Navigating maternity leave with a new baby can be difficult, and so can entertaining a lively toddler day in and day out! One of the best things you can do once you’re ready to, is getting out to groups and meeting new people in the same position as you. In Corby, we’re extremely lucky to have a huge number of baby and toddler groups, both paid and free for parents to attend.
Whether you’re looking for a sensory experience, or for your toddler to burn off some steam, we’ve rounded up just some of the baby and toddler groups across Corby and the surrounding areas. Links to timetables and Facebook pages have been left at the bottom of the article.
Groups Specifically for Non-Walking Babies
Corby has plenty of groups for new parents from singing and rhymes to sensory classes and messy play. There are also a number of simple stay and play groups which make it easier to talk to other parents and make new friends.
Social Babies - Kingswood
Running on a Tuesday morning, Social Babies is for newborns up to walking (around one year). You can take advantage of the wonderful busy wall, wooden toys, crafts, and soft play room with sensory lights and ball pit too.
Bloom Baby - Oakley Vale Community Centre
Bloom Baby is relatively new to Corby with classes being held across Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. Hosted by Lori, Bloom Baby is all about sensory exploration and high energy fun! Each week has a different theme to discover meaning you’ll not get bored of the same structure week in week out. There are classes for all age groups including one for non-walking babies, and one for toddlers.
Babycise - Great Oakley Village Hall
Hosted by Kerry and Leanne, Babycise is a wonderfully interactive group held at Great Oakley Village Hall. Spaces are tight so if you’re interested it’s best to get in touch with them as soon as possible. It runs on a termly timetable coinciding with school terms. Sing, dance, and play with your baby to some fun and unique songs and rhymes.
Milk&You Infant Feeding Support - Pen Green
Milk&You is a local charity offering infant feeding support for parents wishing to breastfeed. As well as offering free help and support over the phone, messenger, or video calls, they also run free groups around Northamptonshire. One of these specialist groups for infants under 12 months is held at Pen Green on a Wednesday morning.
Messy Play - Pen Green
Introduce your baby to new senses through a world of messy play. Run by Pen Green on a Wednesday morning, babies who are comfortably sitting can get stuck into porridge, custard, angel delight and more! Remember to bring a towel as it definitely gets messy.
Baby Massage - Kingswood Centre
Again, run by the wonderful Pen Green group, baby massage is a paid course that runs once a week. Learn techniques to help soothe your baby through gentle touch and massage. It’s hosted at Kingswood and is a fantastic way to bond with your baby.
Groups for Toddlers (Babies also welcome!)
If you’re on maternity leave with a newborn and toddler, or simply have some spare time during the week to entertain a lively child, these groups, aimed towards toddlers, (most welcome babies too!) are the perfect way to spend a few hours together out of the home.
Little Stanion Primary School
This term time only group is a playful stay and play for parents with babies and toddlers. There's toys for everyone to enjoy, hot drinks for sleep-deprived adults and biscuits for everyone. The perfect place to meet new friends and let the little ones burn some energy!
GymFun - Corby Gymnastics Academy
Want to introduce your little ones to gymnastics? Suitable for 0-8 years, GymFun runs every weekday 9:30-10:30 and on Sundays from 10:30-11:30. Let your wild ones safely burn some energy and this excellent facility. If you're interested, there are also structured sessions for pre-school aged children.
Pen Green and Kingswood Drop Ins
Running on a Tuesday and Thursday morning and afternoon, the dropins run by Pen Green and Kingswood are a fantastic weekly meetup for parents of children aged 0-5. Let your children explore crafts, sensory play, role play, and outdoor play while you’re treated to 5-minutes of sit-down time!
Growing Together - Pen Green
Running on a Friday, Growing Together is aimed at 0-3 year olds and encourages children to make friendships with other children their age. Explore sand and water play, role play and sensory play with the delightful setup created in Little Jimmy’s at Pen Green.
Let’s Play Together - Pen Green
Specifically for SEND children and their families, Let’s Play Together runs every Friday and allows children to explore in their own time the things they enjoy. From water play to crafting, this free group helps children to learn about themselves and the world around them in a non-pressured way.
Music and Storytelling - Woodnewton School
Burn off some energy with music and storytelling at Woodnewton School. Every Monday morning, the ladies from Pen Green come to Woodnewton to sing and dance their way into a new week. Lots of movement is expected and children are encouraged to get stuck in with musical instruments, actions and interactive storytime!
Sparkle Tots - St John's Church
A friendly community group, Sparkle Tots is a stay-and-play type environment with no set routine. Children are encouraged to enjoy open play, making use of craft areas, role play and other sensory activities. Nearer the end, snacks are also made available, bringing all the children together to eat and socialise. The group finishes with a few simple songs to say goodbye.
Totscise - Great Oakley Village Hall
Similar to Babycise, but with even more energy, Totscise and Tiddlercise are aimed at walking toddlers up until school age. Kerry, Leanne, and their team have a repertoire of classic songs and some unique tunes you may not have heard before. Lots of singing, dancing and interactive play is encouraged. This group definitely isn’t for the faint hearted as you’ll be running around like a toddler yourself!
Bloom Baby - Oakley Vale Community Centre
Run by Lori, Bloom Baby hosts a number of classes for older babies up until school age, making it a perfect option for meeting long-term parent friends. With lots of props and weekly themes, Bloom Baby really is a sensory experience for both parents and their children! Bring your best singing voice and get stuck in.
Little Stars - Priors Hall Community Centre
Every Thursday at Priors Hall Community Centre, St Mary’s Church in Weldon hosts an open stay-and-play session for the local community. There’s plenty to do for babies and toddlers with ride-on cars, crafts, toys and more. Parents can get together for a weekly catch-up while letting their little ones safely go off and play.
Rhymetime - Corby Cube
A lovely central group, Rhymetime is free and runs every Thursday at the Corby Cube. There’s no need to book so you can just turn up when you’re feeling up to it, which is great when you’re still battling sleepless nights with your little ones!
Useful Links
If you know of any other groups running in the local area and would like to add them to the list, please send over a short snippet about the group and we’ll get it added. Thanks!
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