Bright Babies

What it’s like

Baby massage, sensory play, signing and baby yoga sessions built for the pre-walking and just-walking crowd.

This is a sit-on-the-floor-with-your-baby kind of session, not a drop-off. The site lists baby massage, sensory exploration, baby signing and yoga for babies, and between the four of those you get a proper mix of calm and stimulation in one visit. Baby massage and yoga are the settle-down end of things, good for a fractious morning, while the sensory exploration is where a six-month-old will actually perk up and start reaching for stuff.

Baby signing is the one that pays off slowly rather than in the room. It's not instant entertainment for a baby the way a rattle is, but it's the sort of thing you keep coming back to because the benefit is weeks down the line, not that afternoon.

Ages run from newborn to three, which is a wide bracket for one session, so a lot depends on which activity is on that day. A four-month-old is going to get more from the massage and sensory bits than the signing, and a toddler nearer three will probably want to be moving rather than lying still for yoga. Either way, it's built around babies and their grown-ups being on the floor together, not a room full of separate activity stations.

Need to know

Best for

Newborns to age 3, with the activity mix shifting as they grow

• Sessions suit newborns through to toddlers, so ask which activity is running before you go if your baby has a strong preference
• Baby signing builds up over repeated visits rather than paying off in one go
• Bring something for your baby to lie on if massage or yoga is on the agenda

Plan your visit

See all Baby & Toddler Groups in Southampton · Things to do in Southampton