Activities and support for new parents

First week as a new family

Your first week with a new baby can be exciting yet overwhelming.

Ensure your home is safe for your baby, and focus on essentials like clothes, a cot, and a pram. Skin-to-skin contact after birth is crucial for bonding and health. 

Your baby will undergo various health checks, including a hearing test and a heel prick test.

Free activities - Strong Start

Strong Start are a team of Early Years professionals who run free programmes and activities for families with babies and children under 5.

Each session provides families with helpful information linked to their child’s development as well as an opportunity play together with age-appropriate toys and resources.

Programmes for parents and carers with babies include:

• Developmental Baby Massage
• Baby and Me
• weekly Sensory Under 1s sessions

You can:

• find more information about Strong Start sessions
• book via Eventbrite

Weighing your baby

As part of your baby’s regular development checks, your health visitor will monitor their weight and overall wellbeing.

Family Hubs offer free sessions where you can weigh your baby or young child (aged 0 to 5). You can drop in or book a slot. These sessions are often run alongside activities for children under 1 and under 5.

At these sessions, you can:

• check your child’s weight using self-service scales
• track their growth
• talk to staff about your child’s development

Find a baby weighing session on our Events calendar.

If you are concerned about your child’s weight or development, contact your health visitor.

You can also contact the NHFT Children’s Admin team:

• phone: 0800 170 7055 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm)
• email: [email protected]

Support services

If things do not go as planned, extra support is available. Your midwife can answer questions and direct you to further help.

Breastfeeding

• NHFT Infant Feeding Team: 07795 110109 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm)
• Milk&You - Facebook

Mental health

The Mental Health Number: 0800 448 0828 (24/7)

Domestic abuse

• Refuge for women and children: 0808 2000 247 (24/7)
• Northamptonshire Domestic Abuse Service: 0300 012 0154

Premature or poorly babies

Visit the Bliss website.

Last updated 30 March 2026