To wonder why baby groups aren’t open in school holidays?

[crinklyfoil]

Obviously have only recently started going to baby groups and am back to work in September, so a bit disappointed they won’t be on july / august - anyone know why this is?

Lack of funding. Ideally these groups would run all year and on weekends, with activities available for older siblings, but the reality is that sadly these services just don’t have enough money nowadays. I remember how sad I felt when I returned to work and was told the only baby session on a Saturday was for dads! It’s not ideal.

I remember finding it annoying, but the time passes quickly. At over a year you can try lots more options during holidays. By us there were a few places that stayed open, but they weren't ones I usually went to and needed booking. Worth searching though, you may have missed something.

My God op. You really don't know how to entertain your own baby?
Baby playgroups aren't for babies anyway. Babies do parallel play
They dont actually play together until there about 2 😅 playgroups are for mums mostly so that they can hang out and share stories.

Just go to a park. A playground?Soft playground ?whatever.

Where I am baby groups aren’t open but there is a limited number of stay and play sessions which have a baby part to them to go to at our childrens centres and these are free.

OP's baby is over a year old now, this is an old thread.

However a new poster is looking for groups in the North west that open through the summer...

And yes, echoing everyone else, the leaders need a break and the numbers able to come without older DC plummet. I always matched people up before the summer, made sure they had phone numbers for each other, etc.

I wouldn't worry too much about your baby OP. It is a bit of a myth that babies need social contact with peers. In terms of why they stop? Volunteer run groups are normally run by people with children or grandchildren of their own to look after in the holidays...plus they need a break! Also, in general attendance tends to be really low as people go on holiday at different times or just miss because of weather or routine changes. Plus older siblings either can't come or are a pest if they do turn up. Don't worry, it will make sense a few years down the line!
If you're worried about the summer, why not plan out a rough schedule of places you might like to go such as national trust gardens, farms etc. Maybe arrange to meet different friends in each one.

This thread is from over a year ago so you're a bit late to be making snide comments to the OP.

My children are school age now but I remember the relentlessness of having a little one. In hindsight it should have been a breeze but adding in loneliness, exhaustion etc it makes it harder. Groups did make it easier for me, just so I could speak to people experiencing similar and the summer holidays felt long.

They're run by parents who do it, whether voluntary or as a business, to fit in with their older children.

When I was going to them, in the last weeks of term, I'd make arrangements to meet up at the park or invite some of the mums to mine in the usual slot.

This. Many who run groups have older children too!

Head off to the local play park. Better for them anyway. I was always outdoors with all of mine.

So, as others have pointed out, this thread is old.

At the time, DC was five months, couldn’t sit up without support, couldn’t crawl, couldn’t do a whole lot. Going to the park with a non mobile baby is batshit advice: sorry to be rude but the replies that said this are also rude so whatever.

What is a five month old meant to do at the park?

The babyvgroups I went to with DC were, shockingly, for babies, not for older children. It would still be nice if a few more toddler groups were on in the holidays because even now I have a rambunctious bundle of energy who can use the swings, slide, roundabout and sandpit, with the best will in the world we can’t stay in the park all day.

But er … thanks.

Parks have often more than play equipment. One of my local ones has animals, another has a lake with ducks/swans for a small baby to see. You can also picnic at a park.

I get annoyed about this too! I only have one toddler. We avoid going on holiday or to our nearby museums and playgrounds during the school holidays as they're over run with older childrren.
The classes would provide much needed entertainment for us!

I get that attendance would be down though, would be nice to have a couple of drop in/one off classes to sign up to.

God I never went to baby groups ever, they are for the parents anyway at that age not the baby (I realise this thread is old but yes baby groups at 5m are for the parents!)

This comes up every year!

As others have said, they’d be over run by siblings etc.

THAT SAID back when I had my first in 2008 I’m sure there were some baby groups that went on in the holidays due to sure start. I couldn’t go to any as my first baby had an operation during the school summer holidays (as it happened) and had to be near quarantined before hand to avoid catching colds etc.

However there should definitely be something to protect vulnerable children and parents - somewhere for Mums who really need the support to go for a chat, advice etc. I’m not talking music classes and the like but actually necessary stuff. I expect the Tories have cut it all though.

Ive been running a baby /toddler class for over 8 years. It’s because the people who run the groups have children of their own (who they need to look after in school holidays!). Believe me they don’t want to not work (especially over the long summer holidays ) as they don’t get paid over that period! I actually do run a few classes over the summer and bring my own kids and I let all siblings come so it’s a bit more chaotic than a normal class.

I get that when you have your first baby the whole school holidays thing is a new phenomenon - I remember being so confused when I turned up to aqua babies and it wasn’t on as it was half term (I didn’t have a clue !)

Ah, maybe this is one of the threads I’m thinking of that came up another year! 😂😂

I know, right? Stupid parents, wanting to go out of the house with their babies, meet some other mums, break the day up, sing some songs, have some fun, spend some nice time with the baby.

Actually, my child does sign a few words. I am surprised he remembered it from the class but he has.

But I’ll remember your words of wisdom I’d I have another.

Sounds like hell to me!

In a lot of areas you can also meet other mums with babies for....organised buggy walks.

I would have loved to do this with my youngest but it clashed with nursery pick up time for his older sibling.

I always used to wonder this.

I found it particularly odd when they’d mention that they’d be closed for half term and not mention when that was.. as if most of us knew?? We didn’t, because we’d ask amongst each other.

At the baby groups I went to - baby sensory, music classes etc - the vast majority were first borns. At least 80%.

With my second child I just didn’t do that stuff to the same extent and I would be quite confident that applies to most parents of second / third children too. I knew what I was doing more .. didn’t have the NCT network to do a class with most days … didn’t need the classes so much to keep myself sane … not to mention the fact that whilst I had an older child at home it wasn’t even possible.

And yes they are mostly for the parents but what’s the harm in that? They are mostly - in my experience - for first time parents who are overwhelmed and confused with what they are now doing.
I loved doing all of them with my NCT friends and it kept me sane. I didn’t need it second time round.

I run one. We are all volunteers. We say ‘term-time only’ because:

• we are all completely knackered
• we don’t want to put it on and have very few people turn up
• we need it to be valued (not taken for granted)
• we might not be able to staff it because people go on holidays
• we can’t cater for older siblings

The library keeps going, though, and there is always more to do in the summer. If you are really stuck, try the BBC’s Tiny Happy People or The Baby Club (… that’s more or less all I had until I started my own!).

I've just finished my time running a toddler group (my youngest starts school in September) and these are the reasons we don't open in the summer holidays:

• since covid we have struggled to get enough numbers in term time to justify the cost of paying for the hall, so we'd expect there to be even less people during school holidays. We couldn't afford to open, basically
• all of us running the group have school age children who would quickly get bored with toddler toys and activities
• we will all go on our own holidays during the summer and therefore can't commit to running the group every week

It does suck for parents of young toddlers, I appreciate that. But if someone wants a group to run over the holidays, can I gently suggest start one yourself or volunteer to help at your nearest one. It's always the same story - people want X Y and X activity running for their children at a low cost but more often than not they're not willing or able to commit to help out themselves.

One group has stayed open in our area and it's FULL as nothing else is on