Soon-to-be Parents
Held from the start: Getting to know your new baby
We offer unique and individualised support to nearly-new (and then new) parents in the Bath and Bristol area. Our support is all about empowerment, not information overload. You’ll come away with simple, usable tools and a clearer sense of what really matters in those early days.
You’ll be guided to know how to read and understand your baby’s needs which will build your confidence, maintain calmness and enable you and your baby to truly enjoy those very special early days, weeks and months.
Support for expectant and new parents, built around one simple but powerful message: When babies feel regulated and supported, everything else - sleep, feeding, play, and bonding - becomes much easier.
There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to babies. Every child, every parent, and every family dynamic is different. Our sessions are tailored to your needs as a family, and your goals for how you want the early few months of living with a new baby to be.
The sessions will be arranged to fit with your routines and can be weekly, fortnightly, or monthly, etc. Additional sessions can be added on if needed.
Learn more about this support in our Held from the start blog.
This support is available until your newborn is three months old.
By supporting regulation early, we can reduce stress for both baby and parents - and lay strong foundations for healthy child development.
Three sessions in your home or at our therapy base. These can be booked individually or as a block of three:
01 Before Baby Arrives: Preparing the Ground
A session to focus on helping you feel prepared - not just practically, but emotionally and physically. You’ll come away with greater confidence and understanding about your soon to be newborn’s needs.
02 Newborn Sessions: Supporting Your Baby in Real Time
A session to teach you how to read your baby’s cues, to enable your baby and you to stay well regulated, and to create a sensory calm environment to support sleep. The session includes an introduction to baby massage.
03 Review Session: Reflect, Adjust, and Grow
As your baby grows, their needs change. This session aims to help you feel grounded and reassured as you move confidently into the next chapter of your parenting journey.
These sessions are provided by one of our Children’s Occupational Therapists. Occupational Therapists know all about sensory processing and child development; these are our areas of unique specialist knowledge. When we work with children as they get older, we often say that what we look at - and then help with - is an extension of ‘the little red book’. So our knowledge and experience puts us in an excellent position to help new parents at this existing time in a family’s life. By the nature of what we do, we empower, upskill, build confidence and stand by your side so you feel confident to be able to say, ‘We’ve got this!’
Our soon-to-be parent sessions are designed to empower you with know-how about:
Newborn communication
Regulating your baby to improve sleep
Improving bonding and attachment
Understanding your baby’s likes and dislikes
Baby massage
Q&A
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Each session is one hour. There are three sessions in total, booked upfront and scheduled around your due date and availability. The first session takes place before your baby arrives, with the remaining sessions timed to support you during the early newborn stage.
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The first session is carefully timed before your baby arrives. This allows you to prepare with practical knowledge about early development, sensory processing, and how to support a calm, regulated start for both you and your baby.
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These sessions are not a replacement for NCT classes. Instead, they focus specifically on child development and sensory processing. You’ll learn how your baby develops in the early months and how to support regulation for both your baby and yourself.
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The three sessions are designed to give you focused, structured support. For additional guidance, you can book an NNT Bitesize session as a follow-up.
If you’re ready to start your journey with our soon-to-be parents' support, book a call today and take the first step towards showing your new baby what amazing parents he or she is lucky to have. a