Baby Hands Institute - Sydney Inner West

Regular Classes now run in Rozelle and Burwood!

2011-09-27T17:38:00.000-07:00

Regular Baby Signing Fundamentals classes are now run on:

Thursdays at Rozelle - 1.30pm - book now

Fridays at Burwood - 10am - book now

Sundays at Burwood - 10.00am - book now

Last Sunday of the month at Burwood - 11am (INTENSE CLASS) - book now

Book into a class- online!

Baby Hands Inner West has teamed up with Sydney Infant Massage to provide a complete baby communications experience to parents and their bubs from birth through to toddlerdom.

This partnership means you can now book into any Baby Hands course online using Paypal or your credit card via a secure online system.

To book into any Baby Hands course or for more information- go to www.sydneyinfantmassage.com.

Completed the Singing Fundamentals Course and looking for more?

If you have completed the fundamentals course and would like to continue- we have Intermediate and Advanced courses available. These courses are run on request so please email me if you would like to join one of these classes!

2011-06-26T04:16:00.001-07:00

The Birth and Pareting Expo was excellent!!!! Had a great time - was especially chuffed at having lots of clients come up and say hi- was lovely to see everyone again!

Birth and Parenting Expo

2011-06-18T03:10:00.000-07:00

Dont forget to come and say Hello at the Birth and Parenting Expo this coming Saturday!

Also, the next round of courses starts soon.

Check the June/July Course Dates page for updates to class times and dates.

June/July courses now open for enrolment!

2011-06-07T00:53:00.000-07:00

Classes for June/ July

Signing Fundamentals ( Baby Hands Beginner course)

A one hour a week for four weeks course coving the basic signs parents need to communicate with their baby. Learn over 60 signs in the course- enough to get you started on the road to signing with bub. Themes for this course are: Bed Time, meal times, In the home, Pets and farm animals, Our favourite things.

COST: $150 per family ( one baby and up to two adults)

Location: BURWOOD

FRIDAYS - places available
Dates: July 8, 15, 22, 29
Time: 10.15am – 11.00am
Enrol Now

SATURDAYS - places available
Dates: July 9, 16, 23, 30
Time: 10.15am – 11.00am
Enrol Now

Location: ROZELLE

THURSDAYS -limited places available
Dates: Juy 7, 14, 21,28
Time: 1.30pm – 2.15pm
Enrol Now

FRIDAYS - places available
Dates: July 8, 15, 22,29
Time: 2.00pm – 2.45pm
Enrol Now

Baby Hands Signing Fundamentals Intensive class

This is one, intensive two hour class- it covers all of the signs learned in the Signing Fundamentals course. We introduce songs and activities for you to do in your own time and you get all course resources. Baby’s are welcome in thise class.
Cost: $150 per family ( one child and up to two adults)

Sunday July 31

Time: 10:30am – 12.30pm
Location:Burwood
Enrol Now

Locations
Burwood - Woodstock Community Centre
Rozelle - Rozelle Neighbourhood Centre
Willoughby - Yoganic Studio

Colour My World (Baby Hands Advanced Course)

A one hour a week for five weeks course extending your signing vocabulary further from basic signs to conceptual signs. This is an ideal course for toddlers who are on the verge of talking! Themes for this course are: Let’s go travelling, My body, Colours, Emotions, More Animals, Clothes and getting dressed.

Cost: $120 (for families who have completed the Signing Fundamentals and/or Out and About course)

$180 (for families who have not completed any other Baby Hands course)

Saturdays 11am- 12pm

June 18, 25 July 2, 9, 16

Location: Burwood

Enrol Now

Bringing brothers and Sisters to a baby Hands course

Sibling are welcome at all classes- in fact we encourage you to get all of the family involved in signing with your baby. The cost of each course is for one baby and their parents/carers only, please contact me directly if you would like to bring other children to a class/ course.

Please let me know if you have any questions on any of the above courses.

Charlie the Signing Star!

2011-05-27T03:30:00.001-07:00

Ok, a little showing off from me... we had a great story in our local paper about baby signing and they took some photos. You know what local paper photos are like- not too good...BUT the photographer was fantastic and he set the shots up ( took about 45 minutes of trying different angles etc...inside shots, outside shots.... so much setting up but we decided on inside shots. i then woke my gorgeous little bub from his slumber. being the fabulous little man he is- he was just fine with being woken up and he put on a fantastic show for the camera! See the story and the fantastic photos here: Inner West Courier - Signing with babies

June classes are being organised right now! Should be up on the blog and onthe website by Monday night!
Article here

April May Classes

2011-04-01T03:06:00.000-07:00

FREE Intro Classes- April Friday 15 April and Saturday 16 April Click for more info Course running in May: Signing Fundamentals Out and About Colour my world Click for dates and times

April/ May classes

2011-04-01T02:49:00.001-07:00

What a start to the year- we are flat out! Charlie is now seven months old and he understands the signs for Bath, Milk, Hello and Eat. He isnt signing back yet but seeing him react when I do the bath sign especially is just gorgeous. Robson tries to help out with teaching Charlie signs - it is so cute to see Robson signing things to Charlie and wanting him to sign back. I am going to try to get it on camera. Robson is still into animals and I am constantly having to look up the signs for animals that arent run of the mill... AUSLAN had good signs for most animals but there is always one or to that it doesnt cover....so I either use a combination of fingerspelling and actions or resort to American Sign Language for animals that dont have an AUSLAN symbol. Rob also wants to know the sign name for everyone he meets- certainly keeping me on my toes and my finger spelling has improved BIG time! Courses are now scheduled for term two- starting in May. I am only running two more free Into workshops- they are on April 15 and 16. After these, I will be charging for Intro workshops- this is to stop people turning up for a class when it has reached capacity and also to encourage people to actually come to a class they have registered for ( if you register for a class, I prepare all of the paperwork etc for you so if you dont show up, I loose money and well as time....I am sure you all understand where I am coming from here :)) April/ May class schedule can be found here

March Dates for Baby Hands and Infant Massage Courses

2011-02-19T22:18:00.000-08:00

March classes are now open for enrolment!

Dates and times are here!

Toddler babble

2011-02-11T02:20:00.000-08:00

This is an amazing time for our family. Baby Charlton is now 5 months old- can you believe it????? I have started him on solids and introduced the "eat" sign to him. So now we use "bath", "milk" and "eat" with him consistently but he also sees us (and more importantly, his big brother) use lots of other daily signs such as "Mummy", "Daddy", "hello", "Goodbye", "Please" and "Thankyou".
Robson is two now and he has started putting words into sentences- amazing to see and hear! It is so funny when he comes home from "school" (daycare) now and tells me all about his day in his fabulous two year old babble language. I read so many books when pregnant with Rob about what to expect from my baby but I swear nothing told me about the absolute joy it is to have children! Listening to Robs babble of a Friday afternoon is easily the highlight of my week - watching and listening as he excitedly tells me about his day using gobbledygook interspersed with occasional words such as the names of his friends or things they did that day- "painting", 'sandpit", "drink milk", "eat cookie"... all of this is made understandable by his amazing signing vocabulary. He may not be able to say the words properly but I understand as he uses his hands- its so exciting for me but just as exciting for him.

We are lucky- our Day Care uses signing with him - it makes such a difference as he can express himself so much easier using signs and the teachers understand him better as well.

One of the best things about him signing so much as well as speaking is that he now asks for the sign as well as the word when we are reading books- especially with new animals! We know so many animal signs now ( except "mole"- I cant find the Auslan sign for "mole"!! It's driving me crazy!!!). He is trying so hard with his words- the signs just make it easier for him.

It's fantastic!!!!

Infant Massage- General Information

2010-12-18T17:38:00.001-08:00

Enrolments are now open for our NEW Infant Massage classes. Enrol Now

I have completed qualifications from the Infant Massage Information Service (IMIS)- a global Infant Massage body that is based in Australia. The IMIS is recognised in several countries as being leading authorities in Infant Massage technique and benefits and I am really pleased to be in a position now to pass on the knowledge and skills to parents!

Some questions I get on Infant massage are answered below. if you have any other questions, please email me any time.

Why do infant Massage?
It is a great way to bond with your baby- especially dads Sometimes Dad feels a bit left out when mum is breast feeding. Massage is a wonderful relaxing way to bond with baby and have something that is just for dad and baby.
Pain Relief
Infant massage is a great way to help baby through stages of colic and reflux as well as relieve constipation and wind pain. Providing simple and effective pain relief for baby. This means a much happier mummy and daddy too!
Relaxation
Infant Massage is a great way to relax your baby and you! It is amazing to see the changes in your little miracle as they respond to your touch.

When do we start Infant Massage on our baby?
You can start any time from birth!
Your baby is a sponge for new sensations and massaging baby will increase self awareness as you make bub aware of the different parts of their body. it increases circulation and gets everything moving in the body- fantastic for growing bodies!

Can I massage my toddler?
Yes! if you havent massaged your baby before, then start now! Massage is a great way to help toddlers calm down after a big, exciting day. It relaxes them when they are upset and it reinforces your love and admiration of them as there is nothig better than touch. just think, when your toddler scapes their knee or gets upset- what is the first thing they want from you- a snuggle!! In our Infant massage courses we teach massage techniques for older babies/ toddlers too!

The course runs over four weeks - what will we learn?
We cover a lot of massage techniques and theory in class. Each class is 45 minutes long. Think of it as dedicated YOU time each week as you learn these age old techniques and spend dedicated quality time with your partner and baby.
In the clases we will cover:
- massage techniques to relax baby and you
- massage techniques used to effectively relieve the symptoms of reflux, colic, intestinal gas and constipation.
- Touch Relaxation techniques- used to settle babies.
- how to adapt massage for older babies and toddler
- theory of massage and be introduced to reserch studies that proove the benifits of Infant Massage
- what oils to use and not use on your baby

All January 2011 classes recieve a bottle of massage oil and a massage booklet outlining allt he techniques learned in class!
Enrol Now

Infant Massage!

2010-12-06T21:14:00.001-08:00

Well it has been a super busy couple of weeks but I am so excited! I have finally done the Infant Massage course I have been meaning to do for 12 months!

So, after several very intense days training in infant massage and touch relaxation, i am now qualified to run infant massage classes!

Starting in January 2011, I will be offering classes in infant Massage in the Syndey Inner West area. WOW!!! Finally getting my qualifications is just soooo cool.

I have the Baby Hands Christmas classes this week- they are so much fun!!! I am really looking forward to them!

:)

2010-11-18T19:16:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

Things are going really well in Baby hands land. i am wrapping up my last courses for the year next week and then will be preparing for the Christmas classes. Enrolments are strong for the Christmas classes which is great to see.

I am also getting my certificate in a few weeks to teach Baby Massage- so look out for the advertisements in the new year as Baby hands Inner West will be adding Baby Massage courses to the schedule!

i have started signing "bath" with little Charlton and I think he recognised it yesterday.... maybe.... he loves his bath and his legs when crazy and his smile widened when I did the sign and said the word so I am interpreting that as him being excited about his impending bath. :)

I will see how he goes tonight and keep you all updated.

Bye for now and happy signing,

Catherine

Enrol now for a Christmas Class

2010-11-11T20:57:00.000-08:00

I can’t believe it is Christmas time! Ok, I have had a busy year- so busy in fact I forgot to celebrate Baby Hands Inner West First Birthday!!! Now well and truly into my second year of teaching Baby Signing in the Sydney Inner West area I am still having a ball as I help parents bond with their bubs through signing.

My eldest son is now two and his signing is fantastic- which is great as when I don’t understand his words, he uses signs to explain what he means- just wonderful! but boy it is hard to keep up with him at times!

So bub number two, Charlton Anthony, is 12 weeks old now- wow where does the time go?- and I am running classes again! You may meet Charlton at class- I plan to bring him along occasionally to help out :)

SO Christmas classes have been scheduled and I will update the calendar on the Baby hands website within the next few days- if you haven’t received and email from me with the dates in it- email me and I will get straight back to you!

Christmas classes are so much fun! You learn to sign some great Christmas carols and learn the signs for all things Christmassy! Every family gets to take home a Christmas Carol book with words, pictures and signs in it and all bubs get a Christmas present from Sammy the Signing Bear!!!

You don’t need to have signing experience to do the Christmas class- in fact if you are thinking about signing with your bub, the Christmas class is a great introduction to what it is all about!

CLASS DETAILS
The Christmas Class running time is 50 minutes
All classes are held at Woodstock Community Centre, Burwood NSW
Cost: $35 per family (one baby and up to two adults) - $5 per extra child per family ( please email me if you are planning to bring more than one child to class as class sizes are limited)
BONUS OFFER
Everyone who enrols into a Baby Hands Inner West Christmas class will get a 20% discount off any Baby Hands Inner West Course run in Term 1, 2011!
Dates:
Thursday December 9th - 10.00am ENROL NOW
Friday December 10th - 9.45am ENROL NOW
Friday December 10th - 11.00am ENROL NOW
Saturday December 11th - 10.00am ENROL NOW
Saturday December 11th - 11.30am ENROL NOW
Last year the classes filled up within 2 days of promoting them so be quick and secure your spot ASAP!
Well I better get back to Charlie! I will post pics soon!

WOW! What an end to the financial year!

2010-06-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

Things are crazy in the Sydney Inner West at the moment! We are running lots of classes and seeing amazing results from bubs as young as six months!

As you all know I am taking a break in afew months to have bub number two and so to fit in some classes before I take a break I have designed an INTENSIVE course for both our Beginner and Intermediate program- what a response!!!! You guys are so keen on these classes I think I will add it to my normal program later in the year.

So we only have one Beginner Intensive class with spots available now- Starting Saturday July 10th and continuing weekly for four weeks,make sure you enrol ASAP so you dont miss out!

Enrol now

I will be doing some filming over the next few weeks and hopefully willb e able to post the fims for you all to see- stay tuned.

Well better get going now- Happy signing,
Catherine

Baby Hands INTENSIVE courses available now!

2010-06-23T02:56:00.000-07:00

Well it has been flat out in the Inner West over the last few months, with classes filling up so quickly I can barely keep up!

As most of you know, I am expecting bub number two in August. Time has flown!

So with the due date looming, I am offering a couple of INTENSIVE courses- two BEGINNER INTENSIVE and two INTERMEDIATE INTENSIVE courses have now been scheduled for July. These will be the last courses I am running before the baby is born and I take a break for several months from teaching.

So ENROL NOW so you dont miss out!

BEGINNER INTENSIVE COURSE

Do the complete Beginner Combo Course in four weeks!

The course usually runs over 7 weeks but due to demand, feedback and the fact I will not be running classes after August 2010 for several months, I have condensed the Beginner Course into 4 weeks.

You benefit because you get the entire course- we still learn over 60 signs during the course - but it runs over four weeks ( great for those with busy lifestyles) and costs less- WIN!!! WIN!!!

Each class will follow the same Baby hands format- signs, songs, story, activities AND Sammy the signing bear will visit each class as well. The only difference is the activities we do in this condensed course are slightly different and we do not read a couple of the books usually scheduled for the classes. You do however, get a list of all recommended books for the course.

I tested this format on a private group recently and it worked very well so i am sure you will like it too!

Dates of classes:

Saturdays

July 10 - July 31
Time: 10am
Cost: $140 per family (one child, up to two adults)

Thursdays
July 15- August 15
Time: 10am
Cost: $140 per family (one child, up to two adults)

Siblings: if you would like to bring siblings to the course, cost is $40 for the course.

INTERMEDIATE INTENSIVE

For those who have completed the Beginner course OR if you have been signing with your bubs for a while and you have the basics down pat....

The Intermediate course usually runs over a 6 week period. This condensed version runs over three weeks only.

We still learn over 60 signs throughout the course but, like the Beginner course, we change the structure slightly with the activities and the books.

Dates of classes:

Saturdays
July 10 - 24
Time: 11.30am
Cost: $105 per family (one baby, up to two adults)

Thursdays
July 15 - 31
Time 11.30am
Cost: $105 per family ( one baby, up to two adults)

Siblings: if you would like to bring siblings to the course, cost is $30 for the course.

ENROL NOW

APRIL Course now available!

2010-02-25T03:12:00.000-08:00

Boy has it been a busy start to the year! There sure is a lot going on with Baby Hands at the moment. Hope you all saw us on The Morning Show recently. I am very proud to say Katica and her son Marley who stared on the show are clients of mine :) For those who didn't see the show- here is a clip of it.

It is soooo scary but guess what- Ihave just finalised my April classes! I have several Beginner courses and Intermediate course scheduled so enrol now to avoid missing out on a place. As you know, my classes are kept small to enable lots of one on one time.

FRIDAY Courses

Intro/Beginner Combo Course

Description: A seven week course covering the Baby Hands Introduction class and the six week Beginner Course.
Date: April 9 - May 21
Time: 9.45am (for 1 hour each week)
Cost: $180* per family (Two adults, one child)
Enroll now

Intermediate Course

Description: A six week course for participants who have already completed the Beginner Course or who have been signing with their child for some time and want to learn more about Baby sign language.
Date: April 9 - May 14
Time: 11.00am (for one hour each week)
Cost: $150 for continuing families, $180 for families who have not completed a Baby Hands course.
Enroll now

SATURDAY Courses

Intro/Beginner Combo Course

Description: A seven week course covering the Baby Hands Introduction class and the six week Beginner Course.
Date: April 10 - May 22
Time: 9.45am (for 1 hour each week)
Cost: $180* (Two adults, one child)
Enroll now

Intro/Beginner Combo Course

Description: A seven week course covering the Baby Hands Introduction class and the six week Beginner Course.
Date: April 10 - May 22
Time: 11.15am (for 1 hour each week)
Cost: $180* (Two adults, one child)
Enroll now

Intermediate course

Description: A six week course for participants who have already completed the Beginner Course or who have been signing with their child for some time and want to learn more about Baby sign language.
Date: April 10 - May 15
Time: 1.00pm (for one hour each week)
Cost: $150 for continuing families, $180 for families who have not completed a Baby Hands course.
Enroll now

January Classes Now open for enrollment!

2009-12-27T13:53:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and you are prepared to see 2010 in with a bang!

We are getting ready for a fantastic year ahead and following are the much anticipated dates for the first 2010 classes!

Intrdouction Classes are being held on the following dates in January:

Friday 15th- 9.30am

Saturday 16th - 10.45am

Beginner Courses start on the following dates:

Fridays
29 January - 5 March (six weeks)
Time: 10.45am

Saturdays
30 January - 6 March (six weeks)
Time: 10.45am

CHRISTMA CLASSES! UPDATE!

2009-12-06T15:45:00.000-08:00

Friday's class is now FULL!

Saturday's classes are filling fast so if you are thinking of enrolling in a class do it quick!

Email me now to secure your place!

Christmas Classes are here!

2009-11-29T21:37:00.000-08:00

Book into our Christmas classes now!

We are running one- off Christmas Themed classed on the following dates:

Friday 18 December - 11.30am

Saturday 19 December 10am
Saturday 19 December - 11.30am

Email now to enrol into one of the above classes.

email: catherine@australianbabyhands.com

Class sizes are kept small for maximum learning so be quick!

What happens in a Baby Hands Class?

Well the Christmas classes are all about FUN FUN FUN!

You will learn to sign (and sing!) several favourite Christmas Carols!
You will take home a gorgeous Baby hands Christmas song book with words, signs and pictures in it.

The kids will get lots of colouring in to do during the class and get to take home lots of Christmas pics to colour in.

Each child will get a little present from Sammy the Signing Bear ( on instruction from Santa!)

This class is great for those wanting a fun introduction to Baby Sign Language. It is also a great way to introduce older kids to the wonderful world of signing!

Enrol now!

Ho Ho Ho! Christmas Classes now avaliable!

2009-11-08T16:09:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Well- not quite but Christmas is almost with us ( only about 8 weeks away- scary!)

And to help you celebrate we have a Baby Hands Christmas Class!!

Come along and learn to sign your favourite Christmas Carols - what better way to get into the Christmas spirit?!

These classes are great for those of you who have done a course and want to learn more and for those who are interested in signing but are not quite sure you want to do a whole course yet...

These classes are also a fabulous way to introduce signing to your older children! How much fun would it be to be able to sing and sign "Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer" on Christmas day? Granma and Grandpa would be very impressed indeed!!

Baby Hands Christmas Classes are only one hour long and you get to learn lots of songs and take home a carol book with the song words and the signs clearly printed for you sing at home!

Will post dates of these classes in the next few days so watch this space!

Ho ho ho!

Last Course for 2009! - Enroll Now!

2009-11-07T01:55:00.000-08:00

My last Beginners Course for 2009 starts on Friday November 13 and runs for 6 weeks.

It combines the Introduction the Baby Sign Language class and the Beginners Course.

There are two spots left in the class so make sure you email now to confirm your spot.

Email me at catherine@australianbabyhands.com

Welcome to Baby Hands Blog Spot!

2009-11-07T01:47:00.001-08:00

Hi there,

I thought I would create this blog to keep everyone updated on current activities with Baby hands Inner west.

Check this site regularly to find out about our classes and when they are held.

I will also keep you updated on my son's signing progress as we travel on our signing journey.