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Original poster

Why are they no baby or toddler groups on a weekend?

40 replies

Acidrain · 12/03/2019 17:08

Just a little moan really, my DS is 16 months and can't find a baby group for a weekend. We go swimming at turtle tots on a Friday but can't find any classes or groups on a Saturday and Sunday?

I work Monday - Thursday and would like to make some friends with babies but these are unheard of in my area!
Dance classes and stage school they have to be walking or 2 which he isn't either!!

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RicStar · 12/03/2019 17:11

It is annoying but you will have to make the best of your Fridays. Can you try MUSH / local Facebook etc for mums. As you say once they are a little older then there are lots of weekend things to do. We do have some weekend groups in London - mainly but not exclusively aimed at Dads.

Callistone · 12/03/2019 17:11

I once asked our children's centre about this as the only weekend club they ran was a once monthly For Dad's club. They just shrugged and said there was nothing going.

Basically if you work full time then tough, you clearly don't want to meet other parents

I made some friends on local MN and NM sites, some who became good friends, others who like me were just looking for someone to pass the time with because for whatever reason they weren't doing that sainted "family time" all weekend.

It's a bit shite, sorry.

MigGril · 12/03/2019 17:12

Our library does groups at weekend and so do the children centre but only.once a month. I think it's because a lot of groups are run by mum's with children and may have older one's at school.

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PlansNotDreams · 12/03/2019 17:12

No help but we have the same issue. Friends and relatives are always inviting us to toddler groups on Tuesday afternoons, or Thursday mornings!

DH and I work mon-fri and apart from swimming which we do on a Saturday, there isn’t really anything else!

cestlavielife · 12/03/2019 17:37

Go to park at regular time ?
You might see same people....
Set up a group yourself?
Hire community hall?
Talk to local one o clock club / library?
Ask local saturday music centre to establish an under fives session ?

HopelesslydevotedtoGu · 12/03/2019 17:44

Round here some paid for classes run on Saturdays, eg baby sensory. And there are monthly Dad's playgroups - but no playgroups open to full time working mums.

I accompanied dh to the children's centre dad's playgroup once as he was taking our two DC, and the youngest was a little baby and ebf. The children's centre staff were not happy about me being there even though I stayed in the corner and was only available when baby needed a feed.

InDubiousBattle · 12/03/2019 17:48

I think the honest answer is that it's still quite unusual for both parents to go back to work full time, or at least it is in my area. Our local children's centre used to have one but as op say it was aimed at dads. Maybe get in touch with your local Tumble Tots/Jo Jingles type class and express an interest and they might add a weekend session? Or start one yourself?

cestlavielife · 12/03/2019 17:49

Gymboree did and does Saturday classes.
Maybe something similar?
Or ask a franchisee to start a Saturday class?

NewAccount270219 · 12/03/2019 17:54

We have this problem too - when I went back to work I started taking DS swimming because I wanted an activity for the two of us and it was the only one that runs on a Saturday. I'm always the only mum in the water.

As a pp said, it is unusual in my area for both parents to work full-time - I'm the only one in my mum's group to have gone back at all now (the babies are 8 months), let alone full-time - but what surprises me is it seems to be like this even in areas that I know have a much higher percentage of full-time working mothers.

thatwhichwecallarose · 12/03/2019 17:58

Probably a) demand (most parents want to do the groups when the other parent is working) and b) supply (people who run these groups may well have school age children and working weekends doesn’t fit in with that). Library’s or parks might be a good idea. (Or start one although I seriously doubt you’ve got time for that!)

VaselineOnToast · 12/03/2019 17:59

I help to run a weekend group, but attendance is very low so it's probably going to be moved to a weekday. We were trying to cater for parents like yourself and those whose partners work weekends but there's just not enough interest here and I suspect it's commonly the case.

NewAccount270219 · 12/03/2019 18:02

Yeah, while I'd love there to be more at the weekend I don't know a single other mother who would go to a weekend group so I will concede that there isn't actually a big demand as far as I can see.

anniehm · 12/03/2019 18:05

Because at weekends older kids are around so would take over the group plus most are run by volunteers who have better things to do on weekends like look after their older kids and grandkids

ducky21 · 12/03/2019 18:12

I think you would just have to go to your local soft play centre tbh I've never seen a playgroup on weekends only a dads one, which isn't really fair tbh because women are not allowed to have mum only ones during the week, we don't exclude

NewAccount270219 · 12/03/2019 18:15

Because at weekends older kids are around so would take over the group

I hadn't thought about it but this is true - when I was on mat leave a lot of the regular baby things I was going to became unbearable/unsuitable for a baby in school holidays

Smoggle · 12/03/2019 18:19

No one wants to volunteer to run a toddler group at the weekend - why don't you organise one OP?

BangingOn · 12/03/2019 19:19

I found it really hard at the weekend when DS was younger and I worked full time. Nursery had a family fun day one weekend where I got a chance to talk properly to some of the other Mums, rather than the usual rush at drop off, and started arranging our own get togethers.

Original poster

Acidrain · 12/03/2019 19:49

As much as I would love to start one, I just have no idea how to go about it!
I never thought to check the library, so will check there next.
I totally get that through the week is great for many people but surely there are mums out there who work through the week or who's partners work away over the weekend etc.

We do visit soft play centres and parks on weekends and do speak to the other mums after swimming whilst getting changed but just miss the informal feel of playgroups.

Our local sling library have a catch up on weekends, I wonder if I can encourage them to have a little playgroup as well!

OP posts:

Smoggle · 12/03/2019 19:56

As much as I would love to start one, I just have no idea how to go about it!
Find a church that does a week day play group and ask the organisers about you running it on a weekend too.
Or just start doing a weekend meet up at a soft play or a park cafe, advertise on Facebook.

BikeRunSki · 12/03/2019 20:07

I used to run a monthly parent/baby group on s Saturday. People were enthusiastic for a couple of months, but then we didn’t ever get enough numbers to make the hall hire viable. Enthusiasm in principle is great, but the realities of needing to do something with partner/mum/friend etc who works in the week; get hair cut while partner/mum/friend babysits; take older (school age) children to sports/music/parties etc tends to get in the way. We never had non-one, but after 2 or 3 months wer rarely had more than 2 or 3 people. Unless we were going to charge them £5+ it just wasn’t financially worthwhile.

NuffSaidSam · 12/03/2019 20:24

I think in most places the numbers wouldn't work. There are some people who want a weekend playgroup, but not enough.

What childcare does he go to? Could you make friends from there? Presumably those parents are also working through the week so in the same position?

It is annoying though, I'm a nanny and I hate working a Sat/Sun because there is nothing on and no-one wants to meet up and play either!

Could maybe start a group via your local Facebook?

WhenZogateSuperworm · 12/03/2019 20:26

Same here- nothing on at weekends. I also hate that all the groups we do in the week stop in school holidays leaving me with 6 weeks to entertain a toddler!

whitehalleve · 12/03/2019 20:34

I don't go to them but my local library does toddler groups on Saturdays and Sundays.

Original poster

Acidrain · 12/03/2019 20:55

My DH does drop offs and pick ups for nursery, so he's got chatting to a few mums there and on the off chance I finish early or start late, I do the occasional drop off but not enough to get chatting to parents.

I may go and speak to the local church group and see what they say, I can see why it's not feasible but just wish there where more.
Other than that, I might have to knock swimming on the head and use our Friday together for play groups!

OP posts:

NewAccount270219 · 12/03/2019 21:09

I don't go to them but my local library does toddler groups on Saturdays and Sundays.

Mine does too - but they're called 'Daddy Cool' so I don't think they're for me!

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