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 went to playgroup but was left there. Born in 1966

1960s baby - my mum went to coffee morning with her friends. Nothing formal.
I had mine in 90s. Did mum's and toddlers occasionally but didn't really enjoy it. Cup of tea and a biscuit while children played. Many of my friends didn't go back to work till youngest were at school, so there was usually somebody we could go and play with. Or we went to my mums, and the other grandparents at the weekend (my in-laws were still working but my mum wasnt)
Went to tumble tots with the eldest for a while, but it got complicated once the others arrived.
I don't think we felt that kind of pressure that young mums feel today. Babies and toddlers fitted in with general family life much more.

@Twoforthree

I went to playgroup but was left there. Born in 1966

Are playgroups even a thing any more? My children did that the year before they started reception. Only a couple of hours, and really very informal. Our was attached to a local church, and was more a way of easing children into being left, than anything else I think. We had a rota where mums would stay and help for a morning, once or twice a term.

Yes. We went to playgroups in the church hall and local community centre

I think people have different names for different things.

I’d say, there is childcare/a nursery setting which could be any slots from 7-7 and usually facilitates working parents.

Playgroup/toddler groups-you go, stay with your child, pay a £1, play with the toys that kindly volunteers put out, have a cup of tea and biscuit and then all tidy up again. Often 10-12 or 1-3.

Pre school (often used to be called playschool in the 70s). You’d go some or every morning age 3-4 as a ‘rising 5’ to play with toys, have a snack, do tracing etc usually in a church hall.

Some schools, often those in higher areas of sociolo-economic deprivation have nurseries attached to them and you can do mornings/afternoons or a mix here.

There is a usefulness in groups for mothers if they enjoy it particularly now that so many have a whole year off work and need some adult company . The DC don't benefit any more than they might have done in the past going to the park a few times a week or starting playgroup for a couple of mornings the year before they started school.

@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.

Yes. The local churches all ran baby groups every morning.

@summertime232

Life was so different when my children were young in the late 70s / early 80s. I took them to 1 o'clock clubs twice a week, DD went to a preschool gym club once a week. Apart from that we went to the library, to the park, met up with mum friends or we visited family. I had my parents, two sets of aunts and uncles and a single uncle living within walking distance. If I was having a difficult day with the DC, I always had family to visit. I do think life was easier, there wasn't a pressure to be a perfect mother.

No-one expected you to entertain your DC all day / every day. When the DC went in the garden, usually one of the NDNs would chat to them. People seemed to have more time then.

@summertime232

p.s. please don't worry about falling short as a mother. Judging by today's standards, I definitely fell short :) but my DC are all grown and flown now and all is well with them.

Lovely posts @MissMarplesGoddaughter

[quote Lockdownbear]@ImNotWhoYouThinkIam maybe it was council funded but right at the very start of council funded nursery. Now that I think about it my primary school had a nursery class before I left in the mid 80s that didn't exist when I started.
When did universal 'preschool' become a thing?[/quote]
Google seems to suggest 1996, but it obviously existed in some places before then! (Have checked with Mum and nursery was funded from somewhere not paid for by parents).

I'm always fascinated by how much provision differs from area to area!

1970s I was allowed to toddle after my brother on to the park. Parents were happy to let their kids play out. I was probably 3-4.

I also remember sitting with my feet in pond with all the other kids and lots of white geese I was pre-school. That freedom and perceived safety seems a world away

@Howshouldibehave

I'd have said Playgroup / Playschool were the same. Somewhere parents dropped kids off for a couple of hours maybe 2/3 days per week. Mix of paid and voluntary staff / mums on rota.

Pre-school is more organised usually with council funding and all paid staff with qualified teachers.

Are playgroups even a thing any more?

Probably not. Everyone would need to be enhanced DBS-checked, Ofsted-registered, and H&S risk assessments a mile long. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does make it a lot less likely that a group of parents could just get together to handle their own childcare needs on a voluntary basis.

I think playgroups went out of fashion for exactly that reason. Coupled with the universal pre-school provision. Playgroups / playschool were targeted at 3/4 year olds.

I took mine to playgroup once a week for the morning, it cost 50p, this was the middle 70s. We took it in turns to help out, I made lots of friends through that.
Now and again we'd hire a coach and take the kids to the zoo, safari parks etc. We'd meet up at the local swimming pool, but that was about all. We didn't have any other clubs for babies at that time. It was so much more relaxed in those days, no one worried that the kids weren't permanently doing something.

Late 80’s- early 90’s, I know I was taken to playgroup. But they were more like less rigid nursery days. I know mum used to stay to one or two sessions but then also there was a drop and go version too for an afternoon or two a week too. I don’t think there was anything like baby massage or rhyme time.

Born mid 70s.
Same as most, church hall a few times a week, mostly unstructured.
Occasionally we'd have someone come in to do a music session. Where kids would bang drums and wave maracas around.

In the 80s when I was at kids orchestra, there were music sessions for the under 5s starting through the same organisers.

but then also there was a drop and go version too

Oh how I wish there was something like that available today!

One of my children was born in the 80's and we went to baby and toddler groups.

I'm born late 70s and went to playgroup

Also remember children playing in the middle and all us mums sitting round the edges drinking coffee, chatting and eating biscuits. They were great. I went to a different one every day of the week. All within walking distance.

Not for my 80’s childhood.
We would go round to a few mums houses (friends made at nct classes) and the mums would sit chain smoking ignoring the kids drinking tea whilst we ran riot.

I went to toddler group in the 80’s twice a week & my mum was avidly involved in NCT. Her best friends now are still those NCT mums. I grew up with the kids but none of us stayed friends once we got to high school particularly. I’m on friendly terms with a couple but that’s all! But they were important parts of my childhood, we just grew apart going to different schools & different year groups etc

I went 3 times a week in the late 80s because that's when it was on.