To wonder what is the most awkward baby/toddler group you've been to?

[IneedsomeSleeppleasenow]

Just curious to hear your stories!

When DS was about 8 months we went to a weaning group which sounded fun and as a new mum I thought a good way to meet other local mums.

It was essentially about 7 babies in a circle sat in one of those plastic trays with random bits of food to try ( bit of bread, a few veggies, cheese). Then given some flour with water in a bowl to mix (?)

I just didn't understand what the point of it was, as could have just that at home. I was expecting maybe it was more about sharing tips, some recipe ideas etc.
Biggest waste of £10 ever, but I had to laugh.

A forest school type one for toddlers that I did recently with my 2 year old. My dd just wants to constantly go off and explore and will not stay with the group or join in with the activities so I’ve basically just paid to chase my child round the woods which I could have done for free.

Also been to one that was super cliquey and just felt really awkward sat on my own. I persevered with going for months but it never got any better.

A group called ' peep group ' singing and stories etc, in the same building as my daughters nursery. The women who ran it sat us all down and said she felt she had to tell us, anything she saw which worried her would be reported to social services! So awkward and I didn't go back!

I don't know how you all do it. A major part of why I don't think I'll have kids is that I don't think I can deal with all this stuff...having to talk to women I have nothing in common with just because we've both got kids.

I was at a pub the other day having a quiet pint on my own with a book and there was a mum and toddler group there. It was just so weird...about 8 women sitting in a circle staring at each other...long, awkward silences interspersed with boasting about holidays and house extensions and a mum getting up every 5 seconds to run after a toddler who was running off. It just looked horrific.

Uh, that'd be the one where I walked in to join the circle carrying a baby and non-walking toddler in my arms. The only way to remove my shoes was to kick them off - fine they were cloggs - and out of my trouser leg flew yesterday's knickers.

Baby massage.
Whoever came up with that needs a shake.

I used to take dc to a lovely local toddler group.
Then a lady came, I think she was from sure start or similar, to advertise other groups. She persuaded me to take toddler ds2 to a baby signing group. I think the aim was to teach them makaton. I told her he had advanced speech and didn't "need" to learn signs (other than the benefit of learning to sign in which case I'd teach him BSL) She insisted he'd be fine.

He spent the entire time telling her she had the song actions wrong and chattering fluently. The other mums have me dirty looks as if I'd come along purely to show off his speech. Mind you it doesn't help that he was tiny and looked far younger than he was.
The sure start woman told me to come again next week and that he would "settle in" and learn the signs so he could communicate!
I didn't bother.

Moved to a new area with my 1 year old. Gathered up the courage to go to the local sure start for a group but I'd read the leaflet wrong. The group I turned up to was advertised for pre walkers my boy couldn't walk and I took it literally and thought that meant he could go. I got there and the woman that ran it came running to open the door but she barely opened it so I couldn't go in and just kept repeating he can't come in here it's not for him I got quite flustered as the other mums in the group were just staring at me. I did try and explain but the woman was really blunt
and then just shut the door so I cried as I walked home 😂

I almost gave up on baby sensory after the first week as the songs and vibe felt cult like and everyone seemed to know each other.
but I had block booked and I am not one to throw money away so I persevered - I’m glad I did because I met some nice ladies and am now on my third term.

there is a play group near by that I want to go to but their Facebook group always has the same group of women chatting and I feel that I might be trespassing by going

I've been to one with each kid that I've loved but one community centre one I went to it was about 20 middle class looking mums and all of them were sat on their phone for the entire 90 minutes. Sack that I can sit on my phone at home and speak to my actual friends.

I’ve just started a baby sensory class thing that for some reason has this creepy song about saying hello to the sun, the moon, and then for some reason… corn?! All while some woman signs actions with a maniacal grin. The whole thing is so weird it puts me off and I’m only going back because I had to block book a term and I’m stubborn and don’t want to waste the £50 it cost me 🙄

With DS1, thought I’d take him to baby massage class when he was a few weeks old. Instructor asked me to remove all his clothes including nappy. We did some tummy massage and he started fussing so I picked him up for a cuddle. Obviously the tummy massage was pretty effective: he shat all over me, the mat and floor. Did not know what to do with myself.

@rookiemere we had exactly the same experience of Monkey Music. My child would not leave the monkey alone. We had to leave half way through.

@IDontDrinkTea have you seen the 'action' for corn?! 🤣

Never been to one and never would. All those mums and their new babies is my kind of nightmare!

I thankfully missed out on one when my elder two were babies that I didn’t realise was linked to a weird curly church (they’d hired a community hall). I was meant to be going with a friend but my two were mid a week of tag-team no sleep and one of them had a poonami shortly before we left. I ended up bailing out last minute.

Three very similarly aged babies there with their (relatively young) Mums were all fathered by the same creepy older church leader.

I was half relieved I missed it and half gutted. My friend got asked to leave when she kept giggling when they had a long prayer that including repeatedly praising god and praising Craig (the creepy leader).

I went to a pregnancy yoga group where the leader said "They can demolish buildings using ultrasound. Think what it does to a baby if you have an ultrasound scan." We also had to walk round in a circle doing primal screams. Embarrassing

Who was it for then? I'd have thought the same as you. Pre walkers = babies who can't walk yet.

The first baby sensory group I went to. I didn't realise there would be a song with signing to go along with it. Stared awkwardly at my baby while it was playing then spent the next week practicing with a helpful YouTube video.

@IDontDrinkTea there's a YouTube video which helped me

I went to an NCT one after recently moving to a new area. The only time someone spoke to me was to tell me I was sitting in the wrong place and that the toddlers could only eat the snack if they were sat at the table.. there were no spare seats at the table so I'd sat my son on the floor to eat. This was wrong apparently. Didn't go back. I had a couple of other very similar experiences until I found a couple of great ones that I made life long friends at. Wish I'd found them sooner!

All of them, both ds & I are autistic & going was the most awkward thing I have ever done. Ds wouldn't join in, he just wanted to do his own thing, he hated circle time, all the mums knew each other & didn't speak to me. My mum used to take ds & I joined her after work, I hated every minute.

Went to a breastfeeding support group with my first baby. Was meant to be peer support lead by a woman who had done some training with the council (so she wasn't a proper IBCLC supporter). Mentioned when I introduced myself that I was having a lot of issues with pain and frustration from my baby and occasionally was giving a small bottle of formula once in the evening when I couldn't take it any more just to feel like he was getting something. Also mentioned how much his weight was a concern and that I was getting nothing when I expressed.

She spent the rest of the session taking the piss out of formula feeders with her gang (the rest of the women who were there, all of whom were breastfeeding with ease) claiming how stupid they would grow up to be, not like their babies who were getting the good stuff in breast milk and it had been 'proven that breast milk makes for higher IQs, so sad for all those stupid formula fed babies'
I received no support at all and went home and sobbed in between apologising to my baby at how much I was letting him down.

Didn't return to the group. Battled on for six painful months until his weight loss became so alarming that we switched to formula and he became a different child. Took having my second baby's posterior tongue tie spotted to realise that had been the issue with my first. Second baby had his tongue tie divided and ended up breastfeeding for four years. I didn't go near a breastfeeding support group again but found loads of amazing help online

An art class where only about 5 mums and toddlers where there, we had to do some art work thing with our kids and were given one pot of paint each, each a different colour. The instructor said to swap the colours around between us. So DD and I used our colour then I asked the mum next to us if she wanted to swap, she refused and told me she was only swapping with her friend who she had arrived with.

Made me feel like I was back in school again, being left out.

Oh I love that song!!

When my twins were tiny, one near eldest school. I hauled two babies in car seats up a flight of stairs to the playgroup, which had two attendees - one who was a local childminder, plus a member of her staff and two of her kids. My two slept. We left early.

More recently art and stort time at the library. Two kids and just me so one of the helpers offered to help, who proceeded to make PA comments to DS (2) about how his parrot would never fly because DS didn't want feather omit and kept pulling them off when she put them on. When it came to the second activity she offered to help again and u said yes than you and she said "oh I hope you'd say no"