To think baby groups should be opening

[Wingingthis]

I’m a second time mum to an 11 week old baby boring in April. With my first baby, I struggled with many things - traumatic birth, very difficult refluxy baby, new mum with no “mum friends” to text or call with questions etc. I honestly feel like baby groups helped me so much mentally and I worry about the mental health impacts of them being still closed will have to new mums.
If they can open pubs etc why not baby groups? Even if just under 1s where most are not mobile?
I completely understand toddler groups remaining closed but I fear a huge spike in PND here. Being a new mum is so isolating at the best of times

Have a look at your council website family service directory.. ours are running online groups... and are wondering about outdoor park ones ....it's not the same I really benefited when dc younger.. but I know they are struggling to open buildings/halls... in a way that's safe for all :(

I completely get your frustration 😔 I feel like we've totally missed out on the socialising for both me and baby girl with groups being shut. I'm gutted incase this was my last chance! So I feel your pain.
I do understand why they haven't but it's disappointing all the same!
Have you tried peanut? It's been my absolute lifeline through this, I've still managed to meet mums in my local area because of it. It's free so might be worth a go for now? peanut.app.link/yORwALobN7

Hopefully they can open soon! 🤞 x

I see what you mean OP but my three were all crawling at 6 or 7 months too. I still think baby groups could run though.

100% agree OP. I'm in the same boat (3yo + 3mo) & can't wait for the baby groups start up again. It would be very nice to break up the day and have some adult conversation. I especially feel sorry for first time mums - I desperately needed the company of other new mums when I had my first. Just to swap notes and advice, have a bit of tea & cake or just whinge occasionally about the sleeplessness with people going through the same things at the same time.

Baby groups round here only run in term time and it's the holidays now.
I would like to see them reopen in September but I don't think they will. Did a couple of groups with my first two but would have done more this time. All my friends and family have much older children and would have liked to meet some other mums with children round the same age.

I feel exactly the same and am desperate for groups to reopen. I had my first baby at the beginning of lockdown. The birth was traumatic, then we had constant issues with breastfeeding, tongue tie, colic, thrush, then formula allergy. I'm a ftm so had no experience and couldn't have any friends, family or health visitors visit due to lock down. I got pnd, I think due to all of this. At times I felt suicidal. If I could have gone to some baby groups I really believe I wouldn't have felt half as band as I did. I get that it would be hard to reopen to stick to guidelines but there must be a way? I can go to the gym with loads of strangers sweating away, I can go to the pub and sit at a table with friends, I can get my nails done etc but I can't sit in a large hall with, say 6 other mums holding their babies? I agree with others who say these groups don't make any money and it's 'women's issues' so largely ignored.

I'm just trying to figure out how it would work if they reopened. There's a council run 'hub' near me, which is a purpose built building for family groups. They have a couple of large rooms, which could fit about 6-8 mums with babies and be 2 meters apart. Could mums bring their own mats/blankets to put babies on to crawl? What if there were volunteers who weren't vulnerable or didn't have other kids of school age? We could still use the toilet facilities couldn't we? You can use toilets in cafes/restaurants/shops with cafes, so why not a venue like this?

I had my first born in April also and don't think I'll be visiting any baby groups any time soon. You can't even go to the local childrens centre to get the baby weighed. Before I know it will be back at work and not been able to attend anything. All health visitor appointments have been on the phone. Its been pretty shit giving birth during lockdown, even with my stitches after birth they wanted to check me over via video chat!!

Toddler groups depend heavily on volunteers most of which are parents of school age kids or retired ladies. They usually don't run during tne school holidays anyway. At the moment venues are retricted to numbers so once you have volunteers plus their own babies plus side hooligan age kids there wouldn't be much room lefto so not worth it. Also retired people wouldn't want to take a risk they don't need to at tne moment. Then there's the extra deep cleaning, you carnt expect volenteers to do that while they also have their own kids with them. If you really want a group maybe try to set one up yourself, you will then realise it's not that simple during normal times let alone during a pandemic.