Mums’ group’s hand-me-downs will help others

When members of the Birth and Baby Reality group set up a fundraising group to support others, they decided to do so without asking people to put their hands in their pockets.

Instead the class of new and expectant mothers, which meets at Hatton Park village hall, donated clothes, bedding and other items their own babies had grown out of to Coffee Tots, a community project and cafe in Coventry.

The cafe is a cheap meeting place for new parents and clothes will be passed on to families who cannot afford new clothes themselves.

Antenatal teacher Sarah Cossey, co-founder of Birth and Baby Reality, last week handed over the first batch, and hopes to do this on a regular basis.

She said: “It’s such a shame to throw away items that babies only get to wear once or twice, this is a brilliant example of recycling.

“Coffee Tots is a great place for mums to meet in Coventry, especially younger parents who will really appreciate this helping hand.”

Her co-founder Helen Keast added: “Some of the clothes our mums gave have even got the tags still on.

“People buy newborn baby clothes and within weeks their babies have outgrown them.”

Birth and Baby Reality supports parents in a variety ways including antenatal courses and coffee mornings for expectant and new mums.

The group arranges guest speakers who provide advice on everything from weaning, baby yoga and to entertaining your baby with music.

The group is also offering free early pregnancy classes at Leamington Spa Baptist Church, Chandos Street each month. Mrs Cossey added: “We hope to improve people’s understanding about health in pregnancy, thereby improving birth outcomes for both mothers and babies.

“It doesn’t matter what background you come from, all parents love to learn about their baby’s development and our classes provide the opportunity for them to meet other local people in the same situation.”