To ask how many baby/toddler groups you really go to?

[DulcieRay]

Just that really! How many groups do you really go to? Do you go to groups at all?

Used to do three a week.

Now he has two mornings at nursery, so we just do the one group regularly, with an occasional pop in at at a drop in group.

Oh and we meet up with the ladies and babies from antenatal classes most weeks too, either at someone's house or out for lunch somewhere. I need to have stuff to do or we just sit in the house!

I never went to any. That sort of thing just isn't me at all.

I like the ones were there is an actual activity and purpose, mother and baby yoga, baby sign language, singing sessions. I do get nervous going to just 'meet ups' or stay and plays. I'm rubbish at making conversation.

My baby sign language group is probably the snobbiest, cliquiest place I have ever been but it doesn't matter as I'm doing an actual activity with DD then I leave. Plus I'm enjoying learning a new skill and practicing makaton at home.

Just swimming, we've done baby massage and tried stay and play and sensory, but frankly they were rubbish and I've got no interest in making false friendships or people raising eyebrows because I'm choosing to go back to work. I've got plenty of friends and family I struggle to find time to see as it is. As DS gets older I'm happy to facilitate activities.

I went to all sorts. Local ones in churches, organised Tumble Tots type things, library story times, NCT groups.

My youngest is now 14 and we've moved over 3,000 miles away and I'm still friends with the people I met at them.

None. I took him to a sensory session recently and it was so cliquey that i sat in the car and cried afterwards.

My daughter is 2 now and I've been back to work since she was 1. She goes to 1/2 a week now with my Mum.

As a baby we did lots, started off with just a breastfeeding support group and made an amazing bunch of friends we all then went to the various baby groups together. Swimming, Tiny Talk, Yoga, Sensory, Messy play.

Enjoyed by both the babies and us Mums! We're all now on different working patterns but meet up fairly regularly with the littles for playdates.

One playgroup and one music group. Only since DC2 was 18 months and could join in and DC1 went to nursery so we were up and dressed in time to go. The playgroup is 90% for me to have a chat with my friend and 10% so DD can play!

I've never really noticed if anything is cliquey as if you go to activity sessions you're just kind of focusing on that. There are groups of friends at our baby sensory classes who tend to talk to each other and no one else but I just sit with DD and do our stuff Activity sessions are definitely the way if you're worried about being left out as there's no need to really talk to anyone.

We go to toddlers 3 times a week and swimming twice. No ‘baby activities’ but just old fashioned pay £1, get coffee and snack for wee ones and play in a village hall. From six months old I like them being socialised as much as possible as we are sadly a very small extended family and have no friends where we live now. We also go to park pretty much every day too. They cry less out and about.

We're out every day, at the beach or park etc. We went to an astronomy exhibit at the local museum yesterday and DS loves the moving projections of galaxies etc. We've got a family ticket to the local aquarium, we're going to a puppet show in the park on Saturday. I enjoy interacting with my child and finding things to do with him. I can't abide cliquey baby groups. The ones I went to the mums would sit around after drinking coffee being bitchy and ignoring their babies. Not my thing at all

With my first baby, I was at the children's centre at least three times a week. They had so much on and it was the only place I really got any social interaction for myself (never mind baby)

Second time round and in a more well off area, there wasn't a children's centre nearby, I went to one breastfeeding group a handful of times but mostly I was restricted from seeing people by the father of my second baby who also took a hefty paternity break but seemed to use it to keep an eye on me, not actually parent.

The first time round was fantastic and I felt so much better, learnt a lot, did not feel too isolated.

We only go to Toddler Talk (follow on from baby signing) at the moment. It’s a lovely group and DD really enjoys it. I have tried her with a couple of other groups but she wasn’t keen. She does love other children though so I am on the lookout for something else as she’s at home with me all the time otherwise.

Loads with DS as I had severe PND/PTSD and it kept me sort of sane going out every day

Now with DS aged 2.5 and DD2 aged 4mo we do toddler gym every week, Forest school most weeks and Hartbeeps with DD. We have play dates, go out and sometimes go to groups as a one off.

2 baby groups and 1 adult excersise group that allows kids. Rest of the time I feel like I should but I just don't have the energy for every day groups!

Just a singing one on a Monday morning. I also take LO to tiny toes ballet, she’s not quite two but it’s super cute so that one is really for me! We do loads of other stuff though, we went nature exploring yesterday and stomping up a little stream. We even found a little bird in a nest it had made in a hole in a tree stump

Three or so. There’s a free one on my street so we tend to pop in there a lot of the time, even though I don’t like it very much. And singing. Tbh if the weather is good a local park is far more enjoyable for us both (DD is 20 months old), with the bonus that some friends we know may be there too.

8 month old and 3 year old go to Monday group every week and Friday group every other Friday. Baby does swimming with me once a week and we have a weekly playdate on a Thursday.

The group's we do are all informal play groups though. I find relaxed atmospheres, focusing on socialising and best for little ones.

Some baby groups I went to were fairly cliquey, but if no one talked to me I just took a newspaper and read that in as much peace as I could get while the children played.

TBH though at pretty much all of them I eventually met other people who also were not part of the cliques, and enjoyed getting to know them.

One everyday or I go mad, literally mad

Singing and movement group Monday.
Playgroup Tuesday.
Gymnastics or our own version of Forest School Wednesday.
Baby pictures or swimming Thursday.
Messy play group on Friday.

DS is 10 months and we go to one every weekday morning. Some are more structured like swimming or Hartbeeps, and others are just drop in, play and chat.

Before maternity leave I thought I'd relish being at home all the time, but I go a bit stir crazy if I don't get out each day. I'll make do with a walk or trip to the shops if it's the holidays and groups aren't running, but it's the adult company and conversation (even if it's all about babies) that I miss.

When I was on maternity leave with my baby I did rhyme time at the library, toddlers at the community centre, baby group at the children's centre and baby massage. My youngest is 2 and I still do rhyme time and toddlers as they're on the same day which falls on my day off. It's nice to maintain friendships with local mums.