When I had my first baby in 2020, it was in the throes of the pandemic. Many activities were cancelled, so I spent a lot of time at home alone with my son.
I felt the impacts of isolation on my mental health. Spending all day surrounded by the housework that needed doing with no capacity to do it while mothering ramped up my anxiety and negative self-talk.
While I’m only now realising how hard the pandemic was on new mums, I can’t solely blame lockdown, though. While my home state of Queensland saw some restrictions, the restrictions I placed on myself were worse.
I thought I shouldn’t leave the house until the housework was done.
It felt too hard to get out the door with myself and my baby fed, cleaned, packed, and well-dressed simultaneously.
I felt disentitled to do activities that cost money while not contributing financially to the household.
I wanted to take advantage of nap times at home to study.
As a motherhood mentor, I’ve deep-dived maternal well-being and learnt how crucial both a connection with other mothers and a sense of meaningful purpose are in new motherhood. As I write this expecting my second baby, I’m excited to make the most of stay-at-home mum life, with less of the staying-at-home, less guilt, less anxiety, and less isolation.
So, naturally, as a Type-A Capricorn, I’ve created a schedule of baby-friendly activities to do in my area to meet other mums and meet my own needs for movement, nature, and a reason to get out of pyjamas each day.
Here are my ideas so you can find the activity in your area.
Activities to do with your baby
Learn to Swim
Some councils provide free swimming lessons for babies aged three-to-six months old. The songs, play, and early-learning techniques introduce babies to water safety. Parents must be in the pool with their babies, and lessons typically last 20 minutes.
Gym with a creche
I plan to pause my current gym membership and join a different gym with a creche facility. I can’t wait to feel fit and strong again. Of course, I will wait until I’ve followed a postpartum regime of strengthening my core, pelvic floor toning, and healing from pregnancy and birth before launching into gym classes.
Playgroup
Play Matters Australia is a nationwide organisation offering sessions for children to build skills, relationships, and confidence through play. Play is crucial for children’s development and happiness, but I feel like I’m terrible at engaging in play myself, so I’m grateful to have people more capable than me to lead it. Playgroups are a denomination of Play Matters for 0-5-year-olds and offer sessions like music therapy and messy play for as little as $2.
https://playmatters.org.au/about
Health Centre mother’s group
Community health centres are part of the public health system and provide all types of services, not least perinatal mental health. You can visit if you’re having a hard time with your new baby, they offer drop-in clinics for health checks, and they can hook you up with a mothers’ group.
https://www.qld.gov.au/health/children/babies/help/mothers
Private mother’s group
Another option is a private mothers’ group. Typically, you join for a term and have the same mums in your session each week. These groups can be purely sociable or include education or activities, like yoga, alongside making new mum friends.
Kanga Training
Kanga is a fitness class during which you wear your baby in a carrier. I like their attention to your pelvic floor, abdominal muscles, and correct posture.
https://kangatraining.info/index.php
First 5 Forever babies, books and rhymes
Public libraries hold free classes for infants and their parents to sing, dance, and read. The 30-minute sessions nurture babies’ pre-literacy, communication, and language skills. I took Artie to one session but he was already crawling and it was not the wholesome experience I expected, so I’ll get in early with my next bub.
Mums and Bubs yoga or pilates classes
I can’t think of a better activity as a new mum than one that intentionally helps heal and strengthen your postpartum body while supporting your role as a mother and can even include your baby. Yoga gets extra points from me for nurturing your nervous system and connection to self.
Music Beats
Some councils host free music and movement sessions for babies in the park. Music is played live with singing, dancing, and babies get the opportunity to play instruments.
https://musicbeat.com.au/news/active-parks-music-program/
Getting out of the house, connecting with other mums, doing activities with your baby, and adding structure to your day can be great for your postpartum experience. Let me know if you’ll be doing any of these activities!
