Start for Life Journey

The Start For Life Journey will support you from pregnancy until your child starts school. With a mixture of sessions from stay and plays in your Family Hub / Children’s Centre to your Health Visitor coming to visit you. It is a fun way for you to learn more about your babies / child’s development, speak to health and childcare professionals along with a chance to meet other parents.

Contact your Family Hub or speak to your health visitor to find out when the sessions are available.

• Transcript of parent journey video (PDF, 97KB)

Baby Journey

Antenatal

A home visit from your health visitor to talk about their role and discuss you and your family's health.

• Start4Life Guidance - week by week guide for a healthy a pregnancy.

Welcome to your family hub / children's centre

You can visit your local family hub / children's centre at any time or have a look at our virtual tours.

• Virtual tour of Monks Coppenhall Children's Centre
• Virtual tour of Ashgrove Children's Centre
• Virtual tour of Congleton Children's Centre
• Virtual Tour of Oak Tree Children's Centre
• Virtual tour of The Brooks Children's Centre

Find out more about Family Hubs in Cheshire East and which is your nearest centre.

Useful information for this part of your 'Start for Life Journey'.

• Lullaby Trust - provides safe sleep guidance.

Health Visitor home visits

New birth visit - your health visitor talks to you about you and your baby’s health and development.

4 - 6 week Visit - your health visitor will visit you to provide ongoing support for you and your baby. They will also identify any additional help you feel you may need.

• NHS Antenatal Care - everything you need for your parenting journey, from feeding and caring for your little one to relationships and looking after yourself.
• Start4Life - parenthood information including breastfeeding, vaccinations, your mental health and much more.
• Baby Buddy App - provides advice to help you look after you and you baby’s mental and physical health.
• CATCH APP - free health app providing personalised information and guidance for parents and carers of children aged 0-5.

Babies Together

Birth - 12 months - a weekly stay and play session in your local children's centre/ family hub providing activities for your babies development, information and advice from family service workers and health professionals and an opportunity to meet with other parents and babies of a similar age.

Further information and support

• Safe Sleep Advice from the early start team and the health visiting service
• Home Safety Advice from the early start team and the health visiting team
• ICON - information about infant crying and how to cope
• CAPT - provides accident prevention in the home advice and guidance.

Activities

• Tiny Happy People - play ideas and expert advice to for your babies early development.
• Words for Life - provides lots of ideas and activities to encourage early communication.
• National Literacy Trust - Family Zone - provides fun things to make and do together.

Weaning Together

At around 4 - 7 months you will be invited to a session on introducing your babies to solid foods delivered jointly by health professionals and start for life practitioners. Contact your local children's centre / family hub to find out when the next session is.

• Weaning advice - from the early start team and the health vising team
• Weaning advice for the Health Visiting Service
• Sugar advice - from the early start and health visiting service
• Start4Life weaning advice- introducing your baby to solid foods
• Change4Life sugar advice - sugar advice and how to find out what's in the food your family eats.
• NHS dental information - how to look after your baby's teeth and when to start brushing.

12 month Review

9 –12 months - an opportunity to discuss your child’s health and development with a health visitor.

• NHS Your baby's health and development reviews - a guide to what happens at your baby's health and development reviews.

Toddler Journey

Toddler's Together

Once you baby starts walking they can join our toddler's together session. This is a fun and active stay and play sessions supporting your child's development. With information and advice from start for life practitioners and health professionals.

Further support at this part of your journey

• Behaviour advice and positive praise information - from the early start and health visiting service. 
• Hungry Little Minds - lots of simple, fun activities for you and your toddler. Your child take's everything in, and even the smallest things you do with them can make a big difference.
• BBC - Tiny Happy People - activities, play ideas and expert advice to develop your toddlers development and their communication skills.
• Story Time from the BookTrust - Interactive books to read online or watch with signing.
• Words for Life - provides lots of ideas, activities and top tips to encourage talking.
• Change4Life - games and activities to keep your kids active.
• Rhymetimes - enjoy songs, rhymes and rhythm with your child at your local library.
• Toilet training from the Health Visiting Service

2 Year Old Integrated Review

Age 2 is an important time for children. It is the ideal time to celebrate your child's achievements and an opportunity to provide your child with any extra help they might need. This review brings together the thoughts of you the parent, your health visitor and your childcare provider.

• NHS Your baby's health and development reviews - a guide to what happens at your baby's health and development reviews.

Preschool Journey

Stay and Play Together

From 2 years - a fun and active stay and play sessions in your local children's centre supporting your child's development. With information and advice from Family Service Workers and Health Professionals.

Further support at this part of your journey

• Hungry Little Minds - lots of simple, fun activities for you and your toddler. Your child take's everything in, and even the smallest things you do with them can make a big difference.
• BBC Tiny Happy People - activities, play ideas and expert advice to develop your toddlers development and their communication skills.
• Story Time from the BookTrust - interactive books to read online or watch with signing.
• Words for Life - provides lots of ideas, activities and top tips to encourage talking.
• Change4Life - games and activities to keep your kids active.
• Rhymetimes - enjoy songs, rhymes and rhythm with your child at your local library.
• Chat, Play and Read video with ideas for bringing stories into your everyday play

• Resilience Video from the Health Visiting Service

Ready, Steady School

Ready Steady School - a fun and active play session to support you and your child in getting ready for school.

• If you need to speak to someone about your child’s transition into school please contact your local children’s centre / family hub.
• Starting Primary school information from BBC bitesize 
• Let’s Get Ready for School book bags are available from your local Library 

More Information on your Start for Life Journey

Follow us on our social media channels to see lots of information to support you on your Parenting Journey

Also like your local Family Hub to find out what groups are running and when.

• Cheshire East Parenting Journey YouTube Channel has lots of videos containing information and activity ideas to support learning and development.

Useful websites

• Bookstart - book recommendations and games for under 5's
• Safe from accidents - downloadable parents’ pack aimed at helping parents identify the key risks of accidents and help prevent them.
• CATCH - free health app aimed at parents and carers of children aged 0-5.

For more information on your parenting journey contact your Family Hub, speak to your health visitor or contact family information service

Page last reviewed: 23 April 2024