wow....

my hv gave me a number for a childrens center to call the other week about signing courses etc now that Fin is older!

i kept forgetting to ring and also we have no money so was thinking how would we pay but though it may be worth asking!

anyway rang them and there sending me all the details of everything going on -

theres baby signing
baby massage
first aid course
jelly babes fun music
weigh in /crech for mums and tips on loosing weight
teddy play session
trips to seaside £3 for family
lots more...........................

anyway it's all FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can put name down for any of them!

im sooo excited.. so def wanting to do signing and massage and may go along to the weigh in thing!!!

anyway ask in yoru area as whats strange is it's for 0 to 5 years all this free stuff and no one told me about it before! i said my friends just had lo and want to do first aid could she come she was like yeah just get her to put name down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xxx

They're great aren't they. Ours does loads too, there's a booklet full of all sorts that goes on. Now Rhys is gettin bit older can't wait to put his name down for stuff. So far we only do the playgroup but they have all baby stuff there which is good.

they r fab! i work in one! i think they are great, the degree i did is all part of this new childrens services and i think its the best ever! i get to take ryan to work with me in september when they start doing first aid courses etc as they have asked me to a creche and the club i manage is based there, we take over the whole place when we are in and its a bugger keeping the kids off the nursing chairs!
they are a great idea i recommend finding ur local ones!
u can get all ur financial.job.cab advice too
xx

I've just found out about one i think! Are they run by Surestart?? The baby and toddler gp i go to Mon am is run by them but that's a quid each for Gracie and Alfie (not that i mind £2 payout lol).
Will ring and see!
Sounds fab!

Just been to one of the childrens centre baby groups as my music group is finishing and even though they put the sensory room on for us, it was a bit boring compared to music!! Your childrens centre sounds better than mine..mine doesn't do baby signing and thats what I reallyw ant to do!! Mind you - they do baby massage, although its on hubbys day off...so it was either massage or lie in...guess which one wins!

I'm so rubbish though - I can't get myself sorted in mornings to be out for groups..how crap is that?! Mind you..now Cole sleeps a bit later, so do I and i don't see any point rushing getting ready.. and he naps in a morning so thats when I shower. I was scared though..just took Cole to get weighed (19lb15!) and there was a mum there with a 4 week old baby and she seems to go to a group every day!! No way I could have done that when Cole was 4 weeks old!!

Wow all those groups seem fab!! I wish there was something like that here :( still never mind can't have it all xxx

Some are surestart, others are just set up by the local council. I did one of my teaching placements at a surestart one as there was a nursery there too and it was all in 1 building with a little cafe and everything.
The one we use though is run by council and uses church halls, with the main base being part of a local primary school.

ours is been built at the mo and is going to be run by surestart and barnardos. some of the stuff like massage is already on offer (at other venues) kia you should ask them to organise a signing course - a lot of these places are really open to organising stuff on request.
that lady probably goes to a group every day because she is not coping very well at home. i know when i had zach it was a real shock and i was quite depressed and felt lonely and isolated. i made myself go to everthing that was going even though i didn't feel like it whereas i probably should of given myself a break and enjoyed more one on one with my new baby! having said that i used to do loads of things with zach when i was at home - sing songs read stories and play etc but i don't seem to do any of that with noah even though i am home with him a lot more!
ours is going to be based in the local primary school too.

Funny that I should whinge about signing courses... I've been waiting for the woman who runs one locally to send me info and I mentioned it to my neighbour who takes her little boy the other day and about half an hour after I posted she popped a note through my door with summer school info and to say that the info hadn't come through as the childrens centre was trying to sort out free signing. Suits me

You are probably right julesy about that woman.. she did say she likes to get out. I like to get out but not every day to groups!! I wish my music group wasn't ending cause now I gotta go to a new place.. and although I get on with the people at music group I don't socialise with them outside the group so not really got any baby friends for Cole apart from my friends 3 kids.. which kinda makes me feel a bit crap for cole.

Sorry...that was a bit of a ramble! Maybe there will be nic epeople at signing summer school!

maybe you could arrange to continue the music group same day and at the same time but meet for a coffee then if its dry go onto the park or something?
the rest will be lost for something to do on that day as well now!

this sounds fab, ive tried googling it but cant find anything. Does ayone know if there is anything like this in hampshire? Am in between southampton and winchester and we dont really have anything that doesnt cost a fortune (eg swimming, signing, massage are all £67 per term!!!) Thanks Ladies x

sarah ask your hv when you next see her she should give you details xx

I'm lucky enough to have a childrens centre 30 seconds walk away from me with a swimming pool, it's based in the local school and has use of all the facilities. There is a modest charge for drop in sessions of £1.50 per session but that covers everyone so if i take my friends toddler with me to a session it doesn't cost anymore. Swimming is a bit more but £2 a session for both of us is still a bargain, especially when it cost £1.40 to take Philip to a public pool!

My only moan is that they don't open during the school holidays so even if i managed to escape the stepkids for a bit i have no where to go!!!!