Bringing Baby Home

The OCEA Bringing Baby Home class was developed in 2004, by Erin Shaheen to fill an information gap for expectant families on the transition to parenting after birth. With a strong background in mental health counselling, post-partum Doula support and a variety of additional certifications (CPR, Car seat Installation, Breastfeeding counsellor, Infant Sleep Educator, Circle of Security Training, and Self-Reg with Stuart Shanker), Erin brought all of this information into a full two-day or six-evening class.

As our other classes have shifted back to in-person or online, the BBH class remains exclusively online. This has allowed us to present resources, websites and videos in ways not possible in person. We acknowledge that this also increases inclusivity for those who face barriers to in-person attendance due to transportation limitations, for participants outside the City of Ottawa, and for those who may be on bed rest or have an immunocompromised condition.

This is NOT your regular online class! Erin has a Master's in Education, specializing in course development and has tailored the content delivery to an online, small-group format. We look forward to having you join the BBH class!

This class welcomes all families, including families giving birth to babies, or having babies join through adoption or surrogacy.

We ask that all participants keep their video on throughout the small online class. Like an in-person class, this creates a sense of community and safety. If you prefer not to be seen, we recommend a private one-on-one session with one of our instructors. Online classes are accessible to anyone across Canada and run over four weekend mornings from 9 am-12 pm or online over six evenings.

Our Bringing Baby Home class is a hands-on parenting class for expectant parents, including

Choosing daycare and managing the wait list
Building your after-birth support system, including filling in service gaps when you do not have a Family Doctor
How to decide what items to purchase for life with a baby
Basic baby care, including bathing, swaddling, and holding the baby
The difference between cloth diapers, disposable diapers and diaper service and the diaper loaner program
Benefits of babywearing and how to pick baby carriers for ergonomics
Infant Feeding and Introducing Solids
What you need to know when purchasing a car seat for your baby
Learn how to properly and safely install your car seat
How to properly restrain newborns in car seats
How to deal with choking
Babyproofing: how to make your home safer for your baby
Learn the most common causes of injuries and how they can be prevented
Where to purchase home safety products

The cost of the class is $230 (CAD) (per couple).
*A couple is defined as a pregnant person and one support person (which can be a spouse, partner, friend or family member)

Refund Policy: When cancelling a prenatal class after it has been booked, there is a $25 (CAD) administration fee. If cancellation occurs less than 14 days before the class, a 50% cancellation fee applies. If it is less than 7 days, no refund will be issued. Requests for changes within 7 days of class will reflect a $75 fee. Please remember this when booking classes and plan to finish your session by 35 weeks.

People who took our class had this to say:

We dearly want to support the health of expectant families.

Yes: Ottawa CEA provided us with the best educational experience out of the multiple baby classes we took. The content is very well researched, concepts are explained clearly. Multiple perspectives for many issues are provided with evidence and encouragement is given to make your own informed choices with extra resources. There is no "fluff" and we felt much better about bringing a baby home after. I will be referring back to the resources from this course often. I highly recommend Ottawa CEA for expecting parents.