Has your social life been on hold since yo2qu had your little bundle of joy? New mommys and daddys need to party too, says Jumping Genius, the city's new all-night creche
Has your social life been on hold since yo2qu had your little bundle of joy? New mommys and daddys need to party too, says Jumping Genius, the city's new all-night creche
ADVERTISEMENT
Chandni Mehta is the fairy godmother for many young parents in the city trying to juggle a demanding career while cradling an equally demanding two-year-old.
A trained child psychologist, Mehta got together with a nursery teacher and a doctor to start Jumping Genius, a day care that caters to children between the age of six months and eight years in Bandra in 2009.
Chandni Mehta conductsu00a0boot camp, clay art and book reading
activities at the all-night creche to ensure that kids get comfortable
Today the creche has seven centres in Prabhadevi, Juhu, Sion, Tardeo and Mahim and an Andheri (W) branch that will begin in April. Mehta, who works with a staff of 80, also started an all-night creche service this month in response to frequent requests from parents.
"When you have a baby, your life revolves around the child. It can be quite frustrating and you have a tendency to take it out on yourself. The mother, especially, doesn't get any time for herself. Young parents living in a nuclear family wouldn't want to leave their child alone with a maid," explains Mehta.
Parents who want to attend a party or have a quiet dinner by themselves would worry about finding a baby sitter.
That's where the all-night day care steps in. Twenty-four-year-old Mehta admits she was concerned about the added responsibility at first but has devised a way of functioning that keeps parents and children at ease.
The creche requires a day's notice to arrange for night staff and pricing depends on the number of hours the child will spend in their care. Four hours will cost Rs 800 while eight hours cost Rs 2,000.
Children usually take time to get comfortable, explains Mehta, which is why there are a series of activities that involve the body and mind.
u00a0
Animal yoga with a jungle theme (try the giraffe aasan), baby boot camp with rope ladders, tunnels and jungle bars are part of the gym, while clay art, book reading and public speaking are also some of the activities to engage the "physical, creative, social and academic" development of the children.
"Children are involved in story-telling activities, puppet theatre, etc. till bedtime and we have at least two people an educator and a nanny to take care of them," says Mehta.
u00a0
The whole facility is under surveillance and parents are sent regular updates with pictures of their children every hour via email, Blackberry messenger and WhatsApp.
Call Jumping Genius on 9820751811