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Children, and Moms, at Play
BEFORE her daughter was born, Jodi Della Femina's week stretched out full of opportunities to fit in the little things. In addition to four visits a week to the celebrity-friendly Radu gym, there was time for manicures and pedicures.
But the arrival of little Annabel Kim two years ago put an end to that. Now Ms. Della Femina gets her exercise from pushing a stroller and taking an occasional mother-baby yoga class. Manicures and pedicures are now done on an emergency basis.
Ms. Della Femina sees help in sight. This October, Citibabes, one of a number of new private clubs for children (and their parents) is to open in SoHo near her home. For specially selected people like Ms. Della Femina, who is one of 19 people on Citibabes' board, membership will mean that they no longer have to decide between a bikini wax and baby ballet.
In an age when mothers struggle to nurture their children's happiness and accelerated development while at the same time remaining socially viable and a size 4, clubs like Citibabes are the latest in parental indulgence. Equal parts Gymboree and Soho House, the clubs offer novel learning opportunities for children alongside pampering opportunities for mothers and fathers (not to mention social networking).
In New York, Citibabes joins Kidville, a 20,000-square-foot space on the Upper East Side that opened in January. Unlike Citibabes, to which only 1,000 will be invited to be founding members at $1,250 a year, Kidville is open to any family with a child enrolled in a class. Fees begin at $595 a semester.
While the owners of both Kidville and Nana's Garden stress that they are open to anyone who can pay the fees of about $1,200 a year, Ms. Gordon and Ms. Frost see Citibabes' invitation-only membership as key to its appeal.
"People might be frustrated at first that it's members-only," said Ms. Della Femina, who is joined on the Citibabes board by the designer Cynthia Rowley and Amanda Cutter Brooks, a former creative director of Tuleh, another fashion label. "But I think that unfortunately in New York there is a necessity to keep things small, because otherwise you can't enjoy it. There is something nice about having that small community."