Isis Parenting

Hubby & I took their Prepared Childbirth class here over the weekend. While it was a bit pricey, I feel like it was very personal. There were 6 couples in the class & our teacher Sandy was quick to address any & all questions. She never once made anyone feel like their question was silly & often, the questions were right in line with her lesson plan.
I feel I have a better understanding of what to expect when the time comes & thoroughly enjoyed the class. I would suggest that rather than taking the full day class to take 2 separate classes as hubby & I both were fried by the end of the day.

Isis Maternity offers a whole array of classes for toddlers. I’m a part-​time nanny of a toddler and this place is a godsend. It can be pretty hard to entertain a toddler all by yourself for ten hours a day. I mean, really, there aren’t many places in the city where you can just let a toddler crawl around and get into stuff. Isis has all-​padded classrooms full of fun equipment and classes like «toddler gym» and «sprouts» and «Sign and Sing.» We’ve taken the first two classes – Sprouts is our favorite so far. It is for 12 – 18 month old toddlers and involves activities like playing with a water tray, crawling under and over a parachute, and singing. Isis maternity, besides classes, also has an array of products, toys and maternity clothes. They are located right by the Brookline Village T Stop – really convenient.
update: I still think this place is cool but it is awfully expensive. We ended up finding a free playgroup in Brighton offered by ABFN family network that is much cooler (more toys, more activities, longer playtime etc.) Also, to be honest I felt like the clientelle here is a little snooty. But, it’s definitely worth checking out as an option.

Yes, I have really liked the yoga classes. No, I don’t like hauling my fat pregnant butt all the way out to Brookline, land of suburban assault vehicles. I mean, come on! Needham, Brookline, and Arlington? Isis’ literature talks about «serving the community,» but I at least definitely do not belong to that community of rich women with big fat cars. Three stars because to be honest, it really is useful. But…

Beware: Isis Maternity may appear to be an all-​in-​one shop, offering both classes and products for expectant parents, but it is not in your best interest to invest too much in Isis.
The problem with Isis is that it tries to serve two rather incompatible functions:
(1) one is be a community center, with pre-​natal and post-​natal educational classes
and
(2) the other is to thrive as a capitalist enterprise, selling not only information but also prenatal and postnatal products, like maternity clothing and breast pumps.
Isis fuses these two functions, often treating people as customers they can make a quick buck off of, rather than as members of a community. Here’s some specific examples of how Isis might try to nickel-​and-​dime you:
1. If you buy a pass for a set of 10 yoga classes, the pass will expire in just 6 months and you will not be allowed to transfer unused classes to a friend.
2. ditto for a massage pass.
3. If you are sick for a class, you MUST present a doctors note, even if you come in and show them that you are sick! They actually would prefer that you goto class sick, than let you select a later date for the class. Why? Well, as the staff person informed me, in focusing on making a quick buck, they want you to pay a penalty for having reserved space in a class. Not exactly neighbor-​friendly to encourage sick customers to sit though a 3 hour class in a room full of pregnant peers.
4. if you ask about products they don’t carry, they offer no information to help you make the best choice for yourself/​family. However, luckily, many of the other customers can help you – and will often suggest you try other stores for maternity clothing and baby products.
bottom-​line: goto Isis like you would 7−11 — only for a quick fix if nothing else is around.

Even though you don’t have much of a choice in where to take your birthing class if you’re delivering at Brigham and Women’s, Isis is a superb default when it comes to classes and other resources. The staff are highly professional and make you feel as though you are an important person with valid questions, and this is good when you worry that you might be the 800^th person that day to ask about hospital grade breast pumps and the staff make you feel as though it doesn’t matter if you’re really the 801^st to ask that question today. Also — definitely check here for great baby shower items for your friends — they may even be registered here.

Amazing resource! Affiliated with local hospitals, Isis seems like a one stop shopping mecca for parents-​to-​be. My husband and I took a class here and loved it. The teacher was well informed, cited recent research as justification for advice and was very friendly. We enjoyed this class so much that we signed up for more!

Great place. I went to Isis for baby birth classes. It was really helpful for me and my hubby. they are really knowledgeable and easy to talk with about everything from birth to breast feeding. You feel comfortable asking staff about merchandise in a way that you can’t at Babies R us. It is a great group of people Psyched about babies!