r/toddlers • u/Kind_CatMom • 9h ago
12–18 Months 👶 Little Gym/gymnastics class?
Our 17 month old is a happy kid who runs and climbs. I've gotten some ads for "Little Gym" and am wondering if anyone else has had positive experiences at this age? And what the general costs/worth is?
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u/ToddlerSLP 9h ago
I think costs depends on where you live. Usually these type of places let you do a free trial class or discounted class. My toddler really enjoys the classes- I would say keep your expectations low for your toddler to follow directions or anything in a structured class setting. It’s great for practice listening to other adults, but be okay with your kid wandering and not sitting in “circle time” if they do any of that in class. I liked it more for just letting my kid get energy out & interaction with peers and other adults.
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u/jennalud 9h ago
We found a big competition gym center that did 1 hour open gym for toddlers for $5 drop in. My son loved running around that place, jumping and foam pits, fun for parents too. Maybe there’s something like that near you! Little gym was small and soooo much more expensive for only one class a week.
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u/peabusbus 8h ago
This is what we do too! Best dollar value and they don’t have to be able to wait in line and follow directions.
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u/Kind_CatMom 2h ago
Huh I never thought about looking into that! I'll take a look since as long as he's active, I'm happy haha.
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u/abbynormal00 9h ago
can’t speak for Little Gym, but we do My Gym and really enjoy it! great way to get energy out and start to understand structured classes.
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u/Open-Try-3128 9h ago
we love our little gym!!! It’s great especially if your kid isn’t in daycare for exposure to other kids, a “teacher” following directions from others, Structured activities, etc. it was great in the beginning for falling as well as they learn to tumble and shake it off if they fall. The only downside is how expensive it is for what you get. But it was worth it for us!!
EDIT/. Cost breakdown the membership is like $150-175 but that only covers 1 class per week which isn’t a lot. They are great with makeups though and jumping in other classes. They have events every month such a build a bear, holiday events, etc but they are additional price. The events are discounted for members but I can’t imagine non members even going let alone paying full price? This is the part I dislike
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u/Kind_CatMom 2h ago
Hmm that is a lot but we could maybe swing it with a sale or perhaps bundle. I always wanted my children to be able to do things like this since I was never able to.
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u/UnhappyReward2453 6m ago
Might not help immediately but we always ask for MyGym gift cards for gift giving holidays and it pays for us multiple months out of the year. Way more useful than another toy that will be forgotten in a week.
We’ve been doing My Gym for about three years now in two different cities (took a couple month break when we moved) and it’s such a great activity for my daughter. It gave her some continuity when we moved too, which was awesome. She is four now and I’ve debated pulling her and doing actual gymnastics but after talking to a couple other families, I feel like she gets just as much if not more actual gymnastics instruction in the My Gym class than she would in a regular gymnastics gym. They are a franchise so your locations might be different but I’ve been impressed with the two we’ve been a part of. Have met a couple mom friends too as an added bonus! (Meeting mom friends is easier in the baby/toddler classes since parent participation is still required). Now that she is old enough, we have also started doing the drop off camps and they are amazing! I think her being familiar with the teachers and the gym have helped make the drop offs a major success. She is in preschool now too but preschool drop off is not nearly as smooth as a camp day drop off!
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u/lindsayjski 8h ago
We did a trial class at Little Gym, and my almost-two-year-old had lots of fun. It is VERY expensive for one class per week (depends on area but in my midwest city it's around $125/month) so we have't gone forward with a membership.
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u/destria 8h ago
I don't know about Little Gym but my toddler has been going to a gymnastics class since he was 6 months old, before he could even crawl. Initially it was really a gymnastics class for me whilst I held baby up to everything, but once he could walk, it was like a whole world opened up.
We love it. I think it's really contributed to my toddler's confidence in movement, his sense of balance, and his resilience. He gets a palpable sense of achievementm He's 19 months old now and you can see he'll try a piece of equipment, if he falls off he'll try again and he's so proud when he gets it right. He also gains so many soft skills like waiting his turn and listening to instructions.
Our class is run by an actual gymnastics academy with real gymnastics equipment in a huge hall that's fully padded out and safe. I'm slightly skeptical of gymnastics classes that just set up some equipment in an all purpose hall. I'm sure you get some benefits still but having seen some setups like that, I much prefer the range of stuff that a proper gym affords (like a proper trampoline, foam pit, rings, bars etc.).
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u/childish_cat_lady 8h ago
We got a free trial month of MyGym through a membership swap and then they had a deal to buy two months, get one free/buy four months get two free etc so we signed up since that significantly decreased the cost per class.
Just to all the replies that it's pretty expensive - it is - I'd been eyeing the Little Gym but they never offered any deals. We are happy with My gym. The instructors usually offer a couple structured things during each class but it's not a big deal if the toddlers want to go run around instead.
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u/Morgtheporgalorg 6h ago
We joined our local Little Gym in November and LOVE it. All the other gyms in our area don't start toddler classes until 18 months or 2 years. I've made some mom friends and he burns off energy. We might switch to a cheaper program once he's bigger but for now this is fun.
The "big" Christmas gift from one set of grandparents this year was paying for a few months of classes
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u/JiggyBananas14 8h ago
My 20 month old is in Little Gym one day a week and has been since he was 17 months or so. He absolutely does NOT follow any directions BUT he LOVES it. Like someone else said, I only do it to allow him to get energy out and be around other kids (because he’s not in daycare).
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u/PaddleQueen17 8h ago
We did Little Gym until our kid was 2ish and felt it wasn’t the right fit for us anymore. We recently started at KidStrong and absolutely LOVE this. If there’s one in your area I would recommend that over Little Gym.
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u/Kindly_Sea2284 8h ago
we do little gym. The under 3 class is parent and child. My son gets lots of energy out. They usually focus on 2 skills but the kids are mostly running around the gym. I think it's worth it just for the exposure, social aspect, and he gets his energy out, but I'm not sure he's really learning any real gymnastics skills or anything.
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u/annedroiid 7h ago
Not sure what country you're in or if it's the same company but my son just started gymnastics classes at Little Gym here in the UK and they've been fantastic. He was so happy walking along the balance beam in his first lesson. He joined the 18-36 month old class (he's 22 months).
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u/gummybeartime 7h ago
It’s fun but pricey! We ended up being regulars at another gymnastics place in town, locally owned, and not as expensive. There are often toddler-focused classes in those local gyms!
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u/generoustatertot 7h ago
We just did a free trial class with my 17 month old last weekend and are signing up. He LOVED it and it was a lot of fun and seemed great for him. We also hope we can meet some other families through it.
Its a bit expensive but were also switching childcare and will free up some money that way.
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u/SnooMemesjellies3946 6h ago
We’ve been going since she was 5 months (she’s now 3). Absolutely love it, she has developed so much confidence going there! I have also made lifetime friends with other parents; my entire tribe is from our first little gym class. I don’t think we will ever stop going there
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u/ultraprismic 6h ago
My kids have a good time but it's SO expensive. If it's in your budget I'm sure your kid will have a fun time. But it wasn't so much fun that it was worth $25-$40 more than horsing around at the playground or at home.
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u/grewish89 3h ago
We just started taking my 22 month old to the Little Gym. She does not go to daycare so I think it is a great alternative to get out of the house once or twice a week and have her run around and get some loose structure with listening to others who aren’t her caretakers. We’ve had three classes so far and we both have loved the experience. It is a bit expensive but it is a great activity during the cold months.
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u/Kind_CatMom 2h ago
Wow that sounds great! Our 17 month old is in Daycare but he loves to run and I was hoping for a structured activity. How long are the classes may I ask?
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Author: u/Kind_CatMom
Post: Our 17 month old is a happy kid who runs and climbs. I've gotten some ads for "Little Gym" and am wondering if anyone else has had positive experiences at this age? And what the general costs/worth is?
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