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?

0, have never gone to any

Swimming

I keep thinking I should do more but swimming is expensive, most cheap groups near us start around 9am which clashes with her naps and at 41 I don't want to stand out for being ancient

It's a shame as I did lots with DS2 but then I had a group of school mum friends with babies

I go every day that I’m not at work. If I didn’t work I would go to them every weekday. It’s a great excuse to leave the house and I almost always know someone there. We’re lucky to have an enormous number of groups within walking distance.

I think I’d go mad if I didn’t see other adults during the day.

None. Never been to any.

Dc 1 lots pretty much something every day, music, messy play, story time, mum & baby class. Dc 2& 3 nothing really. We go to a.drop in kinder gym occasionally. I take them to the pool once a wk , library, park beach. Apart from preschool nothing organised.

I go to my local toddler group twice a week. It’s close enough that my 2yr old can walk there if he feels like it. There’s a nice mix of mums, a dad or two, grandparents and childminders who use it, and it’s nowhere near as cliquey as some groups I’ve been to.

We spend a lot of time at the park with the dog and there’s a decent kids playground so we often run into people we know there.

3 baby and toddler groups in a week and one music class (moo music)

Our classes have changed as DS has grown but currently.

Monday:- chill out morning then playgroup
Tuesday:- meet up at the park, play and lunch (4 of us in our group) or soft play if raining. Then diddi dance.
Wednesday:- swimming - chill out
Thursday :- sign language - visit to the in laws
Friday:- swimming then Meet up at the park or soft play
Sat:- library's sing along session, then family day
Sun diddi kicks then family day

I have been to sensory, massage, yoga and sign along when DS was younger. I love having the balance of him mixing with other toddlers and chill out time.

I think it helps if you find like minded, nice people at the groups you attend, we have a great little group now and have actually become friends rather than just playgroup acquaintances.

I went to one a week which i loved and was local then I occasionally went to one 45 min drive and make a day of it (local large town)

I go to one a week. I never took my older children when they were babies.

It's changed throughout the years. When DS1 was little I went to none (other than an ill advised 6 week baby massage course) as he slept all the time, so I watched telly or went for walks. When DS1 got to 18 months I had DS2 and we went to loads! If it was rainy I'd go to one every morning for a cuppa and so DS1 could have a run around. Now I just have DS2 (DS1 is at school - I didn't lose him!) and we go to none again. We meet up with friends that we met along the way at various groups but in cafés, parks, soft play or eachother houses. Next year, most of his friends go to school and I might have to go back to a group or two to meet new friends!

I do sensory on Monday, sensory Wednesday, baby massage Thursday (utterly gorgeous class) and baby sign on Friday. My NCT friends go to most of them so we often do coffee, lunches after too. My soon to be 5 month old is very lively so she loves her classes and I love chatting to other mums. If I could find a class on Tuesday I would, they break the day up nicely!

Lots - DS (11mths) probably does one group every day or so.
On Monday he's with PIL & they go to group in their village.
Tuesday I have him & we go to either a baby toddler group, or a cooking class.
Wednesday he's at nursery.
Thursday I either go to group or meet up with friends who have similar ages DC at soft play or the park.
Friday he's with PIL again. They'll be taking him to a monthly group at the museum or just out to the park.
Saturday he has no groups, but Sunday he has swimming.
Used to do Baby Sensory too but stopped a few weeks ago as he was getting too old.
Will probably start a Forest School group when he's a bit older & can walk.
Did similar with DD. Being out & about with an activity/purpose helped me immensely during maternity leave & has enabled me to make new friends.

Two usually, sometimes 1, sometimes 3

Oooh, I love our baby groups! I kept him mostly indoors until he was 3 months old (had massive postnatal-anxiety he'd pick up something from the non-vaccinated children where we live 🙈) but once we started going out, you couldn't keep us in! We currently do 3 groups- signing, sensory and singing and are soon to start swimming. The days we're not doing any classes/groups is dedicated to the park to feed the ducks. I do forfeit the park days occasionally to stay indoors but feel bad for keeping baby in :/

I love baby classes. We're doing 6 at the moment - Water Babies, Monkey Music, Gymboree, Hartbeeps, Sing and Sign, Sparkysongs. I like structured activity classes rather than groups - I focus on interacting with DD rather than the other mums. Most of the classes have to be booked for the term, so we go every week. Then one morning a week we visit my parents, and one afternoon we have a play date with my DSis and her DCs. The rest of the time we go to the library, city farms, galleries and museums, parks.

At weekends we usually go out as a family with DH, and go to things like children's theatre shows, parent & baby cinema, family raves, baby-friendly gigs, play cafes.

None. Ever.