Discover the Best Parenting Classes Near Me
It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a village to support a parent. But when you are preparing for your first childbirth, struggling to get your toddler to sleep, or one tantrum away from having one yourself, where is that village to be found? Live parenting classes are a place where parents and parents-to-be can connect to the support of an expert instructor and a community of classmates who share the same stage of the parenting journey.
Parenting class topics range from how to breathe during labor to keeping your teen safe online, and even how not to prevent the label of “mom” from swallowing your entire identity. Whether you are interested in classes on conscious parenting or how to get your toddler to drink from the blue cup, the best parenting class for you is the one that fits your schedule and style while providing the solutions you need.
Why You Should Learn Parenting
No matter how many books you read or videos you watch, nothing can truly prepare you for every experience of parenthood. Often the anticipation of the unknown—particularly childbirth, nursing, or big talks with your preteen—is the most difficult to get through. Many find confidence through these times through the mentorship of experts and connections with parents who are a few steps ahead in the journey. Parenting classes can easily connect you with a real live person who can provide the information and insight you need to navigate parenting from birth to baby’s first day of college.
When you take parenting classes, you’ll meet many mothers and fathers on the same wavelength as you. Mindful parenting classes allow you to make lifelong friends for the whole family. And don’t forget that with the parenting skills you’re learning today, you will be able to be the mentor in the future—perhaps even to your own children.
5 Ways to Learn Parenting
While some people prefer to learn to parent on the job, most benefit from tapping into the expertise of other moms and dads or professionals in child development. You can always consult with friends and family for casual advice or search for support groups. Most parents also build a small library of books on each parenting stage: today’s options go well beyond What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
However, nothing beats classes for connecting to other humans’ wisdom on raising your own little humans. In-person classes are today’s closest option to traditional village parenting mentorship, as they allow you to interact with an expert in the same physical space. Live online classes are a similar opportunity to connect with a real human teacher but without commute times or any risk of exposure to germs. Or, if your schedule or budget don’t allow for live classes online or in-person, you can take advantage of on-demand classes with a wide variety of price points. You can even find some free self-paced options on YouTube.
In-Person Parenting Classes
Many factors come into play when looking for an in-person parenting class near you. First is the topic: parenting classes may include anything from childbirth to CPR to conscious parenting. You’ll also want to ensure the class schedule fits into your calendar, not forgetting to factor in commute times. Find out what you can about the instructor, if possible, and see if they sound like someone whose expertise you’d trust. And finally, read any reviews or write-ups you can find about the class, instructor, and school, and you will quickly see if the course is right for you.
The 92nd Street Y (92NY) is a historic Jewish cultural and community center featuring cultural, arts, and educational programming with a mission to repair the world with the power of community. They offer a full calendar of classes for new parents of all backgrounds.
Certified childbirth educator Janet Borgardus leads the Get Ready – Childbirth class in 92NY’s Upper East Side home. You’ll learn what you need to know to feel confident about your upcoming labor experience, including how to recognize when labor begins and identify all the phases of labor as you encounter them. As you talk through possible scenarios you may encounter at the hospital, you’ll learn breathing and relaxation techniques as well as how to advocate for yourself through the labor process.
Birth Day Presence has multiple locations around NYC, where they’ve served families and expectant parents since 2002. They are the go-to provider for childbirth education and doula services in New York City and have won multiple awards throughout the years. With certifications in CPR, Lamaze, CEA/MNY, and Birthing From Within, their doulas are renowned as some of the best trained in the city. Believing every birthing parent deserves a doula, their volunteer doula program assists hundreds of underprivileged women every year at the Bellevue Hospital Birth Center.
Birth Day Presence’s Lactation & Newborn Care Intensive class arms parents-to-be with all the basics they need to know about infant care, nursing, and bottle-feeding. You’ll learn about standard newborn procedures to expect in the hospital, normal infant behavior, the basics of bathing your baby, and many more things that will prepare you to care for your infant. And when it comes to feeding your baby, you’ll learn all the tips and tricks you ever wanted to know about bottle-feeding, as well as how to help your newborn latch on and hold them while nursing. You will leave the class feeling confident about your ability to care for and feed your newborn, knowing how to avoid common problems and when and how to reach out for assistance if needed.
School of Multidimensional Healing Arts and Sciences is a holistic learning center located in the Irvine Business Complex. Their diverse schedule of classes, training, and events promotes self-growth, self-healing, and self-empowerment. The open community atmosphere fosters healing connections and learning encounters, creating supportive friendships between like-minded individuals on similar journeys to create their own reality.
Tina Louise Balodi teaches the school’s Mindful Parenting Workshop to share her passion for the approach she’s applied in her own motherhood journey. In this workshop, Tina will introduce you to her trademarked parenting method, Prana Boost Parenting. She invites you to unlearn everything you thought you knew about raising kids, replacing any fear-based techniques with connections driven by unconditional love, intuition, and emotional intelligence. By forgoing punishment and manipulation of your children, you’ll learn to create a home without shame woven with clear boundaries and lifelong intergenerational ties. The price of your ticket includes a crystal gift bag.
Infinity Foundation is a non-profit, non-sectarian education center that provides classes, workshops, retreats, and other services to nurture body-mind-spirit integration and whole-person growth. From its home in Highland Park, just outside of Chicago, the foundation also performs holistic studies to support the evolution of human expression and consciousness, always maintaining its integral values of diversity, dialogue, and mutual respect.
Instructors Lauren Bondy and Karen Jacobson lead Infinity Foundation’s class on Conscious Parenting. This increasingly popular parenting method is about increasing your self-awareness through strategies to control your reactive emotions, replacing them with thoughtful and loving responses to the most challenging situations with your children. Lauren and Karen will guide you in designing a vision of the loving connection you want with your child and walk you through strategies to navigate tantrums, hitting, and other stressful situations. The humorous demonstrations of the class will leave you feeling optimistic about your ability to turn your worst parenting struggles into moments to nurture your child’s healthy development.
Childbirth preparation and support center Baby Beginnings New England (BBNE) offers programming and services to support expectant and new parents in providing the healthiest foundation for their baby. They know new parents have enough on their plates financially, so they work hard to keep their classes affordable and provide certificates of course completion for insurance reimbursement. Besides childbirth, CPR, and baby care classes, BBNE also offers support for natural labors, breastfeeding education, placenta encapsulation, and doula services.
Nancy Abbot teaches Childbirth Education and Preparation in BBNE’s Somerville home. As a doula who has attended more than 700 births over five decades of experience, Nancy knows exactly what every expecting parent needs to know to be prepared for their upcoming delivery. She welcomes the parent-to-be and one support person to attend with every ticket to this class, which provides all the guidance you need to get you through your labor and delivery. Nancy recommends you take this class between weeks 26 and 35 of your pregnancy.
Lamaze International - D.C. Chapter is a non-profit organization with a mission to “promote normal, natural, healthy, and fulfilling childbearing experiences through education, advocacy, and reform.” Lamaze birthing classes are known for their small group sizes and open discussion. The Lamaze method includes evidence-based natural pain management techniques balanced by epidural use, if needed, as well as quality education for the expectant parent’s support partner.
Lamaze International’s Infant Care + CPR class is not a certification class, but it will teach you everything you need to know to administer life-saving CPR and choking relief to your baby during their first year. Other infant care skills you’ll learn include diapering, bathing, umbilical cord care, feeding basics, infant massage, SIDS prevention, and knowing when to call the doctor. You will attend this class in Lamaze International’s home in Fairfax Station, south of
The Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center’s campus in La Jolla, California, is where you’ll find the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture (CJC). The CJC facilities include a 500-seat theatre, a 10,000-volume Judaica library, the Holocaust Memorial Garden, and an art gallery. In these spaces, CJC explores the Jewish experience through the arts with programming that highlights human themes of family, compassion, hope, and tolerance.
Parenting Expert Dr. Wendy Mogel Voice Lessons is a unique offering by CJC for parents of all backgrounds. In this class, bestselling author and parenting expert Dr. Wendy Mogel, author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, speaks to parents about the art and science of effective communication with children of all ages. Her advice also covers how to talk about your child with teachers, nannies, grandparents, partners, and even your ex. She will also address digital devices and their effects on family connections.
Virtual Parenting Classes
For many, in-person parenting classes are their first choice for gaining confidence around giving birth or raising their children. Being in the same physical room with your instructor is especially helpful for courses on hands-on and kinetic topics such as feeding your infant, parent-and-me exercise, or pediatric CPR. However, most of these can also be successfully learned in online parenting classes featuring live teachers without the potential of any germ exposure when that is a cause for concern.
Another benefit of virtual parenting classes is that you can attend from home (or the playground) without taking the time out of your busy schedule for a commute. And if you live in an area where few in-person parenting classes are available, online classes open the door for many more options when it comes to topics, instructors, and class times. Be aware that you are more likely to have to provide your own equipment or books for your virtual parenting class than an in-person one, but this is unlikely to be a cost-prohibitive expense as most parenting classes don’t require many supplies.
If you’re beginning your parenting journey and looking for a live virtual class to prepare you for childbirth, check out Sakinah Birth’s Hypnobirthing (Online). Sakinah is the Arabic word for “calm” or “tranquil,” concepts that define the philosophy of this approach to childbirth. Doula, Lactation Consultant, and HypnoBirthing Childbirth Educator Jihan Huq leads this extensive course with five weekly sessions covering topics from the history of childbirth to breastfeeding. The Mongan Method of HypnoBirthing will help you embrace the instinctive and joyful side of birth as you learn to conquer your anxiety about labor.
But what if the fourth trimester is what has your stomach in knots? You can banish every fear you have about your first few months of parenthood with Becoming Parents: What You Really Need to Know. Offered by the renowned Jewish community center 92nd Street Y, this two-hour class will arm you with confidence in juggling the newborn stage. Sleep, behavior, temperament, and how to balance your new family dynamics and schedule are some topics that will be covered, as well as where to go for help should you need it. Each ticket covers two people, so you can bring your partner or a friend.
Infant Sleep Live Seminar will put your mind at ease regarding your newborn’s sleep. Birth Day Presence is a childbirth education center and doula service that has provided services to over 6,000 families since its founding in 2002. Their Pediatric Sleep Consultant instructor will arm you with everything you need to know about sleep in the newborn stage. You will learn about preparing the best environment for your baby’s sleep, normal sleeping patterns for newborns, and how to maximize everyone’s sleep in the house during those first few months.
Private Group Parenting Classes
Would your mom group or father support circle like to schedule a private group parenting class? You and your friends may love to set up a private baby-and-me yoga class that fits everyone’s calendar. Or maybe you’d like to set up a conscious parenting workshop for the whole family. Either way, CourseHorse can connect you with parenting classes for private groups. Depending on your location and the instructor’s availability, they may even be able to set up an in-person class at the location of your choice.
If you don’t see the class you’re looking for on CourseHorse’s website, you can use their contact form to inquire about available options. Or, if you prefer, you can schedule a phone call to speak to a CourseHorse team member, and they can get to work on coordinating your parenting class.
You don’t have to wait until you have an exact headcount to book your class: with CourseHorse, you can change the number of participants until a week before the course begins. And while CourseHorse recommends Zoom for your event, they can also accommodate other teleconferencing software such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Webex.
While you’ll never pay a booking fee with CourseHorse, for one payment of $150, you can customize your private parenting class with specific games, questions, exercises, or other curriculum features your group may desire. CourseHorse will send you confirmation within 24 hours of booking your class.
What Will I Need to Learn Parenting?
Ultimately all you need to learn parenting skills is your brain’s insight and your body’s intuition. However, you’re likely to want note-taking materials in any class situation, and many may require certain books, textbooks, or even music or video files as part of the curriculum. Some classes will provide these, though others may point you to a vendor to purchase your own.
Birthing classes will likely require some unique equipment, depending on the class’s particular method. Birth balls and rebozos are some items you may see on supply lists. In-person classes are likely to provide these for you, though if you attend virtually or plan to labor from home at all, you will likely need to buy these for yourself.
Is it Difficult to Learn Parenting?
Parenting involves an enormous variety of skills, and while some are quick and easy to learn, mastering others will require years of on-the-job experience. Fortunately, millions of years of successful human parenting prove you can and will learn all the skills you need to raise your child. And the dedication you show in searching for the best parenting classes promises a rewarding lifelong journey from writing your birthing plan to navigating your relationship with your adult child.
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