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Term based | Now enrollingParent-Child Classes
What to Expect
The RIE and Steiner approach to the first three years of life fosters a deep relationship of trust and respect between you and your child, laying beautiful, lifelong foundations — whilst inviting you to relax and savor these very special, fleeting years.
This class offers a peaceful, carefully designed and supportive natural space where you can connect with other families, authentically discover your baby, and learn how to support their natural development — foundational to their ability to deeply know themselves.
In the first three years of life, babies master some of the most remarkable things — from walking and talking, to thinking and feeling. This is not about more expert opinions. It's about returning to what's most natural, with understanding, reverence and respect for these precious early years.
This is your space to slow down and arrive — in presence with yourself, and with your baby.
❋ Intentional StructureMove freely and explore a beautiful, natural play space alongside babies at a similar stage of development.
❋ Slowing DownExperience the gift of slowing down — observing your baby with fresh eyes and deepening your connection is a core part of the process.
❋ FacilitationLed by Narelle Melnick (@sagemamma) with over 12 years experience in supporting mothers from birth to 3yrs.
❋ A Supportive SpaceHave space to ask questions, share reflections and find your village.
What happens in each class
Each session is held in a carefully prepared, organic, baby-safe environment designed to support the natural movement and development of your little one.
Classes are kept intentionally small (max 8) to ensure a warm, connected and supported experience for every family.
Over the Term You will explore…
The importance of rhythm and simplicity in daily life
How to support uninterrupted, purposeful play
The developmental stages of infancy and early childhood
Caregiving as connection; narration, trust-building and respectful daily care
How your own wellbeing directly shapes your baby's experience
Offering choice and setting loving limits
"Be careful what you teach. It might interfere with what they are learning." — Magda Gerber
"To educate the whole child, his heart and his will must be reached as well as the mind. If a child has been able in his play to give up his whole loving being to the world around him, he will be able, in the serious tasks of later life, to devote himself with confidence and power to the service of the world."
Rudolf Steiner
"Observation of a baby begins with the internal observation of one's inner landscape."
— Deborah Carlisle Solomon
Meet your Facilitator, Narelle Melnick
Narelle is the co-founder of Waves Farm and founder of @sagemamma, both of which place the mother’s wellness central to the wellbeing of our children our families, creating a ripple effect of healing into the heart of our community.
Narelle has dedicated her life to learning and sharing dharma. Her belief is simple and profound: healthy mothers create healthy families, which create healthy communities. As a yoga teacher, Ayurvedic postpartum doula, and playgroup leader, she brings a deep philosophy of wholistic health to everything Waves Farm does.
“When I became a first-time mother, I was living in Southern California — completely bewildered by the noise of conflicting parenting philosophies and advice. In my search for connection and grounding, I found my way into my first RIE infant class. It was there that something finally felt natural, and I began to quietly grow into my confidence as a mother.
Over the years that followed — through two more babies — I attended parent-child classes led by pre-eminent RIE and Waldorf teachers, and pursued ongoing education and workshops in the field of early childhood. It was through these spaces that I discovered the true art of caregiving — not through expert theory, but through presence, patience and observation.
When we understand the natural developmental needs of our children and meet them with connection, rhythm, trust and respect, we support the uninterrupted unfolding of who they already are.”
Narelle has been supporting young families for over 12 years in the intimate space of the postpartum time. With grounding in Yoga, Ayurveda, and physiologic postpartum and baby care rooted in traditional wisdom, she has guided many families through the threshold of birth and early infancy — and is now delighted to bring her Parent-Child Classes to the Mornington Peninsula.
Credentials
• Certified Innate Postpartum Care Provider
• Certified RIE Foundations
• Certified Heart Spaces — Essentials of Steiner Education and Development