Baby 0 to 18 months

• Children's Centre groups
• Health advice
• Family support
• Safety advice
• Returning to work or money advice

Children's Centre groups

Please check the weekly timetable for times and venues or all these groups, or contact the Children's Centre for details.

Latch on

A friendly and informal drop in support group for all pregnant and breast feeding mums, partners are also welcome. Meet other breastfeeding mums and make new friends, as well as getting support from peers and advice from health professionals. Breastfeeding bras are available to buy and there is also a bra fitting service.

Baby and me

A welcoming drop in group for parents with a new baby aged 0 to 9 months. A calm relaxing group which promotes and encourages baby to learn and develop through gentle play opportunities. With age appropriate toys including 'treasure baskets' and sensory play. Tummy time to aid physical development and simple songs to promote communication. Parents are supported with advice on baby care and development, with input from health professionals and talk on baby related subjects.

Baby massage

Baby massage can be beneficial for you and your baby. It is a wonderful way to get to know each other, deepening and strengthening your relationship, encourage attachment, bonding and also a lovely way to communicate with your baby. Massage can reduce stress, irritability, help with colic and promote relaxation for you and your baby. For babies from six weeks old; courses last for four weeks.

Baby signing

Find out:

• What is baby signing?
• Why do we use it?
• What age to begin using signs?
• Which signs to begin with?

Sessions cover various topics and are an ideal introduction to baby signing.

The course will help you learn how to be successful when using baby signing and provide you with over 50 signs to start you off. The sessions are informal and finish with a favourite song time at the end of each session for you and your little one(s) to join in. Courses last for two weeks.

Baby talk

Time to play, chat, and relax for parents and babies. Learn how your baby is communicating with you and how to communicate back with them at this very young age. Sessions include a quiet observation period when you can see how your baby learns through play and how you can join in with them. See how amazing babies are at communicating so young and how they love the special time you give to them within this session. Learn many different ways babies communicate and help ease frustrations by learning what babies are telling us. Every session is slightly different, introduce babies to 'treasure baskets', watch their faces when you blow bubbles and play simple peek a boo games with scarves. Every session is memorable and is recorded and fed back to you the following week, including photos for you to keep. Every week, finish with a few simple action songs, the perfect ending to the session.

Twins Club

Drop in group for families with twins under five.

General tips and support to promote and support twin’s speech and language development.

Buggy walking

Enjoy stunning scenery whilst exercising in a outdoor group with baby in the buggy. We have a fully qualified personal fitness trainer who leads the buggy walking. This involves power walking with fatbusting and toning exercises, using bands and the buggy as resistance. Buggy walking is designed for all levels of fitness, particularly for those who have not exercised since the birth of baby, a new mum must have had her six week postnatal check-up and have the OK to exercise. All parents (dads included!) are welcome as long as your child will remain in the buggy. No specialist pram or buggy needed as the route takes place on pathways and pavements. Remember this is an outdoor group, so make sure you are prepared for the weather.

Chatterbox

A busy drop in group for a range of ages with active play, messy play and rhyme time, all activities based around encouraging communication and language skills. Meet other parents and talk to health professionals in an informal way, with the opportunity to have baby weighed too.

Drop in and play

A welcoming drop in play session for babies and toddlers 0 to 4 years with their parents and carers. Where the children can learn and develop through play and interaction with other children, helping them to develop social skills such as turn taking. Activities include messy play, rhyme time, a healthy snack and outside activities when possible.

Tumble time for tots

Fun and relaxed soft play sessions for tots aged 12 to 18 months. An active play session for your toddler using soft play equipment, games and activities to help them burn off all that energy while developing their confidence and co-ordination skills. Balance and slide, jump and climb, throw and play. Join in and encourage your child to stretch their skills.

Step by step together

These sessions are for any babies and children with any form of developmental delay and any form of additional needs with their parents or carers. Drop in session with a different theme each week designed to encourage the growth of all aspects of a child's development, including premature babies.

Kids and dads

A friendly fun group with a difference, it's just for dads and their babies and children under five years! Older children are welcome but the activities are aimed at the under 5s. Giving dads the opportunity to have some quality play time with the kids in a fun play session. There are activities suitable for all the different ages and stages, with soft play equipment, messy play, trikes and much more.

Rhyme time

A lovely session held at the library, for you and your baby or young child to enjoy stories, rhymes and action songs in a comfortable and friendly environment. A great way to introduce your child to the library.

Plymouth multilingual families

Come and meet parents and children being brought up with more than one language at our coffee mornings and play sessions. A Saturday session when parents can get together and share ideas, often speakers are invited to talk about the importance of maintaining the languages and how speaking more than one language is a boost to language development in young children and not a hindrance! The group is for families across Plymouth and with any age of children. Please contact Ricky, group leader, on 07905 566 325 for more details.

Bookstart packs

Bookstart is a national programme that encourages parents and carers to enjoy books with their children from as early age as possible.

Packs are given free to stimulate and create a love of reading and to show that books are fun.

Bookstart packs for babies are suitable for baby's aged 0 to 12 months and are given to your baby by your health visitor at your baby's development check.

If you have missed your baby's development check and not collected your free Bookstart bag from your health visitor you can collect it from us. We have limited stock of Bookstart Baby packs here at the centre. You will need your 'Red Book' in order to receive it.

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Health advice

Health visitor

The health visitor is available for consultation if you would like some advice or have any concerns about your child. Meet her at one of the weighing in clinics or you can ring the clinic for an appointment on 01752 314489.

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Family support

Children’s Centre Outreach

The Children's Centre Outreach workers can offer 1-1 advice and support for families in your own home to meet your own needs. They can offer support to parents for a variety of different issues such as guidance and boundaries, routines, fussy eaters and positive parenting.

Support can also be offered for a wider range of things such as debt and money problems, housing issues, depression and relationship issues.

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Safety advice

Baby first aid

A free two hour first aid awareness course for parents and carers. A qualified first aid instructor will cover various aspects of baby first aid, including baby/child resuscitation, choking, unconsciousness, breathing difficulties and more. You will receive a certificate on completion of course.

Safety gates

We sell safety gates at a special discount price to families in the Plymstock area (maximum two per person). Both fixed gates (for screwing to the wall) and tension (for tightening up to fit a doorway) are available.

Safe at home

We are able to offer free home safety packs to eligible families, to qualify they must be in receipt of benefits. These home safety packs include two safety gates, a fireguard, window restrictors, non slip bath or shower mat, locks for kitchen cupboards and corner cushions. A full assessment is carried out at home and advice given as well.

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Returning to work or money advice

Information on childcare and childminding services

If you are considering going back to work and need childcare, we have access to information on the nurseries and childminders in the area. We can also advise you on help with your childcare costs.

Money advice

Regular advice sessions for help with benefits or debt problems, budgeting and reducing bills provided by the Family Information Service and Job Centre Plus.

Parent training and development

• Basic skills courses may be available
• Volunteering with the Children's Centre, building confidence as well as offering training opportunities within in childcare and early years work
• Returning to work encouragement and support

For more information regarding any of the services shown on this page please contact us using the information shown in the right hand column.

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