Feeling nervous about going to a baby group for the first time is incredibly normal. Walking into a room full of people you don’t know is always a little nerve wracking. Before hand you are bound to have some worries or fears floating around in your head…
You’re not alone in thinking them. But, we want to help you brush away those worries and take the leap into finding your tribe. Here are the most common worries we’ve heard from those who have had first-class jitters.
What if nobody talks to me?
Worry not, parents and carers are some of the friendliest and most approachable people out there. Babies are a great leveller and make it super easy to spark a conversation about being a new parent. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you’re sharing your birth story or discussing the colour of your baby’s poo with your new found mum-friends. And you’ll be even more surprised at how little it grosses out the other people in that room!
There might be songs but I can’t sing/I’m nervous about singing in a baby group
You don’t need to be Taylor Swift to attend any music classes that have caught your eye! And there’s no need to feel embarrassed if your vocal runs are a little rusty. The main reason that class leaders of music groups will encourage you to sing is for the sake of allowing your baby to hear your voice more. It’s not going to mean a massive deal for the other class attendees, but it is a huge source of comfort for your baby. You won’t be judged or graded on your singing voices, and that’s a promise!
What if my baby cries?
We’ve all experienced that look when your baby starts crying in public. It’s embarrassing, and in other environments you might start vigorously apologising as you rush to take your baby out of the room…
But, in a baby class, the environment is totally different. Everyone is half-expecting there to be some crying or disruptions from the tiny attendees. Babies cry – it’s fine. Nobody will mind and people will also help you to settle them.
What if my baby needs sleep/feeding?
It doesn’t matter if your baby sleeps all the way through, or needs a feed or a change. At baby and toddler groups, you’re surrounded by parents and carers who know what it’s like to look after little ones. No one will be judging you at all, and will do what they can to help you and your baby stay as comfortable as possible.
Will everyone else know each other?
It’s possible that the class you attend will have already created a tribe. If it’s a long-running class, then it’s likely to already have some regulars. But, that doesn’t mean that you won’t be welcome. Like you, they were all new, nervous and looking to meet other parents once. They will understand everything you are feeling. And they (as well as the class provider) will do their best to help you feel welcome and comfortable in the class.
I’m shy/too nervous to make myself go to a baby group
We know it can be especially hard. Since they came into your life, your baby is likely eating up the majority of your social time now. Going to a baby group and meeting new people, mingling with adults again, it can feel like a massive step.
Try not to stress out too much because people won’t be putting any pressure on you when you arrive, and there’s no expectation that you have to go more than once. If you just want to test the waters with a class, that’s more than fine. But once you try it once, you’ll see just how warm and welcoming the class leaders are and what a nice environment classes are. Just take a big deep breath and give it a go!
What do class providers say about nervous parents?
We recently shared a post on our Instagram highlighting some of the worries parents have when they’re attending a class for the first time. Here’s what some of the wonderfully lovely class providers responded with:
“It can be so overwhelming going to a new class, but all we want is for you and your child to enjoy the class and leave feeling happy and re-energised. There is never any pressure in our classes.”
“We had a 7 week old and Mum in class on Thursday. They are new to the area. I sat down and had a chat with her at the start of class. Yes, my class started a little late but all the other parents were happy chatting and I feel it’s so important to welcome new parents and check in with them.”
“Babies will be babies, they will sleep, cry, poop and burp, and they don’t care where they are when they do that! It is all normal and natural, and nothing to be worried about when you are in the class. Just enjoy yourself and the time with your little one.”
Want to get out and about, have fun with your baby or toddler, and meet other parents?
Search Happity to find everything that’s happening for the under-5’s in your local area – from music and singing classes, to messy play, arts and crafts, baby massage, gymnastics and more. Simply enter your postcode and child’s age to search, and then book your spot in a few taps. Enjoy dedicated fun time with your little one, watch their skills develop, and make friends at the same time. Mums, dads, grandparents and carers will all find something to love!
We’ve put together 11 quick and easy activities for toddlers. Things that don’t take long to set up but will keep little ones busy and entertained for ages.
Perfect for when you need a craft or play activity to fill in an afternoon.
1. Crazy hair people
This is a fun activity for toddlers that is not only great fun but helps them with their fine motor control as they practice snipping with scissors. First make some crazy hair people by rolling a piece of paper or thin card around the top of a cardboard tube. Tape it in place. Ask your child to draw on a face. Then show them how to make lots of snips with scissors (remind them not to cut right down to the tube) to make a crazy hairstyle.
2. Button pictures
Do you remember how much fun you used to have playing with your mum’s button box as a child? There’s something so satisfying about running your hands through a pile of buttons. Your child can use buttons to make all sorts of pictures and designs. You could draw an outline or a starting point for them (above we have drawn a tree trunk) and then they can place or glue lots of buttons to complete their picture. Do use large buttons with little ones and supervise carefully so that they don’t put them in their mouths.
3. Easy activities for toddlers – Make your own playdough
When it comes to easy activities for toddlers you can’t go wrong with playdough. You can whip up your own playdough in minutes. Here’s an easy no cook recipe:
2 cups of plain flour
1 cup of salt
1 cup of cold water
1 teaspoon of cooking oil
2-3 drops of food colouring
Simply mix all your ingredients together until you have a nice squishy ball of playdough. You can give your child a rolling pin and cookie cutters to make shapes. They can also make all sorts of creations by rolling and shaping the dough and adding matchsticks, googly eyes feathers and any other craft bits you have around. You could also put out lots of different things for them to press into the playdough to make patterns – such as Lego bricks, a wooden fork, a pine cone and leaves.
4. Leaf creations
Gather some leaves on a walk or from your garden and use them to create some lovely nature pictures. Here we made tree trunks from cardboard roles cut down the middle. Then glued our leaves all around to make a tree. But your child will have lots of other ideas to make leaf pictures. You could draw an outline of a hedgehog and they could stick on leaves to make the prickles. Or perhaps they could draw a lion’s face and stick leaves all around it to make a mane?
5. Easy activities for toddlers – Discovering gloop
This is a great easy activity for toddlers. To make gloop simply mix together 1 and a half cups of cornflour with a cup of water. It’s such a lovely mixture. It feels like liquid as you scoop it up. Then when you squeeze it in your hands it feels like a solid. Stop squeezing and it runs through your fingers again like a liquid. Your toddler will be fascinated by it. You can add food colouring and even glitter to make your gloop even more exciting.
6. Paper weaving
This is a lovely activity for toddlers. Cut strips of different coloured paper or card and your child can have fun arranging them in different patterns. Show them how they can cross them over each other to create a woven pattern. They might like to just play with making patterns or they could glue them to a piece of card to make a finished design.
7. The secret door
This one takes a bit of prep but is a super exciting play idea for little ones. Using a huge piece of cardboard (or several large pieces taped together) make a large rectangle to fit in a doorway or the door to a cupboard. Carefully cut out a doorway and window. Then tape it inside your doorframe. Your child now has their own secret door to the room and can help you paint it and decorate it.
8. Paper people
Remember making these as a child? First take a long rectangle of card or paper. Then fold it in a concertina. One the top fold draw the shape of a person. Then cut round it but make sure you don’t cut along the folded edge where the hands and feet will join. Open out the concertina and you will have a line of little people holding hands. Now your child can draw faces and either draw or use craft materials (fabric scraps and wool, for example) to make hair and clothes.
9. Easy activities for toddlers – Snipping snowflakes
Another blast from the past. Snip some super snowflakes. To start cut out a circle of paper. Fold in half and in half again. Then fold in half twice more. You are left with a triangular shape of folded paper. Your child can now start snipping, cutting out little shapes along the folds. Once they’ve finished they can open out the circle to reveal their snowflake. Add glitter for some added sparkle.
10. Pasta pictures
Dried pasta is exciting for toddlers to scoop and play with. Doing so makes a great sensory experience. Once they’ve had fun exploring the feel of the pasta they can use it to make some fab pictures. You could draw an outline of an animal for them to fill in with their pasta. Or perhaps they could make a house with it instead? PVA glue works well to stick the pasta down to your sheet of paper.
11. Pipe cleaner bracelets
One of the easiest ways to make bracelets for little ones is to thread beads onto pipe cleaners. This activity again uses lots of fine motor skills. You can also teach your child about patterns, helping them thread on beads in repeating patterns. Once they have enough beads on their pipe cleaner just bend it into a circle and twist the ends so they can wear their creation with pride.
Want to get out and about, have fun with your baby or toddler, and meet other parents?
Search Happity to find everything that’s happening for the under-5’s in your local area – from music and singing classes, to messy play, arts and crafts, baby massage, gymnastics and more. Simply enter your postcode and child’s age to search, and then book your spot in a few taps. Enjoy dedicated fun time with your little one, watch their skills develop, and make friends at the same time. Mums, dads, grandparents and carers will all find something to love!
It is such an honour to be on both, and receiving this news is an amazing start to our year!
What is the DEI award (and why is it such an honour for us)?
Not only is the award given to us by Startups 100 (host of the UK’s longest-running index of the top 100 most disruptive and innovative small businesses), but a DEI award represents an innovative and moral strength in a business. Nominations are for businesses that tackle issues facing marginalised groups or individuals. These businesses offer a target that is more conceptual and that is tackling a real problem.
Pattico is quoted in Startups 100 article as saying: “People are not waiting for huge backers before acting on good ideas… (they) spotted a gap to help themselves as individuals and in doing so realised they could also help others.”
Seeing all the other businesses who were nominated for this award, we whole-heartedly agree. You can see that their mission is at the heart of what they do. We all know that what we do really is helping others, as it’s tackling issues that we have faced before.
The foundations of building a diverse team and being an inclusive company
From working at dining room tables squeezing meetings around naptimes to now, Happity has always pushed to create something new that tackles a real issue. We’re a baby and toddler directory which allows parents to easily navigate and book local classes. Happity supports local businesses (many of whom are mums) through offering parenting groups and classes the option to list for free or become a paid member.
We are a mission-driven business. Our aim is, and always has been, to end loneliness for new parents. As mums ourselves we know how important these classes are for socialisation and development, not to mention the community building for parents which is key for mental health. That’s why we have focused on listing as many free and cheap activities in various cities across the UK; so everyone can find something to do with their child.
Sometimes saying “no” is the right thing to do -Startups 100 DEI award
This award means a lot to Happity’s co-founders. There have been times where thinking very carefully and consciously about the decisions the company has made involved saying “no” to certain decisions. And that, in itself, can be quite a difficult thing to do!
“At times, staying true to our values has meant actively saying no to doing the things startups are ‘meant to do’. It has meant being sure and steady and staying the course, where others would play fast and loose. It turns out striving to do the right thing instead of the easy thing, really is the right thing. And operating in a sector where compassion and humanity means everything, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I never thought we would appear in this list, so I am really touched to have received this recognition from the judges.
From Nappy Valley to Happity Valley – Startups 100 DEI Award
“Over the next few years, the plan is to go UK-wide, expanding both their paid as well as free class offerings… We look forward to seeing this bonny booking platform grow and helping little ones (and their big ones) get from Nappy Valley to Happity Valley.”
It’s quotes like these that really solidify the feeling that we’re doing everything right. The spotlight really needs to shine on this sector. And the fact that everyone agrees with us really shows that we need to give attention to issues facing young parents.
It’s a true honour to receive this award. We can’t wait to prove everyone right for putting their faith into us.
Want to get out and about, have fun with your baby or toddler, and meet other parents?
Search Happity to find everything that’s happening for the under-5’s in your local area – from music and singing classes, to messy play, arts and crafts, baby massage, gymnastics and more. Simply enter your postcode and child’s age to search, and then book your spot in a few taps. Enjoy dedicated fun time with your little one, watch their skills develop, and make friends at the same time. Mums, dads, grandparents and carers will all find something to love!
Recent Comments