What’s on for families during Baby Week Leeds 2019? (2nd-9th Nov)

Baby Week Leeds returns for a fourth year (2nd to 9th November 2019), bringing together parents and professionals to celebrate and showcase the wealth of services, support, activities and groups for babies and their families across the city.

The aim of Baby Week is to raise awareness of the importance of high quality early years support and best practice for healthy mental and physical growth and development.

If you’ve never been, it’s a lovely week-long festival with over 100 events across the city, including lots of free things to do for babies and their families, plus information on everything new parents might need to know to enjoy becoming a family in Leeds.

The Baby Week concept was first brought to the UK in 2016 by our very own Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP Leeds) chair and Womens Health Matters project coordinator, Lucy Potter, who adapted the principles she’d seen first hand at the UNICEF-supported “Semana do Bebe” (Baby Week) festivals in Brazil.

Baby Week Leeds events for families

Click here for the full Baby Week 2019 events info & schedule

Family-friendly events are running every day during Baby Week:

Saturday 2 Nov

• Leeds Dads Breakfast Club (9.30-11.30am, Aireborough Children’s Centre, Guiseley)

Monday 4 November

• Baby Week Leeds 2019 Opening Event (11.30am-4pm, Crown Plaza Hotel, city centre) – MORE DETAILS BELOW
• Baby Week Storytime (9.30-10.30am, Holt Park Library)
• Coffee Morning at John Lewis (10am-1pm, Victoria Gate, city centre)
• Creative Play with Duplo (10-11.30am, Dewsbury Road Community Hub)
• Baby Rave with BoomChikkaBoom (10.30-11.30am, Revs de Cubs, city centre)
• Bonfire Night Messy Play Special (10-11am & 1-2pm, Rainbow Factory, Farsley)
  Baby Sensory Play with Make My Play (11am-4pm, PlayLab-St Johns Centre, city centre

Tuesday 5 November

• Opera North’s Little Singers (10-11am, Headingley Community Hub)
• Multi-Sensory Social (10-11am, Otley Community Hub)
  The Hangout at Our Place (10am-1.30pm, Our Place, LS7)
• Tiny Tetley Taster (10.30-11.30am, The Tetley, Hunslet)
• Baby Week Storytime (10.30-11.30am Hunslet Community Hub; 2-3pm Chapeltown Library)

Wednesday 6 November

• Multi-Sensory Social (10.30-11.30am, Moor Allerton Community Hub)
• Coffee Morning at John Lewis (10am-1pm, Victoria Gate, city centre)
• Creative Play with Duplo (10-11am, Rothwell Community Hub)
• Bring Your Own Baby Screening at Hyde Park Picture House (11am start, Hyde Park)
• The Hangout at Our Place (10am-1pm, Our Place LS7)
• Activity Angels Leeds (10.30am, Studio Sixteen LS16)

Thursday 7 November

• Mumbler Meet Up & Free Taster Session at The Little Gym Leeds (1.30-3pm, Moor Allerton Centre) – FULL DETAILS BELOW
• Opera North’s Bring Along A Baby Choir (10-11.30am, Leeds Central Library)
• ‘Knees up’ with Mummy Buddy (11am, The Beck & Call Pub, Meanwood)
• The Hangout at Our Place (10am-1.30pm, Our Place LS7)
• Buddy Groups with Mummy Buddy (1pm, The Beck & Call)
• Multi-Sensory Social (1.30-2.30pm, Halton Library)
• Creative Play with Duplo (1.30-2.30pm, Crossgates Library)
• Toddler Yoga and Rhymes (2-3pm, Horsforth Community Hub)
• Baby Mama Hussle (4.30-6pm, Our Place LS7)

Friday 8 November

• Tiny Tigers Crafts – Leeds City Museum (10-11.45am, Leeds City Museum)
• Free Mindfulness For Children session with Mind It (10-10.45am, St John’s Centre, city centre)
• Maternity Services – Discuss all things maternity, baby and child friendly with experts – including free play, pamper & lots of fun! (11am-2pm, Leeds Kirkgate Market)
• Baby Week Storytime (11am-2pm, Morley Community Hub)
• Creative Play with Duplo (10-11am, Bramley Community Hub)
• Buddy Groups with Mummy Buddy (12noon, Mothercare, Crown Point)
• ‘Baby Daze’ and Mini First Aid at Tiny Boo (10am-12pm, Headingley)
• Free Introductory session to Baby Swimming with Water Babies (2.15-2:45pm & 2.45-3.15pm, Moorlands School, Weetwood)
• The Hangout at Our Place (10am-1.30pm, Our Place, LS7)

Saturday 9 November

• Family Fun Day including exciting taster sessions with Playful Anywhere, Leeds Baby Bank & St Johns Centre (10am-3pm, PlayLab @St John’s Centre, city centre)
• Parent & Grandparent First Aid Class by Daisy First Aid Leeds (10am-12pm, St Mary’s Community Centre, Whitkirk)
• Tea & Cake at John Lewis – Closing Baby Week Leeds (4-7pm, Victoria Gate, city centre)

Leeds Libraries & Children’s Centres Baby Week Events

There are also daily activities at local Children’s Centres, including baby massage, baby bonding, baby raves, rhyme time, breastfeeding groups, stay & plays, storytelling and singing, messy play and workshops on topics such as ‘Understanding your baby’ and ‘Starting solids’. Click here for the full Children’s Centres Baby Week programme.

For details of events during Baby Week at your local library click here 

Also at Baby Week Leeds 2019…

This year will also see the launch of ‘FaceMums’, a Facebook support and chat group for new mums giving online access to midwives. The Baby Box initiative and interactive ‘50 things to do before 5’ app have been launched at previous events.

And the new Baby Champion will be announced. So if your baby is born within our baby week, please get in touch with the team (info@babyweek.com) and your baby could be our Baby Champion next year!

 

Leeds Mumblers at Baby Week Leeds 2019

We are holding a Mumbler Meet-up at The Little Gym Leeds on Thursday 7^th November (1.30pm-3pm). It’s a great opportunity to try out the gym, and there will be a FREE Bugs & Birds taster session running for babies and toddlers aged two years and under.

Come along to enjoy a coffee/tea, cake and a chat with other parents and carers. All are very welcome, especially if you don’t know anyone attending and would like to meet a few other parents.

Pre-booking is required, so if you would like to attend please e-mail leeds@thelittlegym.eu quoting ‘Mumbler Meet Up’ or call 0113 3359915.
Click here for full details on The Little Gym Leeds classes for ages four months upwards.

The Leeds Mumbler team will also be at the Leeds Baby Week Launch Event on Monday 4th November (11.30am-4pm) at The Crown Plaza in the city centre. We’re organising toys and crafts to keep the little ones entertained, so do come say hello!

 

More information about Baby Week Leeds

The event has now been running for four years and other UK cities are following suit and setting up their own events. Baby Week Leeds is a registered charity, which is made up of different representatives from professions across the city including academic, midwifery, public health, children’s centres and local government. Find out more here.

Baby Week on Twitter: @BabyWeekLeeds​

Baby Week on Facebook: @BabyWeekUK​