Strong Start - Face-to-face programme

Strong Start runs a variety of face-to-face programmes across West Northamptonshire to support families with babies and children under 5.

Available programmes

Baby and me

A programme of four 1 hour weekly play based sessions for parents with babies under 6 months promoting confident responsive parenting.

Sessions include information on baby development, infant feeding and parental wellbeing.

Each week there is opportunity for babies to play with a range of age-appropriate toys and for families to socialise and develop peer support groups.

Developmental baby massage

A 4-week programme of one-hour sessions covering the techniques of developmental baby massage for non-mobile babies.

This programme will include information on baby development. There will be opportunities to socialise with other families and develop peer support groups.

Early communication

A programme of 4 one-hour weekly sessions for parents with children under 5 promoting communication, language and literacy through singing new and traditional songs and rhymes.

The programme is designed to empower parents by providing tools and techniques to help support their child’s language and development.

Active child and me

A programme of 4 one-hour weekly sessions for parents with children over 9 months old promoting being healthy and active. 

Each week will include information on child development, being active and school readiness. There will be opportunities to talk to members of the Strong Start team on developmental topics such as communication, behaviour, sleep and eating as well as building peer support with other families attending.

Under 1s Sensory

A weekly bookable session for bumps/babies that are from around 28 weeks' gestation to 12 months. Our session will include key messages and public health information relevant to your stage of pregnancy or babies' developmental milestones. We will have age-appropriate toys and resources set up.

There will be opportunities to socialise with other families and develop peer support groups. We will offer a free library service of pregnancy and baby books and leaflets available to borrow and read at your leisure.

We will also invite different guests too to be on hand from week to week, with any relevant support and information such as the infant feeding team, strengthening families, smoking cessation, car seat safety demonstrations to name a few. 

Our aim is to try, and tailor make our sessions to suit your needs as much as we possibly can.

Introducing solids

A 90-minute session for families to find out about introducing solids with their baby. The session is open to families who want to find out more about introducing solids with their little one. 

We will discuss the signs of readiness, safety concerns and recipe ideas. Near the end of the session there will also be the opportunity to taste some of the finger foods.

There will also be the opportunity to talk with our qualified Early Years professionals about development and wellbeing topics, ask questions and share any concerns or worries you have about your child or your own wellbeing.

How to book

You can find our face-to-face events and sign up on Ticketsource:

Last updated 03 April 2025