Baby Bond

Baby, toddler and children's massage, yoga and sensory classes, brought to mums locally Longbenton, Benton, Forest Hall, South Gosforth and Newcastle

Hello, Namaste and Welcome! ! !

Thank you for looking at Baby Bond for classes for the most important little person in your life, your baby.

My name is Charlotte Rintoul, I am blessed to be mummy to Sol, born in 2011 and Robyn born in 2014. Having two children and the experience of each of my maternity years has given me a reason to leave my 14 year career as a solicitor and follow my passion for, and deep belief in, wellness and post-natal care for mums and babies. It is my mission to provide an opportunity for mums to spend time each week focused completely on their babies and toddlers in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere with like-minded mums in venues that are local to them. I strongly believe that the first year of a child’s life lays the foundation for a confident, happy and healthy life.

There is immense pressure on mothers in ‘The West’. The biggest pressure we face however is time: we feel we have to make the absolute most of our time with our babies and back at work; we have to find quality time with them, which is not always easy to do. As women we are also incredibly hard on ourselves if we do not live up to the expectations imposed on us and even more so if we fail on the expectations we place on ourselves. I remember feeling guilty if I slept when my baby did – I would race round putting a wash on, manically tidying or clean the bathroom. Is it any wonder that Post Natal Depression exists?

Every mother will know babies do what they want, when they want; when they arrive in our lives, possibly for the first time, you have absolutely no control over how your day will go. And every mother will also knows that if your baby is crying they are generally, immediately soothed when you pick them up and hold them. Your presence reassures them, your touch and your voice settles them. In Africa, where I was born and brought up, mothers carry their babies on their back from the moment they are up and about. They are bonded with them closely and constantly and this continues right up to toddler age often for the majority of time each day.

In the UK expectant mothers are now bombarded (more pressure! ) with the emphasis being on skin-to-skin contact, the importance of breast-feeding and of taking a ‘babymoon’ or rest time to bond with your baby when they first arrive. Eastern trends such as massage and yoga which are very much part of everyday life in places such as rural India have been brought to The West and their amazing benefits widely documented. I experienced this first hand, not in an Indian village but through my Indian Mother. It was only natural therefore for me to massage my children from very early on and, in the absence of my mum, to find a class that would teach me how.

My belief is that we have to find a balance to keep us sane and enjoy our babies and to do that we must incorporate aspects of all the ‘trends’ and schools of thought and find our own happy medium. Not everyone is privileged to have a family support network near by and so sometimes you have to seek out your own support. Sometimes you just have to have the confidence to go with what you feel is right for your baby, after all you do know him /her best! ! ! The baby classes that I attended were my haven. They helped me rebuild my confidence to go out on my own with my newborn son as I knew I was going somewhere where the other mothers would relate to how I was feeling and would not judge me if my baby wailed mid-class! With my second child, the classes allowed me some fun and special ‘alone’ time with her when I did not have to think about my son and possibly being attacked from behind by him believing that he was ‘The Hulk! ’

After spending one guilt-free hour focusing on my babies, I left my classes feeling happy and elated. It also brought structure to my chaotic days and allowed me to have an adult conversation with another woman who really would not notice the baby sick on my shoulder. She was equally glad to talk to me about her ‘life after child’ or disclose intimate details about her birthing experience within five minutes of meeting me (you know we have all done it! ). I was lucky enough to attend those classes locally with Sol, and now some of the mums I met there, I see every day at pick up time at his nursery.

The idea for Baby Bond arose as when I was on maternity leave with Robyn, there were no longer any classes local to me and I had to travel. So I am bringing classes and my passion to fellow mums locally and I very much look forward to welcoming you to one them.

xx