Did children of the 70s/80s go to baby groups?

[summertime232]

It feels like there’s so much pressure these days to entertain your kids, taking them to baby groups and classes and putting on lots of fun, stimulating and educational activities, followed by the obligatory photos on social media.

Has it always been like this for mums or were babies in the “old” days (by which I’m talking 1970s, 80s or even 90s, so not that long ago!) left to their own devices more?

I’m just curious because I feel pressurised to be filling my toddler’s days with wonderful experiences and know I’m falling short.

I remember being taken to toddler playgroups at around the age of 3 in the early 80s. 🙂

We went to toddler groups in the early 80s. In the local church/village hall.

Nope, not to this extent.

In the 80s my son did:
Mother and baby group arranged by the baby clinic, more for mums to get together than anything exciting for the babies.

Once a month visiting playbus.

Playgroup 2 sessions a week from age 3.

That was it for organised stuff.

I got taken to 'playgroups' as a very young child in the late 80s, I don't remember it but my parents have given the impression it was more to give the parents a break and chance to hang out with other parents of small kids, I think they tended to be church halls with toys and crayons and not the structured 'educational' type groups of today.

Playgroups - yes.

Everything else - softplay, baby music, baby massage, toddler football, etc - nope. Didn’t exist afaik.

I went to a play group in the 70s. I took my children to playgroups and 1 or 2 different preschool things . I don't think you have to do every single class and group going though.

Mine were mid 80s babies. We went to a mums and toddler group from about 6 months, then at 2.5 years they went to a local playgroup 2 half-days a week until they started reception at primary school and Tumble Tots once a week. These were all our activities.

Yeah - I was taken to toddler group in the early 80s which was basically some toys for the kids and drinks for the mums. Nothing fancy and that was all there was. I expect there was singing involved, though probably not organised. My mum just loves to warble 😂

I went to playgroup in the 80's, but it was 100% for the mum's. Nice cup of tea and a chat while the children played with some toys in the middle.

I think being at home with small kids has always been boring and people have always needed the company of other adults.

Definitely didn't have all the other activities though. Pre-school from about 2 though.

Thanks for the responses. It just seems to be an entire industry these days, and I didn’t know whether that was always the case! In some ways it’s probably a good thing, but I also feel a lot of pressure to do “fun” stuff and “live my best life” and then feel inadequate when I don’t.

I had 90s babies maybe should have said that

I was a child of the 80s and I remember going to playgroup from about the age of 3. I also used to go to story time at the library once a week.

Other than that I know my mum did go to a baby group when I was tiny, I think it was sort of linked to antenatal classes or something, I'm not too sure. But it was a baby group and it was organised, rather than just being a group of mum's.
I obviously don't remember but Mum met one of her best friends there and even 35+ years later they're still best friends. And I'm still good friends with her friend's baby!!

In the early 80s when I was very young there was a lot more informal socialising in the neighbourhood- most families lived in the same neighbourhood and kids grew up with cousins and neighbours kids (whose parents grew up together). In the area I’m from this began to break down in the mid to late 80s and people became more mobile meaning new mums can be more isolated and not naturally have other mums and other preschool kids around them.
For me classes and groups filled that void.

Yes church hall. Parents sat around edge smoking and chatting. You had equipment you could do yourself injury on but got orange squash and rich tea biccie so all was well.

Playgroups in church halls in the 80s. Orange squash in coloured beakers and Nice biscuits. The mums had tea or coffee from urns served in green cups and saucers. You would have just turned up and it would have been very cheap to attend.

Definitely playgroups (late 70s) but that was all. My mum says that there was a lot of mums going round each other's houses to socialise rather than lots of groups

I was born in the 70s, I went to playgroup 2 mornings per week. It had things like a sandpit and a paddling pool and you just played with whatever you wanted. It was run by the mums. Sometimes mums would go away and do shopping etc and pick you up at the end and sometimes they would stay and drink coffee with the others. The mums who stayed and drunk coffee kept an eye on all the kids playing. All quite laid back really!

70’s child.
Not baby groups or classes.

swimming/gymnastics/riding lessons/brownies but they were from around age 5/6

Play group/toddler groups occasionally but there were lots of meet ups with others as there seemed to be more SAHM’s who all wanted their children entertained by playing with other children.
A lot of time was spent walking to and from places because, certainly in our area, it was mostly one car families & the dads had the car at work. So in the morning walking older child to school, then there would be walking home & maybe to the shops with occasional park/friends to play then back for school run at home time.

There was just lots of baking, playing & ‘helping’ because there wasn’t smart phones & no wall to wall children’s programmes on TV. I still remember that if we got up early at the weekend and turned the TV on it was just black because programs (finger mouse & some mad woman who played a flute and told stories) hadn’t started yet.

Don’t feel pressured. A toddler will likely not even remember the ‘wonderful experiences’. Some of my happiest memories are the games that were made up -counting leaves, playing on the roundabout, blowing bubbles with a straw in a bowl full of water with fairy liquid in it, feeding the ducks-maybe step away from social media if it’s causing you to feel pressurised?

My mum took started the toddler group in our area for me. I was a 70’s baby

Yes I did apparently, but mostly of the church hall pay 50p kind.

Baby yoga, not so much for most of the country.

I am well past the baby bit with mine now but church hall groups are still the best - more relaxed and lots of older women volunteers that will reassure you endlessly that you are doing fine!

Baby groups are definitely not living your best life . However getting out of the house once a day, having some networks and camaraderie is a life saver for many mums who can feel very isolated and new to the parenting lark.

Myself and my kids went to play school.
I played with my kids a lot when at home, but also resorted to video/DVD’s when I needed to cook/clean/have a bit of time off.

I was born in the 60s and remember my sister going to a playgroup at the church hall in the early 70s. Activities for kids were extremely limited apart from swimming and Cubs/brownies. We all just played out. There was hardly any traffic where I lived then though.

This sounds lovely:

Playgroups in church halls in the 80s. Orange squash in coloured beakers and Nice biscuits. The mums had tea or coffee from urns served in green cups and saucers. You would have just turned up and it would have been very cheap to attend.

As does this:

I was born in the 70s, I went to playgroup 2 mornings per week. It had things like a sandpit and a paddling pool and you just played with whatever you wanted. It was run by the mums. Sometimes mums would go away and do shopping etc and pick you up at the end and sometimes they would stay and drink coffee with the others. The mums who stayed and drunk coffee kept an eye on all the kids playing. All quite laid back really!

I’m struggling to find anything like that in my area - everything seems to be geared towards signing up to a load of classes at once and suchlike. I’m sure it’s partly due to Covid, but I wish there was something more laid back like the experiences described above.

No, definitely not. My mum went back to work when I was 3 months. I had a lovely time with my grandparents though.