New Mums and Babies

[Cata]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new at this forum, so I'm not sure if anyone else had posted any topic like this before... if so, I apologize.
As a new mum I'm looking for new friends around Brixton, other mums who wants to share this new adventure...
My baby boy is 7 months old now and i dont know any other baby to interact with him. A friend told me that could be a good idea to join mums and baby groups, but I havent found nothing yet, apart for readings at the library.
Can some one help me to find more groups?
Many Thanks!

 

[nagapie]

Holmewood Children's Centre have a baby group on a Tuesday and a Thursday morning. Effra Children's Centre has baby group on a Thursday or Friday morning. The library has Share a Song on a Monday morning but it's term time only.

Sadly all the other groups I used when I was on maternity leave have been cut.

 

[Ms Ordinary]

Going back a few years, but Whippersnappers drop-in sessions at Brockwell Lido always used to be very friendly, & suitable for quite little babies.

http://whippersnappers.org/child-youth-services/under-fives-workshops/brixtonherne-hill/

Looks a bit pricier than I remember, but I think these days they also do some subsidised sessions at Children's Centres.

 

[Winot]

If you hang out at the new paddling pool in Brockwell Park you'll meet plenty of mums (and dads).

Winot (a dad).

 

[quimcunx]

That's a pretty paltry offering considering how many babies and toddlers there must be in Brixton.

 

[eroom]

There's the one o' clock club next to the playground in Brockwell Park too. I think it's open most weekdays.

 

[nagapie]

There's the one o' clock club next to the playground in Brockwell Park too. I think it's open most weekdays.

The baby group that ran there every Friday has been lost to the cuts. The afternoon sessions have been cut from 4 afternoons to three but they are not specifically baby-centered.

I'm sure Jubilee Children's Centre must have a baby group. Rosendale also has one on a Friday morning but it's the most joyless baby group I've ever been to.

I go to the paddling pool all the time but that and the playground are not that great for meeting people as mums usually arrive in groups/pairs already.

 

[se5]

Not sure which part of Brixton you are in but there seems to be various activities in Myatts Fields Park near me in North Brixton/Camberwell kind of area - a friend who is a new mother was telling me about the pram walking group that meets every Friday and the Mulbery Centre (one oclock club) has various activities. Its also worth looking out for the Surestart Centres - many have programmes of activities for mothers and babies

 

[Winot]

That's a pretty paltry offering considering how many babies and toddlers there must be in Brixton.

They're all in Federation Coffee.

 

[quimcunx]

They're all in Federation Coffee.

That's more for mother's than babies.

 

[Winot]

I go to the paddling pool all the time but that and the playground are not that great for meeting people as mums usually arrive in groups/pairs already.

Easy enough to say hello though. Most new parents are happy to talk - only group that is more sociable ime is dog owners.

 

[quimcunx]

tell them their babies are cuter than yours. It's a shoo in.

 

[teuchter]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new at this forum, so I'm not sure if anyone else had posted any topic like this before... if so, I apologize.
As a new mum I'm looking for new friends around Brixton, other mums who wants to share this new adventure...
My baby boy is 7 months old now and i dont know any other baby to interact with him. A friend told me that could be a good idea to join mums and baby groups, but I havent found nothing yet, apart for readings at the library.
Can some one help me to find more groups?
Many Thanks!

You could move to Clapham, or East Dulwich.

 

[gaijingirl]

Cata - there's tons of stuff around, loads for free. We're lucky - E. Dulwich etc.. it's all the Monkey Music etc type classes that cost loads of money. Basically check out all your local children's centres - they all have timetables - Effra/Jubilee/Rosendale/Holmewood/Jessops for South Brixton/Herne Hill - plenty of others in other areas - with various classes - they change each term. Then the churches mostly have sessions (they're not usually God related apart from being held in a church). Corpus Cristi has one. If you're more the Tulse Hill end of Brixton there's a load of stuff in W. Norwood too. Netmums (not mumsnet) has a listings service. Also Lambeth has one which is actually pretty good if time consuming. The 1 o'clock clubs are lovely - check out the timetables in them - there's one in Brockwell Park/Myatts Fields/Norwood Park/Clapham Common.

There is still plenty of good stuff going on, you just have to get out there and ask/talk to people. There's everything from Babies and Bumps classes to massage to knitting/sewing to gardening and healthy eating classes for toddlers.

 

[gaijingirl]

forgot - Trinity Tots, Weds mornings at Trinity Church on Tulse Hill - that's lovely. Singing in Brixton Library Monday morning is my fav class of all - although it's short. Norwood Library does Wriggle and Rhyme and Crystal Palace (Upper Norwood library) does Waggle and Hum. Ruby Rhymes is very popular and gets a loyal crowd going http://www.johnkerrassociates.co.uk/rubyrhymes/ but you have to pay for it and if you want to go down that route there's loads more stuff going on too. Once your little'un is crawling/toddling, the soft play is a good option before 3pm when the schools kick out. The various playgrounds (Brockwell obv. and Myatts Fields is beautiful), the paddling pool/sand play at Brockwell is the best place to be in summer.... I could go on and on. A lot depends on how far you want to walk and whether you'll take the bus - but really the only time I ever had a problem filling was Friday afternoons - very few things on Friday afternoons and recently I did find something for even then! (although I've forgotten what it was now - these days being summer it's the paddling pool all the way if I'm free Fri afternoons!).

 

[eroom]

That is a very impressive - and very useful - checklist of baby entertainment gaijingirl. I wonder if there's room for that to exist elsewhere on the site as little feature?

 

[nagapie]

That is a very impressive - and very useful - checklist of baby entertainment gaijingirl. I wonder if there's room for that to exist elsewhere on the site as little feature?

Yes please, gg, do us a feature/list etc. And add a symbol for term time only

 

[gaijingirl]

Yes please, gg, do us a feature/list etc. And add a symbol for term time only

Yes... I'll add it to the enormous list of things to do during the "summer holidays"!

The problem is that they change all the time so it would be out of date v. quickly. That massive list I made during maternity that I sent around is not really useful any more - although some things are still going. The trick is to get on the mailing lists for all the children's centres and get them posted to you - or visit at the start of each term and get them.

I need to have another baby really to get on top of it - or at least get pregnant... will add that to my summer holiday list too...

eta@ Cata... most C/Cs produce a booklet or info sheet that looks something like this:

http://www.schooljotter.com/files/jessop/School_Newsletter_Page_-_JUNE_20111.pdf

that one is fairly typical of the sort of things that go on. Rosendale is very punctual with its glossy brochure.. Jubilee is just printed A4, ditto Holmewood - but the activities tend to be similar. There are also some c/c Clapham Way and Tulse Hill/Streatham/Norwood way - well everywhere really and another 1 o'clock club in Hillside Gardens on the Tulse Hill/Streatham/Brixton borders.

As Nagapie alluded to - there is less stuff going on during school holidays - especially for younger babies - but still some stuff and it gets easier as they get older to find stuff to do in that respect.

 

[nagapie]

I got given the timetable for August for Maytree Children's Centre in August and it's amazing. Maytree is somewhere off Kings Avenue. Most of it's for toddlers and young kids but there are the general stay and plays and lots of baby massage.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

It's a bus ride away (185 & P4 from the Brixton/Camberwell area) but I can't recommend Horniman's Museum enough. Big park with animals (goats, bunnies, chickens etc) and loads of great things for the under fives, including group activities. Every time I've got there before the museum opens I've been the only person queuing there without a pushchair. The aquarium isn't free anymore but everything else is.

 

[gaijingirl]

The Families Information tent at Lambeth country show has timetables for loads of the children's centres. Lots of them have summer timetables with lots of good stuff happening! I've got a huge pile here. Will look through and pick out the good stuff when I'm soberer...