Baby groups for working dad

[Dudad]

Hiya all, wanted to pick the collective MN brain for some advice on finding baby groups for a working dad.

We are due our first in about 8 weeks (excited is not the word! ). My DW is going to be a SAHM and hence she pretty much will have her pick of baby groups as they all seem to be run midweek at between 9am and midday. I am keen to have as many bonding oppertunities with the LO as possible, but am pretty much stuck with normal working hours; leaving at about 8am (before any of these groups seem to start) and getting home about 5pm (after they all finish). I sort of get why these groups are aimed at SAHparents but was hoping there would be more provision for working parents.

Can anyone advise on how I go about finding some baby groups run on week day late-afternoon / evenings or at weekends; or explain why there aren't any? I live in Skipton, in North Yorkshire.

Thanks for any info or advice.

Dudad.

If you mean for you to attend with the baby, well they are geared up for when the baby is most active, ie, in the daytime. I have seen a few things at the weekends via Surestart centres or local authority sports places. You could also do swimming anytime that's quite popular with the dads around here.

You don't need a group in order to bond with your baby. Mostly they're run so that women aren't stuck in the house all day and can get together with other women for a chat and a coffee while the babies snooze in their pushchairs.

To bond with your baby, give them a bath, change their nappy, take them for a walk, sing songs, tell stories and generally include them in whatever you're doing. That'll work far better than sitting in a group.

Contact your local SureStart centre. Ours runs Dads' groups every second Saturday for precisely that reason.

And tbh, you will probably both be too tired in the evening to consider going out then! (Sorry if this is bad news!) Plus evenings is when young babies tend to do a non-stop feeding frenzy so you'll probably spend your evenings snuggled together in front of the tv for the first while. Enjoy it and go with the flow.

Congratulations on your upcoming arrival, by the way!

Thanks for info so far.

@CogitoErgoSometimes I'm sure its was well meant, but I am aware I don't need a formal environment to bond with my baby and fully intend to a very active/involved dad at home. What I was thinking about when I posted this was a group my sister in law went to with her DD. This was music group for babies where the parent and baby learned songs and music/sound games togther. Now my SIL and her DD share that experience, they leanred the games and songs together and naturally play together with them at home. Now obviously whomever attended a group like this could pass that information onto the parent who couldn't but its got to be a better experinece to get that first hand.

I was also thinking about swimming classes (onbly run at our locals baths during the day) - again not something I can do at home, and not something I'd be cofident doing on my own in a swimming pool full of teenagers.

Also, its seems to me these groups are as much about giving you ideas and suggestions about types of play as they are about actually playing, and I'd like to participate in that sharing.

Our local baby signing group runs groups on a Saturday and quite a lot of Surestart centres seem to run Dad's groups at the weekends too. There is stuff around, it just isn't as easy to find!

you sound lovely and I am sure you will make a great dad, groups or no groups. Some local libraries do rhyme time sessions on a saturday which are great because babies from 5-6 months onward can really get something out of them. Swimming is absolutely fine, most pools have a baby pool that teenagers aren't allowed in. All you need to do is bob her / him about holding him under the arms, let them float around, splash hands, chase a ball and if you're brave, duck them under - its fine I promise. You could also buy a swim seat (like a rubber ring with a seat in it) so you can just let her bob about on her own as well. I'll whisper the next bit, but Netmums has quite a good list of local clubs and groups if you sign up to it. Best of luck and congrats on the impending arrival