Didcot Baby Monday
2022, 2023 & 2024 grant recipients
Project funded by the Powerhouse Grant - Medium grant and project ongoing
In 2024, Powerhouse funding enabled Didcot Baby Monday to continue running our weekly parent & baby group and monthly antenatal group ‘Bump Club’, as well as a variety of additional workshops and activities. These groups provided vital opportunities for expectant and new parents to build support networks in the local community and access qualified infant feeding and sleep support to help them navigate life with their new baby, helping them get off to a confident and positive start. We also collaborated with Homestart SO to bring additional support to their new ‘Baby & Me’ group through regular visits from our Breastfeeding Counsellor.
“For someone navigating post-natal depression, Didcot Baby Monday has been wonderful. The feelings of isolation and loneliness have started to ease. The group has been a constant for me since discovering it and I am very grateful.”
Impact achieved so far
In December 2024 we carried out an attendee survey via an online form and received 58 responses (approx 1/3 of the total number of attendees). This is the response we received regarding our three impact measures:
98% strongly agreed/agreed that coming to our groups helped them feel less socially isolated,
68% strongly agreed/agreed that coming to our groups helped them to form social connections that extend beyond the group*
97% strongly agreed/agreed that coming to our groups helped them feel supported by their peers and community
*Some respondents commented that they felt uncomfortable or found it hard to find the right time to ask others directly for their phone numbers to be able to keep in touch outside of the group, and have suggested that we could help facilitate this via a WhatsApp group, which is something we are considering in 2025.
182 families attended Didcot Baby Monday, average 27 families per session.
27 families attended our antenatal group Bump Club, average 9 families per session.
Our breastfeeding counsellor and peer supporter provided 129 support consultations during DBM sessions (96 feeding, 24 sleep and 9 babyweaning).
55 parents attended ‘Babies who Lunch’ small group workshops on introducing solids.
32 parents attended ‘Babywearing 101’ workshops on using slings and carriers.
126 parents (and grandparents) attended paediatric first aid courses.