Remember playgroups?

They all have to be Ofsted-ed now.

Ah those playgroups. I remember those days with fondness. Slightly grubby toys, juice time, mums on duty, fundraiser events. No tick boxes, no Ofsted regulation - it’s a wonder our children survived ...
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They go by the name of preschools now usually, well round here they do, and have to meet Ofsted standards - so need a majority of childcare trained staff I would imagine.

In some places NCT groups still survive I believe.

Yes. I remember trecking 2 miles with a double buggy to my village one. They took kids from 2/half had to be potty trained so guess what everyone’s child was potty trained by then.

There were 2 leaders who were paid probably £15 per session and all us mums helped out. We had a register but no ofsted and we could simply walk them down to the local park or swings on a whim without filling out a book of risk assessments.

The utter bliss of dropping my youth and last child there and having a coffee in peace for the first time in years.

I too still know all those mums and funny enough all the kids are all still friends. My 26 year old went travelling with 2 lads he first met at playgroup aged 3.

None of us mums worked the support network was fantastic.

My dils don’t have that as they work and the gc in nursery most days.

Different times op.

They where special days,I would take my eldest to school and they run down the road to play group at 9-15 Monday/Wed/Fri until 11-45.All for the price of 50p a morning.
Mondays I would stay and help with the group but the other two days I would race home and blitz the house during those 2 hours.
During the summer holidays us mums would meet up and take the children to the sandhills for picnics or to the beach for an afternoon collecting crabs and shells.
Such good times.

I met one of my best friends when we both joined a playgroup 30 yrs ago. It took place in a church hall and was run by what then seemed a couple of rather elderly ladies. They must have been 65-70
J and I started having play dates at each others houses and as the children grew we continued to meet up. Sadly our girls didn't get on as they grew, but J and I are still good friends.

Also babysitting circles. Our worked brilliantly and I made quite a few friends through it.

I ended up working in my children’s playgroup and was paid the handsome sum of £11 for 5 4hr mornings but I loved it. We were in a local community centre and everything had to be brought out of a store cupboard every day and put back again it was hard work.

Ah. Soaking the lego bricks in Milton!

Halycon days or as my late loveky fil would say halikon days.

tanith

We were in a church and everything had to be packed back into the shed after ever session.

One of the older mums (prob 30) but yo my 23 year old self older drew a map showing where every toy needed to go to shut the door. The women who ended up my friends were the ones who struggled with the map.

The first time I went to fetch DD1 from playgroup she started crying. I was worried in case she had been upset all morning - but she said no, that she wanted to stay there for ever .

Ours was a posh Playgroup....someone took the duplo home once a term and put it in their dishwasher!

I went to loads of playgroups when my children were little, it was how we all got out and socialised, my local high street which is now awash with coffee shops, didn't have any back then, just formal restaurants. The playgroups were where we went for a coffee, the instant stuff, but plenty of chat and at least we weren't annoying any paying customers whilst our offspring ran riot.

I remember one in particular I frequented, run by the vicar's wife, in a church hall. Half way through the session she asked the children to gather round to listen to a "child friendly" bible story, this was done by inducement, biscuits and juice. Once they'd finished munching they were off! She was left with the mums Still they were only toddlers, there's only so much religion the average 2 to 3 year old can take

Nonnie I remember babysitting groups. I belonged successively to 3 as we moved house. They usually worked by the book being handed round the group and everyone had it for a month and took all requests for babysitters and found others to sit. A lot of work for 4 weeks then nothing to do for about 2 years. We used to have social evenings mid week when DHs were at hme to hold the fort.

Mine didn't go to play group because we had little nursery in our village that worked like a play group - 3 hour sessions. However I did go to mother and toddler sessions at the church hall and I am still friendly with several people I met there.

Our babysitting group worked with 'tokens' - if you sat for anyone you got a token per hour, double after midnight.

Yes, we got points, which worked in a similar way.

DH was away a lot on the summer months so I needed babysitters for about three hours between about 7.00-10.00pm several times a week to cover the further education evening classes I was doing. I would build a huge 'debt' over the summer and repay it and earn a 'credit' balance in a few 7.00pm - 2.00am sits as Christmas approached. All those post-midnight double points.

Yes, we had tokens too and it worked very well. Occasionally someone would accumulate too many and it would be suggested we didn't use them for a while. It worked really well for us.

Ah! playgroup, baby sitting circles and mycatsahacker - the wonderful MacClaren buggy! I had an adaptor thing put on mine when I had two toddlers to get around, and quite often just pushing up and down kerbs would lead to the two parting company. Carrying bags of shopping on the handles would result in the things tipping backwards...Oh those were the days! And don't even get me started on the metal bike seat - 'The Wheels On the Bike Go Round and Round'.....

bohemian

Yes goodness me takes me back. Remember my older 2 side my side both not wanting to get back into the pushchair and waiting until the tantrum was at the point where I could bend them in that middle to get the restraints on them!

Sounds awful but they pretty normal 30 and 28 year old dads now!

I used to work in a playgroup in the early seventies - £4.50 for four mornings. We wore nylon tabards and one of my jobs was to put everything away in a cupboard at the end of the morning. I was out shopping one day when I came across one of the children with her mum. When I said hello the child just stared open mouthed at me. Then she piped up "Are you a real lady?" I'm sure she thought I was left in the cupboard with the toys after each session!

Willow10....I worked in several and most of the children (and methinks a few of the Mums) also thought we lived in the various village halls. There was also the perception with some Mums that we were permanently on duty....more than once I would be out and about shopping or similar and some random Mum would expect me to keep an eye on their child....or even worse, tell them off for something they had done.

most of the children (and methinks a few of the Mums) also thought we lived in the various village halls
Hilda I used to think the people who did Listen with Mother , Daphne Oxenford et al, actually lived in the big wireless in our living room

Yes the Mums support networks. They were a life saver, weren’t they?