Baby Steps
A comprehensive group programme helping expectant parents transition to parenthood, delivered by Action for Children
What is Baby Steps?
Baby Steps is a group-based programme that supports expectant parents to navigate their emotional and physical transition into parenthood.
It helps parents:
- Form a bond with their unborn baby
- Stay healthy
- Get ready for birth and care for their new baby
- Recognise their baby’s communication cues
- Manage changes within their relationships
- Prepare for the stresses that being a new parent can bring
Baby Steps is suitable for all parents, but particularly those who are vulnerable or socially excluded and often face additional challenges and ‘overload’ in pregnancy and in early parenting.
What difference does Baby Steps make?
Baby Steps participants experience a variety of benefits including:
- Improved mental health and wellbeing
- Increased confidence and self-esteem, leading to safer parenting and greater emotional availability to their new baby
- Positive health choices about the family diet, smoking, exercise, and alcohol use, leading to antenatal and postnatal health for their baby and better family health overall
- Better feeding decisions for their baby, particularly around breastfeeding
- Reduction in exposure to toxic substances and better nutrition, meaning babies are more likely to develop well before and after birth
- Improved family stability and reduction in conflict
- Increased understanding of baby development, cues and other communication, helping them to give safe and effective care
The group format also allows parents to get to know each other, learn from each other and form lasting connections. Action For Children is also able to provide additional resources/funds to support the needs of expectant parents attending Baby Steps courses.
Who is eligible for Baby Steps?
Expectant parents living in the Better Start Bradford area. Parents join mid-pregnancy (around 28 weeks) and continue till around 2 months after their baby is born. Families can be referred anytime from their first midwife booking appointment.
*Please Note* An online version of Baby Steps is now available across the Bradford district – please visit the FYI website for more information.
Thank you for your support throughout the difficult time I had during my pregnancy. You have really gone above and beyond to support me and get me the right help.
We were having our first baby, my wife was new in the country, we had no family or friends. Through the Baby Steps programme we had lots of emotional support. We have made a friend who lives locally and that helps my wife socialise in the community.
This project is delivered by Action for Children
Contact the Baby Steps team:
More information about Baby Steps
You may also like to look at...
Find out how to refer pregnant women for practical and emotional support through latter pregnancy, birth and beyond - delivered for us by Bradford Doulas.
Find out how to refer families who are breastfeeding or mixed feeding for practical and emotional support, delivered for us by Health for All.
Find out how to refer parents/carers for specialist support around the parent-infant relationship, or how you can benefit from consultation and training as a professional - delivered for us by BDCFT.
Find out how to refer a family for practical and emotional support in the home, delivered for us by Home-Start Bradford District.
