“We are all mums, we all came to classes and we all absolutely loved it” – meet the mum and baby dance classes in Salford

‘Dance Like a Mother’ in Salford offers dance classes for new parents and their babies with the assistance of baby-wearing.

Established in 2016, Dance Like a Mother is considered a great way for parents to bond with their babies while taking part in a dance class.

In 1986, research found that young babies who were carried seemed to cry and fuss less than babies who weren’t which has a positive impact on both parent and child.

Dance Like a Mother instructor, Charlie Dickinson, said: “I started baby-wearing because my little girl was born nine weeks early and I was separated from her for six weeks because she was in hospital and I wasn’t allowed to hold her because she was hooked up to the monitors.

“For me the biggest thing was bonding with her and baby-wearing meant that we could be together and it really helped to create that bond, so I went along to Dance Like a Mother and it was amazing.

“I then joined as an instructor and it just kept growing and growing and it has just been amazing. We are all mums, we all came to classes and we all absolutely loved it and wanted to be part of it and now this is life.”

As well as reducing infant crying, baby-wearing has a whole host of other benefits.

Laura Johnson has been attending Dance Like a Mother at Monton Unitarian Church in Eccles for three weeks with her new born baby and admits it has been a good opportunity to meet new mums.

She said: “It is a good opportunity to have a bit of exercise but also meet other new mums and just have a little chat and get some new mum tips.

“Before your baby is born you don’t really get to meet many mums and you feel a bit isolated when they are first born, so it is good to get out and meet people with similar age babies and even some with older babies so we can get some tips for the months ahead.”

No dance experience is needed to join the sessions, as Charlie explains: “It doesn’t matter if you can’t dance, it doesn’t matter if you’re feeling nervous, it doesn’t matter if you’ve never baby worn before we are there to support you with all of that.

“The only thing about it is learning how to do it but it is like anything, once you learn how to do it you just do it with your eyes closed.”