Make the connection is a parenting class run by Toronto Public Health (TPH). It is the follow-up class to living and learning with baby for babies under 6 months. Find more info here on the tph website.
I was not able to attend many of the classes, this is mostly because of the logistical issues with the class sign up, more on that later.
The class itself was great. It is run by nurses from TPH. They include a song circle which is nice for the babies and well as discussion of parenting topics. There is a strong focus on attachment theory. It is very similar to another class called Baby Love that I took at the south riverdale drop in center. They also provided some books and resources to take home. I found the nurses very helpful in answering questions. There was a lot of opportunities to discuss our personal questions and concerns. The one issue I would have with the class itself is the room was not childproof. My son was one of the older babies and he has been crawling since 7 months so it was somewhat exhausting trying to keep him away from wires and audiovisual equipment that was in the room.
My Class Registration Mess
You have to call to get registered and they don’t call you back to ask if you are interested in a particular class when they have a spot they just go ahead and register you.Participants are suppose to receive a letter informing them of when they have a spot but unfortunately I never got one so I didn’t know about the class until after I missed the first two and they called me!
I don’t drive and I was signed up for a class far from my house. I had very bad luck on the way to the first class with TTC so it took almost an hour to get there. I can’t say I would have signed up if I knew the time and location. I hope they get online sign up soon like they do for living and learning with baby. With the current registration system I would be a bit cautious signing up unless you can drive. I felt badly that I couldn’t attend as many classes but I wasn’t the only one. There were 20 people registered for the class and never more than 4 showed up.