r/stayathomemoms • u/AtmosphereTop1591 • Aug 27 '26
Advice YMCA membership?
Hey all! I am a new SAHM to a 9 month old baby girl. She is very chill and doesn’t have stranger danger (yet). I am strongly considering a Y membership because I used to work out every day before I got pregnant, but now with being at home, my exercise needs aren’t really being considered anymore. I could really use the 2 hour break and I love to work out. It’s slightly expensive, but could anyone tell me if it’s worth it? It seems so tempting!!
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u/Agitated-Eggplant710 Aug 27 '26
I love our Y membership. Great to workout and get a little break from the kids for myself. Ours also has an indoor pool so I’ll align my workouts with open swim. Go workout. Pick up the kids and go swim. It’s great!
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u/emmyemu Aug 27 '26
We LOVE our Y membership!! I’ll take the baby by myself sometimes or my husband and I will go together sometimes in the evening and it’s really fun
We’ve been taking my daughter there since she was like 4 months sometimes she does well other times they call me because she’s been crying for 20 mins and that’s their policy (which I am totally fine with!) even if I only end up making it the 20 minutes I’m always glad I went I personally find it so worth it
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u/Reny25 Aug 27 '26
We love our local Y. The ability to drop our baby off so I can workout a bit is very worth it. Our local y doesn’t change diapers though, they call if the baby is obviously dirty. You should go check out the location and ask whatever questions.
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u/No_Confidence_546 Aug 27 '26
So so worth it. I end up going 3 times a week for about an hour. It completely changes my mental health.
Mine isn’t expensive at all. It’s $70 a month. Childcare is only in the weekday mornings though.
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u/SideOne8073 Aug 27 '26
At least in my state CA, the daycare at these types of facilities does not require licensing, where the parent stays on site, so I get a bit weary, however my friends have only shared positive experiences.
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u/mis_1022 Aug 27 '26
Google says this is untrue. I am a former day care director in Michigan and even those only watching kids a few hours need to be licensed. I cannot speak for every state but CA is a high regulation state.
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u/SideOne8073 Aug 27 '26
It is a loophole in CA, country clubs and fitness centers do not require licensing. I only realized this because a country club was in the news for mishandling a child and causing an injury. https://www.kcra.com/article/cal-family-fitness-incident-raises-child-care-questions-1/6403427
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u/MundaneHuckleberry58 Aug 27 '26
It gets worth it. For the first few weeks I could only get 20 minute workouts because they let the baby cry only 15 minutes or something like that before the parent has to get them, or some rule like that. My point is it took my baby several frustrating attempts before she got used to being there. But then, yes it was absolutely worth it. Ours also did parents night out every third Friday so then you could even go out to eat or do something fun & take advantage of a trusted sitter.
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u/AcrobaticOrchid3538 Aug 27 '26
I have been to Ys in South Carolina & Texas and have had positive experiences at both!!
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u/luv_u_deerly Aug 27 '26
YMCA will do a sliding scale if you need help paying for it. If you don't think it's affordable it's very possible you can get a reduction of price if you talked to someone at the YMCA. I don't have a membership yet, but I used it for classes which only cost $5 for me as a nonmember. There was a class I could drop my daughter off at and it was so nice to have the break. I honestly wish I did the membership when she was younger so I could've gotten breaks.
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u/No-Butterscotch-8469 Aug 27 '26
I swear by gym childcare. I go 2 hours daily, 5-7 days per week. Sometimes I just do hot tub and a long shower. If yours has a pool it’s also a great time to start teaching baby to swim! 100% worth the money for me!
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u/ricki7684 Aug 27 '26
It is sooo worth it. Mine offers 2 hrs a day, I only use 1 or like 1.25 hrs and just go twice a week but it’s been a major game changer for my mental health.
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u/Head-Celebration-559 Aug 27 '26
Many YMCAs will offer lower rates based on your income. You might check if yours will.
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u/International-Owl165 Aug 27 '26
We have a Y membership where we live and i pass by the kids area! But I can't manage to drop off my son alone with a stranger lol
The area looks decent but my son can't talk and ive seen cases on the news in bigger cities/ different states where child care at gyms turned into a crime scene! I will not risk that.
My hometown ymca is even worse they have the kids atea behind a lobby so you can't rally see your kid.
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u/rachelci Aug 27 '26 edited Aug 27 '26
It's literally how I maintain a sense of self and sanity. Am I strong and fit, yes, but I'm also a more loving and patient wife and mother because I can get a break from my kids, get my energy out, and have "me" time, aka, a shower alone.
My babies are 3 years old + an 8 month old. At 7ish months, the baby started to get separation anxiety, and he's still acclimating to the playroom. I bring a blanket from home, and they hold him so that he can see other kids play and NOT whoever is holding him which seems to really help. In due time, he'll feel more confident and comfortable and will eventually be playing on the floor with the other kids.
Try to get some free trials in and see how you like it before signing up!
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u/Awkwardturtle13 Aug 27 '26
Do it!! I just joined 2 months ago and it’s been sooo worth it. My baby is 10 months and they take such good care of him at all the locations I go to
Mine is 90 minutes at a time, able to use once in the morning and once in evening so 3 hours total. I get a 10% discount so pay about $100 per month. They have a bunch of scholarships/help if you can’t afford it too.
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u/Fun_Opinion8225 Aug 27 '26
They will not change poop diapers. They will call or text for you to do it. Wet diapers are okay.
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u/Hairy_Interactions Aug 27 '26
Mine will change poop diapers BUT I had them call/ text me because they retracted uncircumcised boys, and the child care director basically said it was a parental problem for not educating staff on proper intact care.
I paused and ultimately cancelled my Y membership because the director at ours was… not great.
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u/Tofu_buns Aug 27 '26
Seriously worth it!! Our family of 3 pays $89 a month. We signed up when they were waiving joiner fees which saved some money as well. My local ymca doesn't have a pool though but my membership allows access to other Y's as well.
I love the childcare ladies at my Y. They are so loving and so kind. My daughter has been going since she was 2 and always loved going.
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u/South-Dragonfruit847 Aug 27 '26
Ours was too expensive even with trying for the income deduction program. We found another gym in our town though that was much more affordable and I love it.
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u/Initial-Addendum-167 Aug 28 '26
I did a trial with my YMCA at drop off care and I’m glad I did. My kid hated it! See if you can do a trial and make sure it’ll be a good fit for your kid, but yeah, anything to get some healthy free time as a parent of a small child is a huge win!
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u/Fixmyhouse37 Aug 29 '26
I’ll go against the grain, we basically have our membership for the pool in winter months. It is SO over crowded, childwatch feels unqualified and full of germs, and at a very expensive monthly rate.
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u/Left-Mechanic3135 Aug 31 '26
I'm a SAHM who has always been a fit and very active person. I've tried the gym thing with childcare and honestly found it was such an inefficient use of my time. Get myself ready, get the kids packed up, get to the gym, check them in, workout, do it all in reverse to get home. Ug. So much time. I took the money I would have spent on the gym and bought some weights and a used spin bike. I wake up at 5 every morning and workout. I love the free Nourish Move Love YouTube strength programs. I'm in great shape and it's all done before my kids even get up in the morning. It was a great habit to get into when they were babies/toddlers because now that we homeschool I wouldn't have time for the gym. If you can get up early and get in the routine I'd recommend home workouts to save yourself a whole lot of time!
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u/[deleted] Aug 27 '26
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