Great to get out (Mother Toddler Groups in general)

Member Name: ariom

Product:	Mother Toddler Groups in general
Date:	07/10/08 (70 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: baby sees other children, meet people, find out more about local community, cheap

Disadvantages: hard to fit into an established group, provision varies

I live way out in the sticks, but before I had my little one, most of my socialising was done at work - in the centre of a big town. So when I started my maternity leave, one of my main worries was becoming isolated.

Next village - Baby Club
Advantages (1 1/2 hours 10:30-12)-
- run by health visiting team so always someone to ask for advice
- weighing available
- "informative health education topics" (some have been excellent, some less so)
- free
- from birth to crawling so a good place to start
- some familiar faces from antenatal
Disadvantages
- for me, it was in the next village, so I either had to catch a bus, or, as I do now walk an hour each way (also an advantage on the fitness front)
- as it was in the next village, there was a lot of "you're not from round here" ness, so it was harder to make friends
- quick turnover - people go when their babies are young, but drop quite soon
- people drop in and out for weighing only
- toys and space limited

My village - parent and toddler group (2 hours 9:30-11:30)
Advantages
- still quite cheap £1 which can include drink for parent and child and toast
- lots of space, wide variety of toys
- regular faces, the same people attend until all their children are at school, as well as some childminders
- not as hard to get to
- organise parties for special times of year
- times fit with local school nursery drop and pick up times
Disadvantages
- harder to start conversations when everyone is a regular group
- wide age range means it is a bit less comfortable to breast feed (but maybe that's just me) and also collisions with high speed toddlers are possible

Both have the advantages of Bryn seeing other children and his face lights up which is wonderful. I feel that I'm on better terms with the people I've met in the second group, but that I haven't made any real friends yet. I'll keep trying.

I imagine the provision varies greatly nationally.

Summary: Avoid isolation - get out and meet people.