Our Classes

We are proud to offer

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, 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 have barriers to in-person attendance due to transportation limitations, for participants outside the City of Ottawa and for those who may either be on bed rest or are immune compromised.

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 cause of injuries and how they can be prevented
  • Where to purchase home safety products

The cost of the class is $200 (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 the cancellation occurs less than 14 days before the class there is a 50% cancellation fee. If it is less than 7 days there is no refund.  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.

The prenatal course was so thorough and really helped us feel ready for this next big step in our lives. The instructor was so knowledgeable, kind, supportive, and just an all-around amazing teacher. The course helped relieve our anxieties about the birthing process, and what to expect afterwards, we feel so much more confident now. Thank you!

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

We really enjoyed Erin's class! Her style of teaching was really engaging and a nice departure from presentation-heavy classes. We also loved the interactive parts to try on our own baby wearing items, learning to swaddle, and getting to know the carseat. Great class!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

Again, the very frank and honest explanations of what to expect are extremely valuable. These are things that nobody ever tells you and are usually very difficult to talk about.

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

Julia was really informative and full of excitement, so it was indeed a wonderful series of class

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

Brandie was amazing, very knowledgeable, answered all our questions. Very engaging instructor and would recommend her to anyone taking the course.

Pre Natal – with Brandie Lekovic

Lilly was an absolute joy! She was very professional, but also included tasteful humour which made the discussions and content very enjoyable. She did a great job of engaging the participants even over Zoom.

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

Brandie did an excellent job at teaching the course via zoom. She was engaging, offered great tips and information.

Bringing Baby Home – with Brandie Lekovic

I would highly recommend this course. It is probably the best investment we have made in preparing for our first child. Lots of useful information presented in an easy-to-digest way, without opinion, bias, or "horror stories". I feel so much more prepared for labour, birth & the early days of parenthood.

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

Sure! Bringing Baby Home is an information packed course that is based on current research and the latest information. It has topics from car seats, to sleeping to eating and any question you could possibly ask is answered thoroughly. All parents will benefit from this class.

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

As a mom-to-be with zero experience caring for babies, this class was so reassuring. I learned a ton and feel much more confident about bringing our baby home.

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

My partner and I took the Bringing Baby Home course through the Ottawa CEA, taught by Erin Shaheen. Erin is very knowledge and took the time to answer any all questions the class had. All the topics were thoroughly presented and never felt rushed. She even provided lots of links, resources as well as information on local support services. We took this course about three months before the baby's due date, and we are so thankful that we did. After taking this course, we felt more confident about our decision making regarding feeding, sleeping, diapering and what items to purchase We look forward to taking more classes with Ottawa CEA!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

Lilly is a wonderful educator. She has vast knowledge of the subject along with calm and reassuring demeanor, patience and excellent communication skills. We enjoyed listening and learning from her.

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi


 
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  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    6 weekday evenings
    FULL
    Tue, May 6 · May 13 · May 20 · May 27 ·
    June 3 & June 10, 2025

    07:00 PM - 09:15 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    2 Registration Left
    Sat, May 10 · May 11 · May 17 & May 18, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    6 weekday evenings
    Mon, May 12 · May 19 · May 26 · June 2 ·
    June 9 & June 16, 2025

    07:00 PM - 09:15 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    2 Registration Left
    Sat, June 14 · June 15 · June 21 & June 22, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    6 weekday evenings
    Mon, June 30 · July 2 · July 7 · July 9 ·
    July 14 & July 16, 2025

    07:00 PM - 09:15 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    Sat, July 5 · July 6 · July 12 & July 13, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    6 weekday evenings
    Tue, Aug. 5 · Aug. 7 · Aug. 12 · Aug. 14 ·
    Aug. 19 & Aug. 21, 2025

    07:00 PM - 09:15 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    Sat, Aug. 9 · Aug. 10 · Aug. 16 & Aug. 17, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    Sat, Oct. 18 · Oct. 19 · Oct. 25 & Oct. 26, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    Sat, Nov. 1 · Nov. 2 · Nov. 8 & Nov. 9, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    Sat, Nov. 15 · Nov. 16 · Nov. 22 & Nov. 23, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    Sat, Dec. 6 · Dec. 7 · Dec. 13 & Dec. 14, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now