A plethora of prenatal courses

In this week’s baby bargainista column, Jenny discusses choosing prenatal education to suit your needs.

As an expecting mom, one of the things on my shopping list is prenatal education. Of course, there are prenatal courses ranging from beginner to refresher available at any major hospital, including the one my OB is affiliated with; but in this consumer-driven economy one should always shop around! You never know when you might find a course, class or workshop that is better suited to your needs, location, or price range.

For one thing, there are many different types of childbirth choices available to us moms-to-be these days. Hospital birth is just one. There’s also home birth, water birth, and any number of natural birth pain-relief options from massage to hypno-birthing. A recent google search for “prenatal education toronto” turned up hundreds of options – many right around the corner from me, that I hadn’t known about!

One such option in my neighborhood is Red Tent Sisters. In addition to courses and classes on female sexuality and women’s self-defense, they offer prenatal education and prenatal yoga courses. Some of their classes are a little bit crunchy granola for me, but the point is, it’s good to know there are options out there – and I encourage you to explore them.

Update:
Good news for moms and dads! Shopping for safe baby bottles just got a little easier with the Canadian government’s ban on Bisphenol-A in baby bottles. There’s still the question of its use in other products, most notably the linings of infant formula cans -- but this is definitely a step towards easing the fears of concerned parents.