In her monthly Mummified column, Lynn News journalist Rebekah Chilvers discusses baby groups and fitness classes she would recommend to new parents….

Our first Christmas and new year with our now eight-month-old (fully crawling) Clara was really special.

Even though she won’t be able to remember her first visit to meet Father Christmas or the presents she received, those memories will stay with us.

She may not have had any idea of what was going on, but she lapped up Christmas – any semblance of routine went out the window as she barely slept a wink during the day itself.

And now we’re in the new year, it got me thinking about what resolutions new parents might have made for the 12 months ahead.

Perhaps you want to try to meet other mums and dads in 2026 or try exercising while bringing your baby with you?

If that sounds like something you are interested in, I’ve got some recommendations for groups and classes Clara and I have enjoyed in 2025.

Society has created pressure on women to ‘snap back’ to their pre-baby bodies, but I’ve tried my best not to give in to that.

Although my body has changed a little compared to how it looked before Clara, of course, I’d have it change a million times over to have our little girl here.

But what I have noticed more than anything is that I have lost some of the strength and fitness I did have before, and, because I want to always be able to carry Clara when I need to and keep up with her when she learns how to run, I want to gain some of that back.

I’ll just add a quick disclaimer here that it’s always recommended that you wait for your GP to give you the go-ahead to start high-impact exercise after your six-week postnatal check.

So, I’ve loved spending Tuesday mornings with Alicja Lim, who runs yoga classes that you can bring your baby to at Leziate Village Hall. You can find out more about her sessions – which also include pregnancy yoga – via her Facebook page.

I’ve also enjoyed Emma Clarke’s Baby & Me class at Valeo Athletic on the Hardwick in Lynn. Her Strong Mam Club is a brilliant way of getting back into the gym surrounded by other mums – and their babies who can play in a designated area away from the equipment.

Reformer Pilates has recently made its way to Lynn and North Wootton, and classes at Luco Wellness have helped to build my core strength and balance. I recognise that I’m lucky enough to have people on hand to look after Clara while I’m doing this, though.

If running is your thing, there’s always the free weekly parkrun in several locations in our area. I decided to go straight back to a 5K at parkrun, but following the free Couch to 5K programme is always an option too. It was while running that I realised that – unsurprisingly – my baseline of fitness was not at the point it was before I first started jogging almost 10 years ago, but it was at a whole new point post-pregnancy. All of this to say, I’m now finding running particularly difficult and haven’t tried pushing Clara along with me yet.

Away from exercise, she and I have also loved going to Hartbeeps on a weekly basis. This group offers the chance for parents to chat, while the babies enjoy multi-sensory play, massage and interactive songs. Instructors Amy and Kimmy hold classes weekly across West and North Norfolk.

We are quite spoilt in this area as there’s also Pipsqueaks Norfolk baby and toddler groups held in Dersingham. We went along to the Halloween-themed baby sensory, which was fantastic, and they also offer play sessions and a baby massage course.

While Clara and I haven’t made it along to Munchkin and Me yet, numerous mum friends have sung its praises. The team put on these sessions, which are described as “immersive storytelling and multi-sensory classes designed for babies and under-fives and their grown-ups”, across West Norfolk.

There’s bound to be other classes and groups that I’ve missed, but if you’re a new parent looking for something to try, hopefully this has given you some food for thought.