Sing, play & laugh with Gymbo the Clown

Product name: Gymboree and Gymbo the Clown (http://www.gymboreeclasses.com/)

What is it?Gymboree is a US-based franchise business that provides developmental play and music classes targeted at children from 0-5 years in 30 countries across the world. My son and I are currently following the Gymboree Play & Learn class for 0-6 month old babies close to where we live in West London

Why did it catch my attention?I love singing for my son and this looked like a pedagogical course that would be tailored to stimulating the development of his senses at each age

How old was my baby when I bought it?I first brought him along to a class when he was 5 weeks old, which was too early as he fell asleep half way through. We started attending regularly when he was 8-9 weeks, which is a much better age to start as the baby has energy enough to stay awake for longer periods

What value does it add for us?It is a nice thing to do together, the instructors are lovely and genuinely interested in children and I already think I can see how it has stimulated his interest in music as he sings along with the tunes in his own odd way. Gymbo the Clown (the official Gymboree mascot) is one of the most reliable toys when it comes to cheering up a grumpy little guy or making him laugh when needed, like during photo sessions as illustrated by the picture above

What does it replace?There are several different music classes in various price ranges available on the market – this is probably one of the priciest options. The substitute for Gymbo the Clown would be any toy or entertainment system designed for making babies laugh

How did my baby respond to it?The first time we went to a Gymboree class he fell asleep half way through, but since then he has started to enjoy it. The reason I bought Gymbo the Clown was that I noticed during one class how his whole face shone up when looking at his smiley face

How much does it cost?In the UK it is around £50 a month (4 classes)

Can I see any drawbacks?The price might put some parents off