Name: Sarah Jane McKillop
Lives: Paisley, Scotland
What do you teach? Baby Massage and Baby Yoga
How long have you been an instructor?
I completed my baby massage qualification in September 2022 and completed my baby yoga course in April 2023.
Have you always been an instructor?
I have not always been an instructor but I have worked with children for the last 20 years, and have been in the Early Years industry in particular for the last 15 years. I’ve worked in various roles such as an Early Years trainer, SVQ assessor and an operations manager for Lullaby Lane Nurseries.
Through my role with Lullaby Lane nurseries I was very lucky to learn directly from Dr Suzanne Zeedyk, who is a neurological scientist and has taught me a lot about brain development in the early years and attachment. This became my passion and is still something I am very passionate about today...
What made you want to become an instructor?
I had to resign from my career as my eldest has additional needs and needed my support, so I took on a part time role with Early Years Scotland who are a charity organisation providing different opportunities for families, parents and professionals. One of the opportunities they offer is baby massage classes. I started my new role two days before lockdown and, as you know, everything became online. I watched on as one of my colleagues led a baby massage course and I knew then that leading baby massage classes was the perfect way to share knowledge with parents at an early stage regarding brain development and attachment; information that I wish someone had told me when I became a first time mum.
I started researching different training companies who taught baby massage and that's when I found To Baby and Beyond. I liked that Julie was a midwife and the course spoke to me the most. I decided to do the bundle of three courses: baby massage, baby yoga, and toddler yoga. I am working on the toddler yoga as we speak but have now been leading baby massage and baby yoga classes under Early Years Scotland and feel lucky to be able to do this for my job.
What’s your favourite part of your job?
The most favourite part of my job is that I get to make a difference in children's lives that will go on to impact them for years to come. The vibe of the classes is just so welcoming, relaxing and baby led... Sharing valuable information that can shape the foundations of who a little human becomes is amazing. Empowering parents to make informed choices in their parenting.
I would never lecture parents and so I choose to share little golden nuggets regarding responsive parenting and child development that will help them understand what happens in a baby's brain and body, and they can then make the right choice for them. I also like to create social opportunities for parents during the classes because it can be an isolating time for them.
How do you keep your skills up to date? Do you have any favourite websites that you use?
Early Years Scotland provides membership opportunities for parents and professionals and so, as a member of their staff, I have access to a membership and their courses. This helps to keep my knowledge up to date. Learning about child development in the first few years will help your confidence as an instructor grow.
I keep an eye on what Dr Suzanne Zeedyk is doing and go to conferences a couple of times a year, where I always learn more information that is helpful in my work. I also read when I can, so books such as Dr Dan Siegel's The Whole Brain Child. This helps me explain emotional regulation during baby yoga classes, for example.
What qualities do you think are important in an instructor?
Being welcoming, approachable, relatable, knowledgeable and creating a baby led environment. All these things help put the parents at ease and gives them confidence in you as an instructor.
What benefits do you derive from teaching?
I feel the main benefits of teaching is gaining confidence over time, having ambition and job satisfaction. I get a sense of achievement after every class which helps all three of the areas mentioned. Giving the parents tools that they can use on a daily basis really helps with this... It may be helping a parent feel more connected to their baby or useful tools for constipation, wind, colic or teething. Perhaps a calming move in baby yoga which might just help their baby calm down when in distress the one time when their parent really needs it. Or sharing all the wonderful benefits of speech and language in the hope that parents will choose to sing more.
I feel that being as helpful as possible with the parents can help them make informed choices on their journey and in turn help a baby feel more safe and secure. I get huge job satisfaction from this, and when parents provide their feedback forms at the end it is really nice when they recognise these things too.
What’s your top tip for other instructors?
Knowledge will give you confidence! Read, read, read... Have some golden nuggets that you can share and that parents will appreciate knowing. For example, here are two of the golden nuggets I share with parents...
Golden nugget number 1: Repeat, Repeat, Repeat....
Repetition is super important. Don't worry about singing the same song over and over, repeating the same word over and over, doing the same jigsaw, playing the same game e.g peekaboo or practising the same skill like tummy time, grasping, walking etc etc. Our neural pathways in our brain are made the same way a pathway is made on grass: the more we go over things the more it will be built into our brains/bodies, just like the more you walk over and over the same bit of grass the more of a pathway it creates. Repetition is great!! (Which will make you feel better when you have had to sing ‘Twinkle, twinkle little star’’ for the 50th time in the last hour!)
Golden nugget number 2: Respond, Respond, Respond....
Even responses from the parent with the little things, their eye gaze, facial expression, vocal noises, pointing, passing an object to and fro, as well as the daily response to hunger, nappy change, tiredness, and sadness etc etc helps babies build a secure relationship. The more you respond to them in a regulated, helpful way, the safer they know they are and don't need to worry that you won’t respond and keep them safe in times where they feel there is danger (which is a natural instinct within us, they are not consciously thinking this.) This will result in a secure, confident grown up as they get older.
Have you had an amusing experience in your work as an instructor?
I've not had a stand out amusing experience but I do find myself laughing during every class, usually because the parents have said something relatable, or because the babies become really vocal or distract me with their huge smiles. One little baby who has done 6 weeks of baby massage and now just about to finish 6 weeks of baby yoga has become really vocal but sounds like Donald Duck at times and during the relaxation time when I had put on some new parent affirmations on and all the parents and babies were quiet, she started making all the parents giggle with her Donald Duck impressions, so I had a room full of laughter instead of quiet relaxation but I guess laughter will release good hormones too so it was still beneficial.
Who would you most like to teach on one of your courses and why?
I wish I could go back in time and teach my grandparents, who could pass it on to the next generations like the families we learned about on the training course, so that all the babies born in my family could have benefited from the bonding experience of massage including my own.
What are your plans for the future?
At the moment we are starting up more classes as the demand from health visitors is high, and so I am currently building my reputation as an instructor under the name of Early Years Scotland. However, when or if my eldest becomes more independent I would like to start my own brand and business delivering baby classes. I am lucky in that I get to deliver these classes under my employer just now, which will set me up for branching out on my own eventually.
Another thing instructors could think about is becoming a social enterprise where they apply for funding to deliver the baby massage/yoga etc for free and take a salary. This is similar to the model that my employers are able to deliver under.
---
Thank you Sarah Jane; this is fascinating, and the photos add another insight into your life as an instructor.
If you'd like to find out more about Early Years Scotland, Sarah Jane's current employer, you can check out the links below.
Don't forget that we're always on the look out for our next Instructor of the Month. If you've studied with us, and have an interesting story to tell, we'd love to hear from you! Complete the form here to be considered for our next Instructor of the Month!
