Baby/toddler groups?

[Firebird83]

Does anyone know if baby/toddler groups and classes will be allowed to take place in tier 2?

They count as support groups - I’ve been going to mine in north London throughout this second lockdown! Went this morning.

I work in the industry. Kids activities allowed in all three.

In my corner of London the local church playgroups have all been closed since March. The commercial ones are open but much reduced so impossible to get Into. It sucks.

I'm now inexplicably in a tier 3 (Tier 1 before lockdown) and whilst baby/toddler groups are officially allowed to go ahead many of the venues they run at are not opening which means they can't run. It's an absolute joke. And church toddler groups haven't been running since March. I could put my 2year old in a nursery for 8hrs a day everyday but can't let her play with 8 other toddlers in a massive church hall. Madness and causing huge huge huge loneliness and mental health issues.

To be fair to church playgroups etc they depend on volunteers and they just can’t be expected to clean toys etc between sessions which is why they can’t go ahead.
Commercial groups far more likely to be able to run with the rules but with strictly limited numbers and kids all sat with their parents apart etc

So so angry about this.

There are hardly any activities on for toddlers where I am. The church run groups are closed. The paid activities are full I’ve been on several waiting lists since July and nothing has come up. I know no one with children around the same age that we could go for a bloody walk with.

The only thing we can do is go for a walk (cue screaming in the pram), go to the playground (it’s freezing and she’s scared of other toddlers now - used to be very confident), and go to the supermarket- not ideal!

Yet I could sign her up to nursery tomorrow for £50 a day, with random strangers??!! What on earth??!!

As a SAHM I have literally spoken to about 2 adults for 5 minutes each in the past 3 weeks apart from OH.

The days are so long and so so so lonely.

What is being done to the youngest (and least at risk from Covid!!!!) is absolutely terrible.

I was hoping at least outdoor animal parks could be open next week. But no, we are tier 3. So everything closed, even paid for toddler classes as the venues can’t open.

Yet OH can go to work with 60 people, go to exercise classes, and generally do many ‘normal’ things, while I’m slowly going insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Should I send toddler to nursery?? It’s expensive? More risk of catching Covid and having to isolate etc. I’m not working so even 2 days a week would be a big strain on finances. We have no family nearby to help.

I think one local stay and play was open in lockdown 2 but they shortened the time you could stay to allow more people to get a chance to go, also the price went up from £1 for a baby or £4 a toddler to £5 per child. Still the cheapest thing I know of but if you're on the second mat leave it's doubled in price. Not sure if it will drop back down.

The other thing I can think of shut in lockdown but is reopening, it's about £12 per child per session (45 mins) which is not affordable to a lot of people.

Local kid friendly museum should reopen hopefully and also I'm praying for the sport I wanted to start DD on will resume as lockdown started just as she became eligible.

There was a forest school that ran trough lockdown as it's"educational" but it's also expensive, the informal meet up in the woods had to stop and that is a real shame.

I missy buggy walking group a lot

(Tier 2 London)

Absolutely nothing open here and has been absolutely nothing since March. We have given in and toddler starts nursery 2 days a week in January. Health visitor agreed at her recent check that she was behind on her social and emotional development due to lockdown. We can't risk her future any longer so will sort the finance somehow.