Where can parents go, where it’s fun, nurturing, safe and connecting – especially during that not-yet-crawling stage? Mainly Babies!
Parents are very vulnerable when they’ve just had a baby. For many, their lives have literally been turned upside down.
They might be beginning their parenting journey for the first time, or have more than one child and had a completely different experience this time around. They may have a huge network of family or friends around them or be facing parenthood alone. Whatever their circumstances, parents often appreciate support in those early weeks and months.
As a church, you can provide a series of music sessions designed to connect parents and their babies and give them confidence in handling and nurturing their baby. You can provide a safe place for parents to build a community of people going through a similar life stage and who may potentially become their life-long friends.
Mainly Babies was established during COVID, when it became apparent how difficult those first months of parenthood were without the support of a community. It highlighted how much support families need when their babies are very young. Many parents need support as they learn how to interact with their newborn and establish patterns that will nurture their baby. Not everyone does this instinctively and not everyone is confident.
Parents can greatly benefit from finding a place where they can build friendships and enjoy social connection. Being around other families can help them to know they’re doing OK and their baby is behaving in a similar way to others. It can also be a place where they find encouragement to follow their instinct but to seek help when they don’t feel confident.
Mainly Babies groups can be a wonderful opportunity for the local church to reach out and create a place of safety and encouragement, while providing something tangible. The music session is designed specifically for parents and their not-yet-crawling babies. Each session is twenty-five minutes of music and rhyme, designed specifically for this short window of development. The material has been chosen for its suitability and has been licensed for use by the local church. Following the music and rhyme time, parents can enjoy a hot drink and maybe something to eat, while they chat with team members and each other. It’s that simple.
As a church, there’s no start-up cost and you’ll be resourced with the training and session content material, which will remain the property of Mainly Music UK. Using the Mainly Music website, families sign up for a group near them and pay for the sessions directly to Mainly Music. At the end of the eight weeks, churches will then receive a contribution for the provision of morning tea/coffee. Families also receive a bag of items to use in the sessions and at home with their baby. That means there’s no additional cleaning of the resources!
If you’d like to know more, we recommend you jump on the Mainly Music website to see what families will be presented with when they are interested in attending.
And if you’d like to chat with one of the team, go to the contact us page and send an email with your details.
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At Care for the Family we support couples, parents and those who have been bereaved. If you would be able to make a one off donation to support our work, we would be very grateful. Thank you.
