We cover the following areas: SW10, SW3, SW5, SW7, W10, W11, W14 and W8. Our branch was created in the summer of 2009.  Please get in contact if you would like to get involved.

Facebook and Twitter

For up to date details, please follow us on Facebook. And we are now live on Twitter - please follow us @NCT_KC.

Weekly Free Activities

We currently operate four weekly activities, which are all free for local parents (NCT members and non-members alike). Our Bumps & Babies groups operate on a drop-in basis, and are open to all expecting parents as well as parents with babies and young children under five. Donations to the NCT charity are welcome. 

Mondays, 10am-11.30am: Holland Park walk (meet outside the cafe between 10am-10.15am)

Tuesdays, 12.30pm-1.45pm: Bumps & Babies at Gymboree, South Kensington. (N.B. We won't be meeting on Tuesday 5 June 2012 due to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee long weekend)

Thursdays, 2.30-4.30pm: Bumps & Babies at St Peter's, Notting Hill. 

Fridays, 11.15am-1pm: Bumps & Babies at Maggie & Rose, Kensington.

New Volunteers Coffee Morning - 23 May

Come along for coffee and cake on Wednesday 23 May, 10am-11.30am, to meet other new volunteers and some of the current team to find out how you can help. We are always looking for volunteers to help out with our groups, or take positions on the committee, and are thrilled with any offers of help, no matter how small. The coffee morning will be hosted by our Branch Coordinator, Kate, so please email nctkensington@yahoo.co.uk to get the address.

Toddler Talk with Kathryn Mewes - Thursday 21 June

Rydges, 61 Gloucester Road, Kensington SW7 4PE, 8-9.30pm

We have invited Kathryn Mewes, Bespoke Nanny, and author of ‘The 3 Day Nanny’, to talk to us on some of the tougher issues when it comes to parenting toddlers.

Kathryn will talk on issues that are relevant for children between 18 months and 4 years old, however any parent with a baby or young child is welcome to attend.

During the 90-minute session, Kathryn will focus on the following topics:

• Encouraging your child’s independence and understanding what they are capable of

• Meal times and how to make them run smoothly

• The signs of when to start potty training and how to do it

• Giving your child the freedom of choice to tantrum and how to manage when this happens. 

Tickets are £10 and include refreshments, places are limited, please book online. 

Special Programmes at Bumps & Babies Groups

Occasionally at our Bumps & Babies groups we have guest speakers or run different activities. Look what's coming up:

Fridays 18 May / 1 June / 29 June – Baby singing and signing at Bumps & Babies, Maggie & Rose Club

Join NCT volunteer, Fontine Lee, for nursery rhymes and baby signing! Fontine will be running a 20-minute singing and signing session from 11.45am

Friday 25 May – Diamond Jubilee Crafting at Bumps & Babies, Maggie & Rose Club

All toddlers and parents are invited to create Diamond Jubilee decorations. We will set up craft stations with colouring-in sheets and paper bunting projects, all equipment will be supplied. 

Summer Tots Picnic - Monday Mornings

Join us for a picnic on Monday mornings, 11am-12.30pm, from 14 May to 9 July (inclusive), in the lovely St Mary Abbots Gardens – suitable for babies and toddlers. It’s a charming hidden gem of a garden with lots of safe places for toddlers to roam. Please bring a picnic, blanket and a toy.  

Toddler Activities

With the conclusion of our weekly Toddler Group at the Science Museum at the end of March 2012, we will now be organising monthly Toddler Activities throughout the Borough for parents of mobile babies and toddlers.

Pampered Like a Queen at Beaufort House, Wednesday 30 May - 10am-12pm

Celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by treating yourself to an indulging hand & arm massage or an enhancing nail treatment, generously provided by beauty therapists from Cupcake Club along with elevenses! 

And not to leave the kiddies out – Art Barn will be on hand to help Mums and tots to create their own Jubilee-inspired crown to take home. Violinist, Antonia Azoitei, from Classical Babies will be treating us with a 20-minute performance at 11am. 

Tickets are just £10 and places are limited, so get in quick!

Father’s Day Craft Activity with Art Barn, Wednesday 6 June

Art Barn are generously running three free Father's Day craft classes for local tots and parents in South Kensington. Father's Day is on Sunday 17 June, and this class is a chance to make your child's Father's Day extra special. Come and make a lovely canvas painting for Daddy - a great fun project for children and parents to make together. Classes on offer: 9-9.45am – 18 months +; 10-10.45am – 12 months +; 11-11.45am – 2 years +. Make your booking online. FREE! 

Spring Nearly New Sale - 12 May 2012

Our Spring Nearly New Sale will be held on Saturday 12 May 2012, at St Barnabas Church Hall in Kensington. For our Spring Sale we will have more sellers, more refreshments, fabulous goody bags and a raffle to win some amazing prizes! We can't wait to see you there. To give you a sneak peak into our goody bags, so far we have: juice boxes from Peter Rabbit Organics, free day passes from Stars Gym in Chelsea, Mighty Meals toddler packs from Organix, a complimentary class voucher from Culture Kids, and magazines from Families West Magazines.

Raffle will be drawn from 11.45am!

We have got some amazing prizes for you to win at our Spring Sale! We will be drawing winners every 15 minutes from 11.45am. Prizes up for grabs are:

• Two 5-class vouchers from Art Barn
• Two 5-day pass to Stars Gym in Chelsea
• Two Culture Baby tickets
• A 'Head in the Clouds' massage at Cupcake Club
• Three Summer Term vouchers to Pippa's Poppets in Kensington
• A year's membership to Beaufort House, Chelsea
• Merino Kids Coccoi Skincare products
• Family Lifestyle Shoot with photographer Annie Armitage. Includes a framed 10x8 photograph of your choice.
• Kiddie Kicks - 6 free sessions and a football kit (top and shorts)
• A holiday class at The Maggie & Rose Family Club
• A snugglebundl and matching accessory
• Facial voucher from Beauty Works West
• NCT K&C Family Yoga class voucher
• Pickle Pie Creations print voucher

Baby First Aid Courses

Our branch provides regular Baby First Aid courses in partnership with the British Red Cross.

Our next courses on Saturday 19 May are now full. We are taking bookings for the rest of 2012, dates include: Saturdays 30 June, 8 Sep, 20 Oct 2012. Please use the following link to make your booking: http://nctkensingtonbabyfirstaid2012.eventbrite.com.

For each day we run two courses, from 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm. All courses will be held at Rydges Kensington on Gloucester Road. Bookings do fill fast. To see full course details, please visit our Baby First Aid course page. 

Sling Library -- Sling and Carrier Donations Needed!

Exciting news, we'll be shortly starting up a Sling Library for the branch! Providing local parents with a great way to try out different options. To start it off, we're in need of slings and carriers in good condition, please email NCTKensingtonSlings@yahoo.co.uk if you have any slings or carriers to donate. Please stay tuned for more details on our new Sling Library! 

We are very thankful to our new volunteer, Abby, for so enthusiastically volunteering to get our Sling Library started. However, we are in need of more hands to get going - if you enjoy / have enjoyed using a sling or carrier for your baby and would be interested in helping other local parents do the same, please get in touch by emailing NCTKensingtonSlings@yahoo.co.uk.

Family Yoga Classes

We are planning on running a new 6-week term of Family Yoga beginning Friday 15 June until Friday 20 July 2012 (inclusive). If you are interested in joining, please register your interest by emailing toddlersnctkensington@yahoo.co.uk.

If this interests you but you can't make the dates or time, please email: toddlersnctkensington@yahoo.co.uk and we can add you to our waiting list.

We Need You!

Our branch is currently in desperate need of people to fill the following volunteer roles:

• Writing articles for the Newsletter - The Newsletter Team are looking for local parents to help with content, e.g. writing and researching stories that will interest families in the borough.
• Branch Secretary - An administrator for the branch who works closely with the Branch Co-ordinator. 
• Bumps & Babies Supporters - Adhoc help in hosting our Bumps & Babies groups and other activities.
• Sling Library - help needed to operate our small Sling Library. Please email NCTKensingtonSlings@yahoo.co.uk, if you're interested.

Other vacant roles include: Fundraising Co-ordinator, Grant Fundraising Co-ordinator, and Bra Fitter.

Toys needed

Have your children outgrown any of their toys? If so, we would love to take them off your hands! We are seeking clean and working toys for our Bumps & Babies groups in Notting Hill and South Kensington, and hopefully a new group in Chelsea. 

We are after any toys suitable for babies and children under 5, small or big. And in particular: baby gyms, play mats, rockers and bouncers. 

If you’ve got anything at all that you could kindly donate, please email nctkensington@yahoo.co.uk. 

Courses

Yoga for Pregnancy / Relax, Stretch & Breathe

These courses are held in the home of our local NCT teacher, Jean Goodliffe, and are a 10 hour course of 5 weekday daytime sessions. The gentle classes will help to boost your energy and refresh you even if you are feeling very tired. The next course begins on the 20th April. To make your booking and for detailed information on the course, visit the Yoga for Pregnancy course page. 

Early Days Postnatal Courses

These are six week courses to help parents with babies under six months old. Topics include dealing with sleep, crying, feeding, weaning, routines, sex after childbirth, body image and returning to work. Sessions are held on weekday mornings in various venues in Kensington & Chelsea. The next available course begins on the 26th April. For more details and course bookings, please email: bookings5u@nct.org.uk or nctkensington@yahoo.co.uk.

For a full and up-to-date list of all the courses run within the Kensington & Chelsea borough, please visit our Courses page.