Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week

Posted: 1st May 2023

This week marks Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 2023: a subject that resonates with us all, and one that we feel particularly proud to champion here at Gymboree Play & Music. It’s is a week-long campaign organised by the Perinatal Mental Health Partnership UK, dedicated to:

raising public and professional awareness of perinatal mental health problems
advocating for women and families impacted by it
changing attitudes
helping people access the information, care and support they need to recover.

Stronger Together

fun This year’s theme is Together in a Changing World; the recognition that we are stronger together. The idea of coming together and spending time – not just with your little one – but with fellow mums too, lies at the heart of everything we do at Gymboree Play & Music. We are all about participation: playing together, building confidence and supporting one another.

Our Baby Classes

Being a mum can be tough, not least in those first few sleep-deprived weeks. Over the past 45 years, we’ve thought long and hard about how best to support new mums in our classes. In fact, Joan Barnes started Gymboree Play & Music as a way for local mums and their little ones to spend time together, learning and playing, and supporting each other.

These seminal months are so important for both mums and babies. Our baby classes are all about celebrating the mammoth achievement that is getting out of the house(!), learning how to play, and introducing sensory play, songs and social play. Stimulating your baby’s brain development is not only great fun, but it also does wonders for their sleep and appetite. And a full tummy and a good snooze makes for a happy baby… and a happy mum. Head here for more on play-eat-sleep patterns.

Supporting Mums

Our classes are also purposefully designed to bring mums together. There are so many studies that highlight the benefits of being with other mums and sharing not just the highs, but the lows too. A weekly class gives structure to the week and a bit of regularity and familiarity that can be a real lifeline when you’re having a wobble. Plus, our brilliant teachers have been doing this for years – they are so knowledgeable and supportive.

Gymboree Play & Music is for everyone: parents and carers alike. But this week, we’re flying the flag for the mums!

classes, wellbeing

Reviews

Both of my children (3.5 years and 11 months) go to Gymboree Play & Music and love it. My toddler goes to their drop-off Lego class which she raves about. It's very creative, working not only on Lego skills but also painting, drawing etc. My infant son loves his Gymboree Play & Music Crawlers class - particularly loves crawling all over their props, through the tunnels, etc. Great way to get the infant crawling over obstacles! Gymboree Play & Music is part of our weekly schedule for both kids and we look forward to participating every week. Invaluable!

Natalia, Hampstead

Gymboree Play & Music was a lovely and positive experience for my son Leo. We started when he was 9 months and he is now 3 years old, I wish we had started sooner.
He loves the songs (which is part of our daily singing at home), the freedom to explore and he was happy there. He looks forward to class every week and once class is over he will tell everyone about Gymbo and what he did.
For me, I liked that it taught him how to get down safely from a height, how to learn to use his body, and touching on different topics every 2 weeks. It gave me confidence in other environments to trust that he has the ability that he learned from Gymboree Play & Music and to trust him.

Sheena, Sevenoaks

I’ve been taking both my newborn and toddler to Gymboree Play & Music for a couple of months now and both boys are really loving the classes and open gym sessions. It’s a great way to meet other mums, entertain toddlers at witching hour(!) and get ideas for sensory play with babies. Sophie and Cat are fantastic and have so much energy and loads of different ideas for the classes, plus make sure the activities it’s help children meet their development milestones as well. Highly recommend this if you’re thinking about joining!! Thanks so much Sophie, Cat and the wider team :-)

Pippa, Tunbridge Wells