Massage is such a great thing for anyone.  If you have ever gotten a massage (I won’t assume that everyone has) you know that feeling of being refreshed, the tingling sensation running up and down your entire your body, and a certain feeling of lightness.  It’s such a great feeling and I wish I could have it done more often.

Growing up, since the time I can’t remember (when I was a newborn), my parents massaged me.  I just remember being so excited for that massage because it was calming, soothing, and by the end of it, I usually passed out.

Now flash forward thirty some years, and I am doing the same with my own children.  I started with my older child, when she was an infant, and now all she wants is,”mommy massage me.”  My new little one and I currently take an infant massage together and it does wonders.

There are approximately 5 mom/baby duos in our classroom and we learn about touch, as well as tuning into our baby’s needs.  We always start the massage by asking permission.  Even though babies cannot talk, we are building a foundation through communication.  Our instructor goes around the room and places her hand on each mother’s back, to make sure that the mother is in tune, and to release any tension the mother may have.

As we introduce different massages on the baby, we make sure that the baby is okay by continually communicating with the baby.  Through this communication, you learn the baby’s wants and needs, and by doing so you establish trust.

Infant massage has so many benefits physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  Studies are finding that massage helps with sleep and colic, as well as building an infant’s immune system, motor skills, and intellectual development.

It not only gives you time to bond with your baby, it gives you time to check in with yourself and how you are feeling.  Being conscious is such a powerful thing.  When I leave the infant massage class with my baby, I feel that our body, mind, and spirit have gotten lighter and stronger!

Want to learn more about infant massage? Can’t go to a class? Here is more info.

Today, I had the pleasure of visiting Dan the Man’s Superkids. Yes, it’s my Saturday and it’s only one of two days that I actually spend the entire day with my daughter, the rest she is in preschool.  For months, I have been seeking a good active program that would keep my daughter engaged and that would promote an active lifestyle.  I also had a good amount of mommas ask me about possible programs that they could enroll their children in.  With all that in mind, it was so great to hear of the program over at Dan the Man’s Superkids.

Being pregnant and giving birth anyday, I didn’t think I would get a chance to go over to Dan the Man’s Superkids.  But today, since I didn’t have my baby yet and my daughter wanting to go to the park, I thought it would be the perfect time to take her there.  What’s great about Dan the Man’s Superkids is that you can do a free trial class for your child to see if it’s a match.  If you don’t like it, then you have nothing to lose, and if you love it, you have everything to gain. It’s definitely a win-win situation.

One of the most important aspects in enrolling my child in any program, is great customer service.  I always make sure I call to see the real person behind the phone. You can definitely learn a lot about the environment through one phone call. I knew a couple weeks in advance that I wanted to do a trial class for my daughter, but I literally waited until the last minute to give them a call.  The class started at 11:20 am and I called at 11:00 am to see if I could take her to the trial class.  A very warm and nice lady named Olga picked up the phone.  You could clearly hear that the noise behind her was very busy, but she was very patient, calm, and inviting.  She told me to bring my daughter on by and took down our name and phone number.  At that point, I knew I wanted to visit the gym.  Had she been loud, abnoxious, and short, I would have hung up the phone and passed. So great customer service is a must, and they were nothing short of excellent there.

We live fairly close to the gym, so I had my daughter get dressed, and it took us about 5 minutes to get there.  They are located on the corner of Olympic and Sepulveda, with ample parking. Lots of parking on the Westside of Los Angeles, is pretty much unheard of.  We went up to the gym and it was very clean and bright, with lots of energetic children, coupled with their parents.  It was nice for me to be able to go into another room and view sitting down.  Every little thing helps when you are pregnant.  They had a viewing room, which had a sofa and toys for the little siblings to play with while they waited.  The gym was air conditioned at a nice temperature, which made it a more comfortable experience.

Before they started class, the children were able to play around the gym, which was nice for my daughter, since it was her first time.  I could tell she was exploring all the new things she had never tried.  To start out the class, Dan the Man, had all the children sit around in a circle and introduce their names.  Always a great ice breaker, even for children.  Then they did their warmup, by jogging in a circle.  After that, they sat back down in a circle, and did stretches.  It was simple enough that my daughter had no issues following along.  The stretches were followed by exercises that included animals. Then they broke into groups to work on the parallel bars, trampoline, and the balance board.  I could tell that my daughter was loving it. Those activities were followed by an obstacle course, a ball activity, sit ups, and handstands.  Every activity involved the children repeating words, following directions, and cleaning up after an activity.

My daughter took the Dynamic Do’ers class which was targeted towards 3-4 year olds.  I loved that the staff were very nice, friendly, and knowledgable.  You could definitely tell that they had a camaraderie thing going on, which made every transition from activity to activity seamless.  While I was there, I also noticed that they were setting up for a birthday party.  I thought it was a clever idea to host a birthday party there, with activities from Dan the Man’s Superkids.  Any party that has kids learning anything, and encouraging active lifestyle is a plus in my book.

The classes there are very reasonably priced at $176 for an 8 week session, which comes out to be $22 for an hour long class.  They have classes from Monday-Saturday (5 months-12 years old).   For more information on their classes, summer camps, and transition program (2-4 year olds), visit them at www.danthemangym.com.  I love when I come across noteworthy programs.  Dan the Man is very animated, warm, and inviting to the little ones.  You could tell his passion is an active lifestyle for children!  I give a two thumbs up and recommend this to any parent.

SuperKids
2143 South Sepulveda Blvd. 4th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90025
phone:(310)263-8300
email:info@danthemangym.com