Babytime is social time at library

Bubbles. Most adults have forgotten what it's like to see a bubble for the first time.

Most people have forgotten that awe and wonder, what it's like to watch it float through the air, waiting to see where it goes next or, perhaps, try to pop it.

But for babies, everything is new - every sound, everything they see and touch.

That's just one of the activities babies and toddlers get to do during Babytime at the Yuma Main Library.

At Babytime, it's all about helping the children develop, interact and experience new things. With the help of instructor Taryn Fimiani, children and parents sing and dance and play their way through the about 30-minute session and learn new skills while practicing old ones.

The classes gives the parents a chance to interact, too.

The Yuma County Library District offers the class to residents through two different sessions on Thursdays, the first at 9:15 a.m. and the second at 10:30 a.m.

Kristen Nichols is one Yuma County mom who's attended the class since September, right after it started. Nichols takes her 16-month-old son, Samuel, and said it's important to sing the songs and do the motions along with them.

"I like the interaction and the singing," she said. "I think that's the part (Samuel) likes the most."

Nichols said Babytime is entertaining and something new, and it's a good opportunity for social growth and to see how other babies in the class are growing.

That's exactly what other parents need, said Alison Keough, director of Dr. Kathryn A. Watson Child Development Learning Lab for Arizona Western College.

"It's also a valuable resource for parents, to make a connection with other parents and children," Keough said.

And the repetition of the songs and dance is important. At Babytime, they'll even learn a little Spanish.

Fimiani told a class Thursday that with each action (or song or dance), it's like a dirt road, then a paved road, then a highway - and it gets easier and easier for the child and he or she is able to complete the task faster and faster.

Keough said routines make the child feel secure.

"They like routine. It's the key thing you can do for a child: provide a rock-steady routine that they can get used to."

A parent's voice - while singing with the children or rhyming with them - is the beginning way for children to focus on the language, said Judy Watkinson, professor of early childhood education at AWC.

"These aren't just routines, they are an opportunity to bond with children."

But that doesn't have to just be during Babytime. Watkinson said those bonding moments should come during diaper changing or talking a walk in the stroller. Both Keough and Watkinson said talking to a baby or toddler while on a walk will help them understand and explore the world around them.

Watkinson said some people discourage interaction with other children, but when a baby is a couple of months old, socialization is a good thing.

"Babies are meant to be social," she said.

At Babytime, the children get a chance to interact with each other. Whether it's walking over to check out another baby during a song, gathering together under the parachute or playing together when the class is over, the children are being social.

Yuma mom Sarah Lanning said her 2-year-old daughter, Grace, is interacting with the other children. "She loves it. She already has a couple of friends that she points out by name."

Fimiani gives individualized attention to each child. An example of this is when she distributes books for story time: She acknowledges each child by name, greets them and interacts with them - making it a truly personal experience.

Lanning said she likes that. "I think that makes them feel special and part of the group."

**Check out more Babytime smiles at http://www.yumasun.com/sections/slideshow/?id=1366914