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Meet Other Local Parents

Bumps and Babies groups: 

 

These are relaxed and informal groups for expecting and new parents.  It is a great place to make new friends with people in your local area, and share your experiences with people going through the same thing.  These groups bring together expectant women/those with young babies who are around the same stage for a hosted initial coffee morning.  Typically groups are around eight mummies. 



 These groups provide new mothers with a support network at a critical time.  There are no ‘rules’ however the groups work best if all members try to meet up regularly.  The organiser will host the first meeting, and then distributes contact information to all those who wish to meet up again.  Normally someone would volunteer to arrange the next meet up.  Popular places to meet up are local coffee shops for example Costa Coffee in Buckhurst Hill, Belgique in South Woodford, Loughton and Woodford Green. 



 The work of the Bumps & Babies group is done is then complete as it is hoped they will meet up again themselves.  If for whatever reason you are unable to attend, you will always be invited back to the next meeting.  If you would like to join a group please send an e-mail with your name, due or birth date and postcode to nct_redbridge@yahoo.co.uk.

 

 

 

 

 

Pram group:

 

 

 

Along with the other services and support that NCT Redbridge offers, we are proud to be able to host a drop in pram group in South Woodford.
This group runs in a similar way to other playgroups but with an emphasis on babies and young toddlers.  There is a large baby area with mats and toys, we have bouncer chairs, soft mats and rugs, there are a variety of baby toys, baby gyms, rattles and even a bumbo.  This area is surrounded by chairs so that our littlest attendees can lie down and play in relative safety.  We have a change mat and a baby change area and are very happy to fetch drinks to mums who are sitting and nursing their babies, we are very happy for breastfeeding mums to feed at the group in comfort and confidence.  We provide rice cakes, digestive biscuits and squash or water for the slightly older babies and toddlers; we also provide tea and coffee with biscuits for the grownups.  There are toys for the older children as well, some stay with us until as old as 3 particularly if a younger sibling has come along.  We have a train set, various vehicles and dressing up clothes, musical instruments and other smaller toys.  On the days that we have enough volunteers then we run craft activities, a colouring table or other activities for the toddlers.
There is a regular group of mums, dads and carers who attend the group and there are always new faces, either people that are new to the area, have just had a baby (our youngest was 2 weeks old!), or have just come along for the first time.  It is a friendly and welcoming group, there is always someone to chat with over a cuppa and our volunteers are happy to answer questions.
Our entrance is £2, this money is to cover the costs of our hall rental, if ever there is any extra money then we use it to buy biscuits or new toys for the group, and the branch picks up any shortfall in money.   The group is run by volunteers, we have a new rota of people who give up their time to enable this group to keep going, we are always looking for more help - so if you, or someone you know, are available to spare an hour or so on a Friday either to help set up and make refreshments or to clear up and sweep, then do please get in touch via the forum http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/nct_redbridge_forum/ or with our chair, Jano Goodchild at nct_redbridge@yahoo.co.uk.
The group starts on a Friday morning at 10 am, we are very relaxed about what time people arrive, we all remember how hard it can be to get out of the house with a small baby, at around 11.30 we tend to start packing up as most of our young guests are thinking about lunch or a nap.  We are always very grateful of any help at this time, putting toys back into boxes and making sure that your own child/ren are safely out of the way of the big boxes and chair stacking.
We also have visits from various suppliers and local businesses interested in showcasing their business, we are in the process of setting up a rota so that most weeks will see an activity of one kind or another, and examples include baby massage, baby music groups, storytelling, photographers and other baby/toddler related fun.
All are welcome and we hope to keep this group going for the future

 


What events would you like to see?

 

If there is a type of event that you would like to see, please email your suggestions to nct_redbridge_mbr@yahoo.co.uk, or if you are able to run an event yourself then please contact us.

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