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| Walthamstow Toy Library |
After the first hectic few months of maternity leave, things began to settle into a more organised weekly routine of playgroups, NCT mums meet-ups and plenty of coffee and lunch dates! We are very lucky in Walthamstow to have a wealth of organised activity and play sessions, enough to fill every morning and afternoon of the week if you have the energy! One of my regular play sessions was at Walthamstow Toy Library, where I went nearly every Tuesday afternoon for the under 18-months play session. The Toy Library is a fabulous little place, run by a charity, where you can come with your little one for an afternoon of fun and games. For the under 18-month session, each week had a different theme, ranging from active play where the more mobile kids can crawl and toddle around to their hearts content over an obstacle course of soft play blocks, to heuristic play, where the babies can find and explore every day and natural items such as egg boxes and pine cones. Each session ends with a 20 minute sing along session where the babies can take turns to pull a toy out of the song bag and we all sing the relevant song. This is where I re-learned the words to all the old nursery rhymes and picked up a few new classics along the way (The Dingle-Dangle Scarecrow anyone?). It was great after a few weeks to keep seeing the same faces and make new Walthamstow mum friends. I think it was one of baby M's favourite activities and in fact he even crawled for the first time on one of the sessions! (Inspired by watching the slightly older babies I think) The play sessions are very popular, and sometimes people are turned away after the session is full, so make sure you get there on time!
The toy Library can be found next to the Comely Bank community clinic on Ravenswood Road. Check out the latest information on play sessions and room hire here: Walthamstow Toy Library
Hi Gail,
ReplyDeleteReally nice to see your posts about being a young mum in Walthamstow. We're considering moving there this summer, but after being in Hackney the past few years, I'm still a bit resistant to my husband's sales pitch. Do you find that there are quite a few things to do for a working mum? And is there a nice community of young, cosmopolitan mothers that is welcome to outsiders from down the road?
Also, where in Walthamstow would you recommend living?
Apologies for the barrage of questions. You just seem to have your finger on the pulse of the neighborhood!
Jyoti
Hi Jyoti,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the message. I'm quite an enthusiast of all things Walthamstow, so you will definitely get a positive answer from me! There is a huge community of young mums in Walthamstow, as we are going through quite a baby boom at the moment. And definitely open to all newcomers to the area! Would you be working full time? There is an enormous amount different baby-related activities going on, but most of them are weekday daytimes. There's plenty of evening activities too that you could get involved in yourself to have some nights out without the baby/children. I am part of a book club, a supper club and a wine tasting group, so I get several evenings out each month where hubby stays home with the baby. Its really helped me become part of the local community. There is a thriving twitter community too which has been invaluable to me.
As for areas of Walthamstow, I'm sure you will hear lots about 'The Village'. It is lovely there, but becoming massively overpriced, so unless you are fortunate enough to have a big budget it might be out of reach. I myself live right by one of the entrances to Lloyd Park. Its a bit further to walk to the tube, but having such a fabulous big green space right outside the door is wonderful and I'm sure will only be more appreciated as my son gets older.
Good luck whatever you decide! I'm sure you would be very happy here if you did make the move to E17!
Gail