Thoughts on this please...

[Onebloodyjob]

Hi.. saw my friend earlier and she said she had an idea that she wanted to run past me and see if I would help her. I think it's a good idea in theory but not sure how it actually work? So wondered if you could see what you think... It's basically a baby group for non crawlers so young babies but it's a group more for the mums to come and drink tea and eat cake/biscuits and just get out and chat etc. Not focused on the babies at all but would obviously be a place to breastfeed/bottlefeed change the babies etc etc. I like the idea but not sure if it's actually got legs! Thoughts?

well nobody would be coming for very long....

Also she's in the very early stages of planning it so still needs to find a venue ( I said we'd need somewhere with sofas maybe) and to iron out all the details..

The down side is that people will only be members for a few months then they will have to move on, the churn is going to be huge. Ideally you would also offer a mobile babies group from 6months that people can move onto with their new friends.

😆 yeah I thought that.. But I guess it'd work for that newborn to 6ish month stage before they head to baby/toddler groups. I think she's trying to do like a mum support group which i love the idea of..

The NCT and Children's centres have this covered in my area. I was involved with one run by a charity, it only worked because they were a recognised provider and health visitors and children's centre staff were encouraged to refer all new parents. Without a ready flow of new joiners, I think it would have folded fast.

I think it sounds good in theory, but as people have said, the turnover of people would be massive as they wouldn't stay "non crawlers " for long. Just wondering why they would have to unable to crawl. Is this from the point of view of the parent being able to have the conversations rather than chasing the baby round ?

There is one in my local area exactly as you describe and it's incredibly popular. It's for babies up until they can walk really, most go until baby is about 1 and generally the mum returns to work then anyway. There is tea and toast for the mums (or dads) and lots of toys, bouncy seats and playmats etc for the babies. It's 'mum' (or dad) focussed rather than being about activities for the kids, although they are entertained enough by each other. It was a lifeline for me when I moved here and had DS1 as I knew nobody, I met some of my best friends there.

There is a 'follow on' group from the baby group which is more like a classic toddler group. So if you can go then you can sort of 'graduate' to that after the baby group.

Yes, the baby group has a shelf life but so does maternity leave for most people. There are always people having babies, so new people coming along. Ours is brilliant and I recommend it to everyone!

If the babies are on the move then you'd need more to entertain them and the safety aspect. Plus it's hard to sit and drink tea when you have a baby whizzing all over the place.. I think what I liked about the idea is that most playgroups are focused in entertainment for babies when really theyd be happy looking at a light fitting!! What struck me about her plan was its purely for the mums.. I would have loved that when I had my dc

MisterMagpie.. Can I ask how long the group is. We were thinking of a sort of flexible session as it's hard sometimes to get out but this is one of the sticking points

Friendly bump for some more opinions ☺

Just go to a tots group?? Why limit it to tiny babies? It would rule out all those with older siblings for a start. I go to tots group with my babies and can still chat to other mums even if theirs are older.

I went to a group like this called baby social. It was for prewalker though. I think if you limit is to precrawlers then you will struggle. It took me until DD was 8 weeks to be able to drive and get out and about and she crawling/dragging herself across the floor by 5 months.

The women who ran it also ran a range of different child and parent groups, song time, baby massage, messy play and themed parties. The baby social was in part a way to drum up business for the other groups but because she was a trained experienced family support worker she was a lovely person to have contact with.

I don't really get how this is a new idea, sounds like every baby group I've been to. Are there none in your area? Your friend could train as a Daisy leader?

The group I went to is two hours, 11:30-1:30. Think the reasoning is that a lot of groups are first thing but it can be hard to get out of the house early with a baby, plus they usually have a morning nap. The food provided (toast with ham or cheese and fruit) means that lunch is covered for the mums that day. It 'costs' £2, but if you couldn't afford it then nobody would mind if you didn't pay.

It works really well in my area and I'm surprised you don't hear of more groups like that. Most other are 'classes' that you pay for or more geared to toddlers.

I will say that that particular group probably serves first time mums better so no older siblings. Unless they are at school or nursery of course.

As mentioned by PPs, this is covered by children's centres and our local NCT already in our area. I think another group would struggle to get the footfall. You are targeting a very small pool of mums: basically those with a baby under 6-9mo and no older preschool-aged children. You would need to constantly keep on top of advertising due to a quick turnaround of attendees.

There's one of these groups near me and it's very popular. Bumps and babies it's called, so pregnant women are welcome too. I think it's a good idea, toddler groups are a different ballgame really and more for the kids than the parents.

there's one in our local children's centre and is very busy (london) i only went a few times but each time it was busy. They sometimes had specialists in to talk through weaning and also on occasion has a breast feeding specialist walk around and ask if we needed any help and support (if she could see were feeding)

If you’re banning babies who can move it’s also only a group for first time parents because as soon as you’ve got more than one you’re knackered.

Isn't it just like a breastfeeding/new mothers cafe? We've plenty of them around and they are advertised by the health visitors so are very popular.