Baby Courses FAQ

Classes are held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Fjölskylduland (Dugguvogur 4, 104 Reykjavík). For exact dates, check Courses & Classes.

The Newborn Massage Course and the BINBY Baby Massage & Yoga Course both last 5 weeks, with five 75-to-90-minute-long sessions. Both courses cost 19.500 (full price) / 17.500 ISK (with Fjölskylduland membership card) to be paid in full after registration so as to secure your spot. You can also use 1 Hands-On Health gift card/voucher per course to further lessen the course fee.

The course fee includes all 5 classes, a small bottle of baby massage oil, a parent handout booklet and a certificate upon completion. Please note that registration in itself does not secure your spot – only registration complete with payment does.

Your baby. 🌞

All things you usually take with you when you are leaving home with baby for longer.

Two towels – one to lie your baby on and one to position or cover your baby with. 

Your baby massage oil which you will be given to you in your first class. 

Make sure to have your little one wear something that is easy for you to take off of them in the class.

Comfortable clothing that allows for movement and for you to sit on the yoga mat.

You will hear me say this often during the course: in my classes babies are welcome with all their needs and emotions. And this includes crying, too: crying is a healthy and crucial part of being a baby. So, please do not worry about your baby crying during one (or some, or most) of the classes.  All the parents in the course have experienced or will soon experience having a crying baby in a baby class.  Relax. 🙂 We are all in the same boat, here to support each other, not to raise eyebrows or judge because your little one is trying to communicate that they need your help in making some adjustments for them. 🌞

NO! Please do not wake your baby to attend or to participate in class.  If you are late because your baby slept longer than you expected, all is good.  New parents are sometimes late and often just getting yourself and your little one to a class at all is an achievement. 🙂

If your baby nods off on the journey to the class, just leave them sleeping (bring them in).  I have 2 spare dolls so you can practice your skills with a doll or you can just cuddle your sleeping baby and join in the other, non-practical aspects of the class.  Your parent handbook will guide you when you are practicing back at home.

And of course, each class has a stroke review section so that we can revise, repeat, or practice together whatever it is that needs to be revisited. So, even if your little one is asleep for a class or two, you will still be able to fully profit from the course. 🌞

Cancellations do affect my tiny business, and I do often have waiting lists, too. So if I know in advance that you no longer wish to attend, I have a chance of filling your place.  Alas, I cannot fill a place after a course has started.  Therefore, I ask for payment in full prior to start date and I am unable to offer any refunds once payment has been made. What I can do, however, is to reschedule your booking to a later date, based on availability(!).

If you miss a class due to unforeseeable reasons, I will try very hard to accommodate you in a subsequent session to ‘catch up’ either in person or online.  Catch up sessions are subject to availability whether in other classes or 1-on-1, in person or online.

All that said, I really do try my best to ensure that everyone gets the five classes they paid for. 🙏

Indeed, as long as we are allowed to gather over 50 pax, I am intent on running the in-person classes. In order to run my business in accordance with social distancing and enhanced hygiene measures, though, please consider that the following measures will be in place:

MASKS – please wear a face mask upon arrival at the venue. It is more likely that you come within 2 meter of other people as you arrive at the venue and it is important for everyone’s safety that the face mask is worn during this time. You will also be required to wear your mask whenever you are moving around the hall, including visiting the bathroom. Once seated for the class, face masks can be removed. Of course, if you feel more comfortable wearing your face covering throughout the classes, you are absolutely welcome to do so.

HAND SANITIZING – please either wash your hands thoroughly in the venue bathrooms immediately prior to attending my class, or use hand sanitizer that I will supply. Please ensure your baby is placed safely whilst you use the hand sanitizer to minimize the risk of spills.

SOCIAL DISTANCING – I shall place floor markers indicating 2 meter gaps between every family.

MATS & CUSHIONS – it is recommended that you bring your own yoga mat, towel and cushion with you to baby massage classes. I will have mats that can be borrowed if you forget and these shall be cleaned thoroughly after use.

NO FACE-TO-FACE ACTIVITIES  All adults must face the same direction in the class; there is to be no face-to-face activity (with the exception of myself facing the class). Before coronavirus, we’d all sit in a lovely circle but these days you will have to be in rows, which is not ideal for our chats but hopefully we will still manage. 🙂

(Photo borrowed for demonstrative purposes from @clairehoustonbabymassage)

CLEANING – I am very confident that the venues I will be working in have stringent hygiene procedures in place, including provisions for deep cleaning.

VENTILATION – I shall ventilate the room (by opening the windows/doors or using the ventilation system) prior to a class and then close them when we begin so that babies are not in a cold drought.

OILS & HANDOUTS – I shall provide these but if you prefer to bring your own oil then please do (I can advise you on what you need) and I also can email handouts if that makes you feel more at ease.

REFRESHMENTS – I am very sorry that I shall not be providing home baking during any of my classes for the time being. Please bring your own water to classes. You are welcome to bring your own snack to eat during the break/discussion section of baby massage classes.

SINGING – current guidelines advise that singing in groups is limited as much as possible and therefore we shall not sing during our classes, but I will suggest songs for particular strokes and poses that you can use at home.  We will still be able to say nursery rhymes as poems and there will be plenty of silly noises to delight the babies with. ☀

ILLNESS – it is imperative that anyone experiencing any symptoms, or anyone who’s family members experience symptoms, that might indicate COVID-19, or indeed any other infectious disease, stay away from classes. This also applies to myself. Online classes may be appropriate.

CONTACT & TRACE – I request contact details upon booking, firstly so I can contact you to provide details about the classes and secondly, so I have contact information for Covid.is.  I may be requested to provide Covid.is with your contact details. I shall not use your contact details for any other reasons and I shall not pass your information on to any other organisation, except Covid.is. Venues may require you to sign in on arrival – I will not pass your contact details to the venue team.

Thai Yoga Massage FAQ

Thai Yoga Massage (Northern-style Nuad Thai) dates back to thousands of years, with strong influences from ancient India and China. Thai Yoga Massage mainly relies on acupressure and assisted stretches aimed at muscle and joint range manipulation to ease tension and enhance blood and lymph circulation. Given that this type of dynamic bodywork is rooted in the Eastern medicinal tradition, it takes a holistic approach and addresses the whole body rather than just the potentially ill-affected area (e.g., if you have back pain, your feet and legs will still get a good massage). 

Thai Yoga Massage is performed on a mat on the floor with the client being fully clothed. The recommended dress code is yoga/gym-comfortable: comfy, long sweatpants/yoga pants, long sleeve shirt, and a pair of warm, clean socks. 

Sessions last between 1.5  to 2.5hrs depending on therapist’s assessment of which areas need more extensive focus.

For the time being, the sessions are once again held in the massage room in my home.

A session costs 17.500 ISK regardless of length. You can pay either in cash or bank transfer upon arrival.

Let us know if you have further questions!