Last year RA took part in a whole year of ‘Babywatching’ and below are some comments about our experiences to date. RB will be starting their ‘Babywatching’ sessions too. If you are a mother or father with a baby and would like to get involved please contact Katie Bailey.
From Debbie, Our Babywatching Mummy
I’ve very much enjoyed being part of the baby-watching experience and look forward to it every week. My daughter, Ellie, delights in the undivided attention from her mother and thirty adoring children. I have relished being part of the class and seeing how the children relate to Ellie and me. Of particular interest has been the development and progression over time. This has been in both directions. I’ve loved seeing the children mature, become more expressive and empathic, and attentive observers. They have also seen Ellie’s development and take an active interest in her latest milestones. Many parents have told me how much their children enjoy and benefit from baby watching. Overall, it has been a tremendously positive experience.
From Katie, Our Babywatching Teacher
RA get very excited each Thursday when it is time for our Babywatching session. They love seeing that Debbie and Ellie are visiting us on our visual timetable. They often talk about Baby Ellie throughout the week and look at the photographs that we have in our Babywatching diary in the classroom. All of the children I feel have benefited from watching the development of Ellie and are getting much better at using empathetic language during the sessions but also in everyday situations. I often find them in the home corner playing with the babies and with each other they show signs of being very empathetic and able to resolve conflicts between each other, without adult intervention, by talking about how the situations are making them feel. I think it is great for my class of 4 and 5 year olds to have roughly twenty minutes each week of ‘quiet time’ to just sit and watch, take what they are seeing in, and be able to talk openly about it. Each child has their voice heard and most children will take part each week and have something to comment on.
From RA, The Babywatching Class
“I love watching Ellie growing.”
“I like giving Ellie new toys and seeing what she does with them”
“I have been watching how Ellie is getting long hair.”
“It is exciting that she can crawl now a bit.”
“She is always happy because I always see her with a smile on her face.”
“I like to see Ellie laying down on the mat.”
“We like asking Debbie questions at the end of Babywatching to find out more about Ellie!”
“She gets so happy looking around at all of our faces.”
“I feel very proud that Ellie can crawl and shake the maraca!”
We have noticed…
Ellie’s hair has kept growing longer.
Debbie and Ellie play with the ball together.
Ellie wants milk from her Mummy when she is hungry.
When she Ellie is sitting on Mummy’s lap and she drops a toy Mummy will help her get it back.
Ellie always goes back to Mummy when she crawls off.
Ellie smiles on her Mummy’s lap
Ellie always shakes the rattle for Mummy to see.
Ellie and Mummy are always smiling.
She sometimes crawls away from Mummy and gets upset when she is too far away.
When Ellie wants a toy that is far away Mummy gets it for her.
We feel watching them together…
It is interesting to watch them.
In love.
Loved because they cuddle.
Jealous because I don’t have my Mummy in Babywatching and Ellie does.
Happy because they are cute together.
Content because Ellie has her Mummy.
Surprised because she does different things
Happy and Sad because I would like my Mummy there and when I see Debbie and Ellie I like it but it makes me want my Mummy.
I would worry if I was Ellie in case the children would take my toys.
Sometimes I want to play with my toys like Ellie and it makes me feel jealous.
Watching Debbie and Ellie brings to Mind…
I would be afraid in front of so many people.
When I was a baby I would be nervous of so many faces that I haven’t seen before.
I would feel suspicious if I was a baby because all the faces are different to mine.
When I was baby and just born it was quite scary because I had never seen my Mummy before.
I didn’t used to cry a lot just like Ellie when I was a baby.
When I was a baby I think I would be frustrated because I couldn’t do very many things.
When I was a baby I liked Dummies to comfort me but Ellie doesn’t need that.
When I was a baby I didn’t like my Dummy like Ellie just like my big brother too.
