The cost of living crisis in the UK is on the minds of most parents. The impact it’s having on family budgets often means we cut back on things non-essential such as clubs, day trips, and meals out.
But going to things like toddler clubs, are such an important part of life for many new parents. They can be a lifeline to the outside world and the chance to grab a cuppa and have some much-needed adult company.
Mindful of the strain on family budgets at the moment, Sara and Emily, the co-founders of multi-award winning parenting platform Happity, are keen to raise awareness about the free or low-cost support networks available for new parents, all over the country.
What is Happity?
Happity is the UK’s only platform dedicated exclusively to parent and child classes. It’s a baby and toddler directory that allows parents to easily navigate and book local classes which support both their baby’s development and their own mental health. It’s a lifeline to hundreds of thousands of new parents every single year.
The platform supports local businesses (many of whom are mums) by offering parenting groups and classes the option to list for free or become a paid member. It lists over 22,000 weekly activities and has now expanded to reach even more parents in need across the UK.
Happity has recently expanded to 17 new cities including Birmingham, Nottingham, and Leeds, making the total it covers 20. The ‘Under £2’ filter helps parents to quickly locate a range of completely free or low-cost activities in their area. These usually take place in public buildings such as libraries and churches.
The importance of baby and toddler classes
“As mums ourselves we know how important these classes are for socialisation and development, not to mention the community building for parents which is key for mental health. That’s why we have focused on listing as many free and cheap activities in our newly launched cities, so everyone can find something to do with their child” says co-founder Emily Tredget.
Sara and Emily were driven to set up the platform by the loneliness and postnatal depression they experienced in the early days of becoming a mum. Despite having no tech experience, mum of two Sara was determined to solve a real problem that she and many other mums were facing. There was no technology out there for parents to quickly find and book baby classes nearest to them.
So, Sara retrained as a web developer. She navigated shared parental leave with her five-month-old baby and Happity was born to connect parents with local services and playgroups.
Supporting maternal mental health
The platform is also known for its efforts to support maternal mental health. During the pandemic, they campaigned to allow access to vital parent and child classes, as well as calling on the government to support the baby and toddler activity industry. This saw them being nominated for a Your UK Parliament award for their efforts in changing legislation to allow these groups to stay open.
Happity is the UK’s only exclusive parenting platform for those under 5. It has just been awarded the Small Biz 100, adding to previous accolades of being nominated for the petition campaign of the year award and being on the Women in software power list.
To find out more about Happity and look up which cities it covers, click here.
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