uncles and the babies they spend time with

    • children developing on a typical timeline, & children facing challenges in their development

    • all babies between birth and walking. (If your baby is walking confidently, this class is not for you!)

    • pregnant people, their partners/co-parents, or folks expecting a new baby to join their family are welcome as well

    • LGBTQ+ families, chosen families, adoptive families

  • Nope! There are many other folks you can see who can help diagnose your child’s medical or developmental issues. This is also not Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Osteopathy, Craniosacral Biodynamic Therapy, or Reiki. (Though I do have some experience in all of these modalities, I am not certified in any of them!) I am an Infant Developmental Movement Educator certified through the School for Body-Mind Centering ® and an AmSat-certified Alexander Technique Teacher.

  • Nope! If you want to exercise, that’s great and I am happy to recommend resources for you. This is also not Yoga or Pilates for adult or for baby. We may however try out baby’s natural movements in our own adult bodies.

  • Yes! I’m happy to work with your family privately, at your home. This can include as many of your family members as you want, including babysitters/caregivers, older siblings, pets, etc. Contact me to discuss details.

    I’m also happy to work with a small pod! Your self-organized 2-4 family pod can be at the home of one of the families. I recommend committing to at least a 4-session package, for a pod. Your pod will designate one point person to communicate with me. Contact me to discuss details.

  • Drop-in Moving Babies playgroups are $30-40, sliding scale, payable by cash or venmo in person the day you attend. Online payment in advance coming soon, at the $35 rate.

    Privates sessions and pods are $150-190 (per 1 hour meeting) depending on the location. Privates sessions and pods take place at your home.

  • IDME stands for Infant Developmental Movement Educator. IDMEs are educators who support families as they grow. We are specialists in movement from conception through walking, with a particular focus on patterns and abilities that emerge in roughly the first year of life. We observe babies and facilitate education through discussion, demonstration, and gentle hands-on guidance. We educate and support parents with their own handling skills. Our approach is child-centered, and highly specific to each individual family. 

    IDMEs have completed an in person program over the span of at least two years, and completed the four developmental courses that are part of the School for Body-Mind Centering ®: Senses and Perception, Ontogenetic Development, Basic Neurocellular Patterns, Primitive Reflexes, Righting Reactions and Equilibrium Responses.

  • BMC stands for Body-Mind Centering ®

    The best description can be found on the Body-Mind Centering website

  • Fortunately for NYC families, there are several options for Infant Developmental Movement Education playgroups in our area. Each educator brings to IDME their own unique flavor and perspective. Check out: Babies Project in Manhattan and Brooklyn, Adele Loux-Turner in Williamsburg/Greenpoint, Amy Baumgarten also in Park Slope, Leah Morrison, Maggie Gavin, & more!