WAG Baby in the gym?

[BarCoach]

I'm pregnant with my second baby and we've begun discussing where the baby will be while I'm at work. With my first I was between gyms and so I waited until he was 4 months old before I started teaching again, so I left him with a babysitter. This time I will only be out for 6 weeks and would rather not leave the baby with a babysitter at that age (I'll probably be working 16 hours plus 8 hours of driving for the week). I'm wondering if any coaches have ever brought a young baby with them to the gym? Or what parents' would think if this was done? I'm due in June so I will need to be spotting drills and new skills. I co-coach a team of 10 girls so it won't be too much of an issue if I need to run off for a minute to care for the baby. Haven't asked my boss yet either...

 

[cbifoja]

As a parent, it would bother me because new moms are focused more on their child than the gymnasts. And that is how it SHOULD be! But as a gym mom, it would concern me to have your attention so divided. To my way of thinking, there are two coaches because two coaches are needed. I hate that our country isn't more supportive of paid, extended maternity leave and new mothers have to make these kinds of decisions.

But good luck with the rest of the pregnancy and birth. Enjoy that new baby!

 

[OHGymMom]

At dd's old gym the head coach brought her newborn to the gym with her all the time. Honestly, it was a contributing reason for leaving there for our current gym. It did seem as if the coach, her assistant and the gymnasts were paying more attention to the baby then to training. At our current gym a coaches' daughter recently had a baby and she frequently is at the gym with her newborn. The baby gets passed around from gymnast to gymnast to moms or just about anyone else. It makes me cringe the germs and illnesses this newborn is being exposed to. I know what my dd picks up in the gym and she has a strong immune system, much strong than an infant. I'm sure you want to keep your new little one close but I'm not sure a gym is the best place for a newborn.

 

[coachmolly]

I think it's okay from time to time, but probably not as a regular arrangement. And it would depend on where the baby is while you are coaching. Is there a parent or non-coaching staff member who you trust to keep an eye on him/her? If that's the case and you would just be running to check in between rotations, I think it would at least be a little better and probably more acceptable to the parents if that's what you need to do (as opposed to having the baby on the floor with you).
Could you bring it up at a parents meeting and see how they feel or if they have any suggestions on how to deal with the situation?
Make sure you're taking care of yourself through all of this and taking time to enjoy the pregnancy and your little one when he/she arrives!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

it can be done. we did it. and to the parents, we don't make enough money for daycare, which becomes nightcare, which becomes difficult to find people to do it cause we work at night.

furthermore, our own personal children are just as important to us as your children are to you. if it's done right it's seamless. parents should embrace the very concept that most of them enjoy. go forward young parent!

 

[gymgal]

I wouldn't have a problem with it as long as the priority is with the gymnasts when you are on the floor. And don't worry about germs OHgym mentioned. If she were in a day care, she would be exposed to far more germs.

 

[Muddlethru]

This happens regularly at my daughter's gym. And practices during those times are always useless and unsafe. Everyone wants to play with the baby. The coach is carrying the baby while coaching. The older gymnasts are pulled from practice to hold the baby. Toddlers are running around the gym unsupervised. There may be a way to do it safely and not distract the gymnasts. If you can find someone to watch the baby so you can give the gymnasts the attention they deserve, then there should not be a problem.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

i said it can be done and it can be done right. many of us club owners have done it and our gymnasts still went to nationals and Visa's during this time. that some of you are in programs that don't know what they're doing, i can see where they wouldn't know what they were doing once they had their own kids in the gym. but this is just not so for the majority of us that did this. that's all.

 

[gymdog]

I think it's fine to bring the baby to the gym, holding the baby while actively coaching wouldn't really be safe/good. Most gyms nowadays have office staff and such in the office, I'm sure there could be a spot to leave an infant seat where the baby can nap. Of course if you have a really high needs infant it may not work if they must be held all the time. This is basically all what I tell people who inquire about bringing the baby for parent/tot class. Sure if they can stay strapped in the seat/stroller out of the way. If they must be held all the time or they scream, it's going to be stressful and not safe.

 

[BlairBob]

My old boss was pretty much back in to the gym after popping out her twins a few years ago. She only came back PT for awhile but quite often other gym moms or office ladies would watch them while they were in their portable seat things in the office or spare room.

I think she also used one of those sling thingies but since they were twins, only 1 at a time.

Should be an easy enough to find someone in the gym like older siblings or parents that will help out. Many volunteer. I did when I was a young teen for my little brothers (though they were super simple and mellow).

Girls however...

 

[Deleted member D3987]

bwhahahahaha ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^lol. you said it, not me. lol.

 

[Aussie_coach]

We would not allow it. Gymnastics is a sport that can include risk. If a coach does not have their full attention on their gymnasts an accident can happen. Once the baby starts to be mobile it presents a new hazard too!

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

My initial thought was if I was a parent/co coach that would really annoy me. Then I thought about staffing and how the current group has a 1:5 ratio and if you were not there that would become a 1:10. You could having the sitter caring for the child in the gym/office and pop over when needed, the gymnasts still get a far superior coach to gymnast ratio. I think you (and the owner) need to be upfront with the parents though, explain the situation.

Edited to add : Don't do this Baby Spotting Vault! Bay City Gymnastics' Coach Colton 2 Yrs Old - YouTube

 

[bogwoppit]

Asking parents if it is okay in a gym meeting will not work. They will feel pressured to say it is fine, even when they are not happy with it. Sadly childcare is expensive, and many of us struggled with jobs where we could not take our kids. My advice is to discuss this with your boss, if he okays it then discuss it with the coaching staff. As parent I would prefer you were not distracted by your small child whilst spotting my larger child.

 

[cbifoja]

And if I can offer an additional viewpoint....

I work in the office at our gym. I have specific duties that I enjoy which was a big part of me taking the job. I have read a couple of posts who talk about having the "office staff" keep an eye out for the baby.

What if the office staff doesn't want to babysit? I mean, I love kids, but I don't want to babysit. I have a kid and I teach kids so it is kind of nice to have some non-kid work duties. Plus, my duties in the office keep me pretty busy. I'm always running to different areas of the building to complete my work. I would NOT want to also be lugging around someone's baby. I remember how HEAVY those carriers are!!!

It would be different if the parent was hiring someone, a parent or a willing office staff member, but if I was expected to also babysit on top of my office duties, I can't honestly say I would agree to do so. Please don't think I'm anti-child because I'm not. I just don't want my third job to also be watching out for kids.

 

[GymSurvivor]

Just want to through in there, a lot of gymnasts got there start because their parents had to bring them to the gym. i.e. Nastia Liukin.

But I agree with Dunno, it can be done, if it is done in a manner that won't disrupt the whole gym.

 

[mommyof1]

You could having the sitter caring for the child in the gym/office and pop over when needed, the gymnasts still get a far superior coach to gymnast ratio. I think you (and the owner) need to be upfront with the parents though, explain the situation.

This is a great idea. As a parent, I would not be comfortable with my child's coach having a baby on the gym floor, and would probably look for another gym. I tried to do some work from home during my maternity leave, and it was pretty much impossible even to read or work on the computer. Some babies demand to be held constantly, even when they are sleeping, and I can't imagine trying to coach with a baby in a carrier or even sitting in a swing a few feet away. If you hire a babysitter to watch your baby in the office or a back room, you can pop in every once in a while to feed the baby or check on things, then return to 100% (okay, 95%) focus on your gymnasts. You might also be able to hire a less expensive babysitter (such as a teen who has Red Cross certification and some experience with babies) than you would need if you were going to have to trust the sitter alone with the baby.

 

[kayjaybe]

I'm curious as to how you make it work, dunno. On first read, I would be against it, but if someone could explain a way that it would work, I would consider it.

From what I've witnessed and experienced, it is very difficult to do both an excellent job at parenting while doing an excellent job at watching a baby at the same time. What generally happens when you try to do both, especially on a regular basis, is both baby and job get short-changed...while the mom gets stressed out and feels guilty because she can't give her all to either thing.

 

[gymgal]

Edited to add : Don't do this Baby Spotting Vault! Bay City Gymnastics' Coach Colton 2 Yrs Old - YouTube

Ok, that's scary! I don't care how much he was "trained" to stay out of the way - toddlers are unpredictable. It's the nature of their brains. And did I see him actually touch the leg of one of the vaulters?

 

[wallflower]

The coaches at DD's gym do it and it is not a problem at all. They have a playpen set up and the baby mostly just plays in there. I have never heard her cry and it hasn't been an issue the 8 months we've been there. I am happy for the parents that they are able to have their child with them. It is an unusal issue for gymnastics coaches that they work mostly at night and lots of weekends.

If your boss isn't okay with the idea perhaps you could ask a parent who is always at the gym? I know until recently I had to drive my DD every day and sit because of the commute. I would have been happy to watch a coaches baby while sitting there.