Mid Valley Family YMCA

Sunday, September 9, 2012

My Cost: monthly family membership rate*

6901 Lennox Avenue

Van Nuys, CA 91405

www.ymcala.org/mid-valley

(*All YMCA's offer free 7-day passes, and income-based membership rates are available.)

The exterior - this portion is actually the Beginning Workout room and indoor pool.

We joined the Mid Valley Family YMCA in the fall of 2010. I was pregnant with baby #1 and thought I would do a lot of swimming to keep myself in better shape. Omar wanted a gym with a basketball court, (which is why we chose this YMCA over the West Valley Family YMCA where I had previously been a member.) I did do a fair amount of swimming, but after the baby was born, my visits to the gym seriously dropped off. I remember specifically asking an employee at what age their childcare service was offered, and they told me it was available starting at 18 months old. I remember thinking, "Great! It's going to be a year and a half before I can come to the gym!" And then I got pregnant with baby #2 like three months later, so I figured it would be just shy of eternity before I would ever be able to go back.

We kept up our membership because Omar was going by after work sometimes, and there was still the off chance that I could leave the kids at home with Omar or a relative and go by myself. However, now that Vivi is finally 19 months old, but Alex is still just 6 months and I was thinking I had to wait another year before I could use their childcare, I started investigating other gyms. I was jealous of my friends who were members at 24 Hour Fitness or L.A. Fitness and said they would watch babies from age 3 months and up.

I found an L.A. Fitness close to our house and called to confirm they would watch my kids for me starting at 3 months, and I even set up an appointment to take a tour. (Their childcare is $5 per child per day, by the way, unless you pay and additional $10 per month per child with your membership.) But I decided, just to be sure, to call and double check on the YMCA childcare policy. 

GUESS WHAT??? They actually have FREE childcare starting at SIX WEEKS OLD!!!

I was totally aghast! I mean, that means I actually wasted all that time I could have been going to the gym!!! I asked when they had changed their policy, but the person on the phone didn't know. My small consolation was the fact that I still have a ruptured disc that hasn't quite fully healed, so I probably shouldn't have been doing major workouts to begin with. But I could have been swimming!

So don't make the same mistake I did, moms. Join the YMCA and let them watch your baby for you starting at 6-weeks old! At Mid Valley the service is free for an hour and a half, and if you are late, they will charge you a small penalty of like a dollar per hour you are late. (You're not allowed to leave the facility though, and they will come get you if your child is crying, or acting out, or needs to be changed or taken to the bathroom.)

Here are the hours. It should say, "Ages 6 weeks to 12 years only."

There are other perks of membership. As I mentioned already, Mid Valley has an indoor swimming pool, and a full-sized basketball court. Plus they have a Fit-Linxx system and the staff will help you set up a workout routine including customizing your proper positioning and range-of-motion on all the strength equipment. A monthly consultation is included in your membership. They have towels and basketballs you can check out, and a full schedule of group exercise classes, including water aerobics classes.

Kids' swimming lessons are offered in six-week sessions, so we're thinking next session we'll sign both kids up and take them into the pool for some family fun!

Omar was dribbling a circle around Vivi.

Vivi even got to dunk on one of the lower baskets.