Why are there no Saturday playgroups??!!

[SJaneS]

I'm completely new to this site so if this is a much covered topic then excuse me!

I am lucky enough to work from home and have been for over a year so this isn't strictly a going back to work quibble. My 20 month year old goes to a childminder and is in sore need of company her own age and sex. I have friends with little boys who she sees once a month or so but she mixes mostly with adults and a small baby also at the childminder.

I've just looked for toddler groups in East Sussex or West Kent that meet at the weekend and bar a Dads group once a month in Tunbridge Wells....nada!Nothing at all for working Mums. I don't want to move her from the childminder (who says she can't take her to todder group due to the baby)and am at a bit of a loss! Any ideas?? Is there anyone local (Hastings/Tunbridge Wells region)that knows of anything that I've failed to find?!

I am surprised that the CM cannot take her to a mother/carer & toddler group . is it something that CM cannot do ? or is it just her.

Sorry can't give you any information on groupsin your area - but what about some music groups or tumble tots - do they do Saturdays ?

You will find thatmost people - like myslef who works in a playgroup has children of their own so working at a wekkend would be a no no .

I would clarify with CM why exactly she cannot go to a toddlergroup and perhapslook for a another CM that would fullfil your childs needs .

Have you had a look for play sessions at the local leisure centre? Ours does a soft play session (ball pool, etc) on a Saturday morning. Seems to be mostly frequented by dads whilst mum gets a lie in!

Well i managed to take my toddler and baby to playgroups....its not that difficult I am surprised by cm

The reason playgroups are not mormally on at weekend as they are normally run by volunteers who want to be with their families at weekends

They may be some saturday classes near you or i would check out your lopcal surestart centre, mine run a dad and toddler group on saturdays (obv only men work all week ) but as they are paid workers the might do something at a weekend

Lie in...and whats that?!

thanks for the leisure centre suggestion - good idea and will have a look. And captainpants, apparently childminding regs state that as a childminder you have to go and vet a playgroup first of all without taking the children with you to make sure its all ok. Our childminder has quite reasonably pointed out that she is a no point during the week without kids!

also, Captain I can quite understand why you wouldn't want to work at the weekend but as a working Mum it is frustrating that so little is available for us working full time Mums who could fit in an hour or so on a Saturday morning.

hmm I would post in the childminding topic and find out how they all manage to go to such groups

Lie in - it's when the DC don't wake you up until 6:45 .

Your CM muxt be part of a childminiding network and have access to a chilminding liasion withe local early years so I am sure that this issue of 'vetting ' a group is over come some how .

As previous poster has said cehck in CM topic and ask this question . I am a bit about her excuse .

I see lots of CM at the playgroups i go to and have done for years so am a bit too...

I also wish there were groups on a saturday as DH works, shopping is a nightmare and no fun for kids anyway, and the local soft plays are so expensive and chaotic. I hate saturdays!

sounds odd to me. do you have a children's centre near you? they often have childminder support groups..and lots of toddler group sessions which surely wouldn't need 'vetting' if such a thing does indeed have to be done.

While I suspect that she doesn't particularly want to go to the effort of going to toddler groups, I don't feel from my experience of her that I have any reason to doubt she is telling the truth. I have also got a 15 year old daughter and of all the childminders/au pairs and after school clubs etc I've had to use over the years she seems incredibly efficient and we receive alot of
paperwork from her. She is good with our small duaghter and flexible so I am also loathe to offend her!

As some of you will have experienced, a childminder who your child likes and who seems to take very good care of your child are not ten a penny and its no small decision to move your child, particularly when you live in an area with a scarcity of childminders (we live in the backside of the back of beyond!).In the distant past I've used a childminder who smacked her own child so hard across the face he lost a tooth and another one who used my elder daughter to look after the younger kids while she sat in a car outside with her new boyfriend. Both of these were registered at the time so perhaps you can understand my reticence to change!

Our CM is older and doesn't as far as I can tell belong to any childminding group. She has teenage kids and has been doing this for many years (with great references).So on balance I guess I have to swallow the lack of playgroups and try and find another solution.

which takes me back to trying to find Sat play options!

Can't you do an activity with her - music, swimming etc? That is what I did. Ds's childminder rarely took him to playgroups.

Hi SJane - surely if this CM looks after your child and you would like your child to attend a toddler group then your childminder should take her to one (whether she paticularly wants to or not)

As a childminder her job is to do all the sorts of things with children that a parent does

Or am I being stupidly simplistic...........

I help out at a weekday toddler group and it is very hard to get volunteers to help set-up and tidy away let alone actually run it. I imagine it would be almost impossible to run at the weekend for reasons of lack of volunteers and also the lack of people wanting to go. You need to attract enough people to pay for the hall (ours is surprisingly expensive) and other overheads. When the dads are home at the weekends, which most are, people don't want to go to toddler groups. Also remember loads of toddlers will have school-age siblings to look after too.

There are some things run on weekends in our town, toddler football sessions, soft-play and there were some art sessions but no one went so they closed.

Loads of childminders at the toddler groups I attend by the way.

My DP works on a saturday (often sunday too with time off in the week). I share your frustration as I would like more things to do at the weekend with DS which are specifically aimed at toddlers.

Its really frustrating but I guess that the reasons for the lack of toddler groups and activities are understandable- the people running them have the weekend off, most people are enjoying 'family' time at the weekend and things often concentrate on school age DCs as they don't get so much chance to do these things during the week.

I often find that its harder to drop in on other 'mum' friends at the weekend as their DP/DH tend to be home and I feel awkward for interrupting their precious family time. I often wonder if single parents find the lack of activities for babies / toddlers at the weekends difficult for this reason too.

I haven't found much in the way of good solutions - we tend to go swimming, to the park, library etc. but as these things are not really done as an organised group you get less opportunity to connect with other people and their DCs.

Hope someone has some more helpful suggestions!!

If you want a Saturday group, set one up!

I find the best way of settling a baby is to take them to a toddler group, they form a bond with you as you are the familiar object!

I regularly take 4 under 2.4 to toddler group, two in the buggy and two walking!

There is a saturday toddler group at one of our children's centres but it is for dads!

Agree with alibubbles that children's centres are the way forward. The two near me do Dad's playgroups one Saturday a month (but not the same day so there's one every other Saturday if you get my drift). But there is soft play at the local leisure centre on Saturday and Sunday mornings as well.

I work near TW so can't believe there isn't something similar for you. Have you tried Tonbridge?

There is a Saturday morning playgroup at St Stephen's Church in Tonbridge, but it's only monthly and also aimed at dads - but they do say that other carers are welcome. You get a bacon butty as an added incentive

Thanks TeamEdward - will check that out. And thanks to the person who suggested the TW Sat Dads group. Had found that on the Net and had already suggested to the other half that he go...but apparently as that might involve making polite small talk with strangers its an unreasonable request on a weekend!

Sorry to labour the point but wanted to comment on your cm having to risk assess every outing. It is true that before going anywhere the cm has to do a risk assessment (even if they've never been before ) but I have found, the best way to do this is to ring the place in question and ask for a copy of their risk assessment, which cm can then put on file and update after their first outing. It shouldn't prevent you going out and about to new places.

Maybe the baby's parents don't want him/her to go to toddler groups? In which case the CM's "excuse" would be entirely reasonable.