It takes a village... but where are they?

You might have heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” but for lots of different reasons we don’t always feel we’ve got a village – especially in the early days of parenting.

In the app, you’ll find lots of ideas to support your child’s development, and more information if you are interested in understanding the science behind their skills.

We also know there is nothing quite like sharing your experiences with other parents, so we have a Facebook community you can join here.  

Our Facebook community is a place where you can talk to other parents, and our experts, share ideas about your favourite activities, ask questions and find a bit of an online village!  

The importance of finding support 

Researchers are interested in learning more about social support and parents because they think having the right support is good for our wellbeing.^[1]  

There are different kinds of support we all need, and you might find you get help with different things from different people or places. 

The types of support we need according to studies^[1] include: 

Information 

We need information we can trust; the app gives that support, and you probably also find this from professionals who work with your family and sometimes trusted friends or family. Although we have probably all experienced information overload sometimes – so it’s ok to limit the places you look for information too! 

Emotional 

This could be as simple as having people who ask you how you are doing, and who will listen when you give an honest answer. It’s really about being able to say it’s hard when it is, and having people who will listen and understand.  

Companionship 

Although you are never alone as a parent, many of us feel we don’t spend time with other adults in the same way as we did before parenthood. You might miss those ‘Good morning’ messages on the work Slack or miss going into work and talking to people - being at home with your child (as much as you love it) is not quite the same.  

Positive feedback 

We all like to know when we’re getting things right, and someone simply saying, “You’re doing a great job,” is an important part of feeling supported.  

Each time you master a skill in your child’s journey it’s a reminder that you are doing a great job!  

Instrumental (what most of us would describe as practical support)  

This could be someone making you a drink, or a meal or looking after your baby while you go out.  

It might be helpful to think about where you get each of these kinds of support now and which feel particularly important at the moment. You can then talk to the people around you and think about how to fill any gaps. 

Ideas for finding support 

Online communities 

Obviously, we think our Facebook community is a great place to start – you can talk to other parents but also have the reassurance of knowing our team of early childhood experts are around to answer questions if needed.  

Think about communities that support your other interests as well – you’re a parent but don’t feel you have to forget all the other things you enjoy!

Why not look for a way to connect with people linked to your other interests too, maybe a sport you enjoy, a book club or a local events group.  

Local parent and child groups 

You might see lots of classes advertised locally, things like baby sensory, massage classes or baby signing.

These can be a great way to meet other parents but can also be expensive – and with activity ideas in the app you’ll already know how to support your child’s development – so you don’t need to pay for expensive classes unless you want to.  

You might find a local group run by parents, or a community organisation, which can be a good place to meet other parents that costs less than a more structured class.

If you have a library, museum, art gallery or even a book shop nearby you might find they run free activities for parents and children.  

Of course, for lots of people, friends and family provide support, but even when these relationships are really strong it can feel good to talk to other parents going through similar things as you.

If you haven’t already, join our online community today and start to find your village. 

References 

[1] Milgrom, J., Hirshler, Y., Reece, J., Holt, C. and Gemmill, A.W., 2019. ‘Social support—a protective factor for depressed perinatal women?’. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(8), p.1426.