Let down by NCT, advice needed Post Reply

[jenniferlou]

Hi all,

I subscribed for the NCT classes in august as I was under the impression that they would be heavily oversubscribed and I should get in quick. I received an email last month informing me that my was subscribed course was being cancelled due to lack of interest and was given an alternative option. I then received an email this week to tell me there are currently only 3 couples subscribed to this course but they would still be continuing anyway.

This really isn't what I was expecting from the course. Feedback from friends is that the material is not that useful / biased, but that thy recommended I do it anyway to meet new mums.

I've contacted NCT and asked them for the option to cancel if the numbers don't increase but I'm now wondering what my alternative options are? This is my first baby due mid-feb.

[Minnie]

Hi Jennifer,

3 couples is actually really nice. Sometimes when the groups are too big it can be hard to really get to know each other.

[NYE31]

NCT isn't the only option,

Sign up for the ante natal classes at your chosen hospital & join "meet up mums" there have been some rave reviews about "meet up mums" on NVN.

Good luck

[RHOB]

Hi Jennifer,

I'm sorry you feel let down by NCT. As per the previous poster I found that smaller groups are better.
For me NCT was useful in helping me meet other mums whose babies are the same age. Almost a year on and we've remained good friends whose advice and support I can count on.
With regards to their ante natal course I also did the ante natal course the hospital offers and found this much more useful from a medical perspective.
Good luck xx

[jenniferlou]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Appreciate the smaller groups may be better in some respects but was really hoping to meet more than 2 other mums. Will try and find out what's offered at St George's, I hadn't even considered these courses as I thought we were sorted. Hope I'm not too late.

[NYE31]

It's Match up Mums not meet up mums - sorry!

[NYE31]

http://www.nappyvalleynet.com/mums/view ... ms#p123530

[pie81]

Are NCT running other courses in your area? Maybe they are running two groups at a similar time and this is the second one so is undersubscribed? If so you could ask NCT about switching to the other course if that has more people signed up.

[jenniferlou]

Match up mums sounds great! Thank you for this.

NCT have suggested other courses but none of them are suitable for my dates / area. Unfortunately there was another course that was suitable at the time of my re-booking however they proposed the under-subscribed course to me instead and the alternative course is now fully booked.

[erinisle22]

Which branch is it? There are a numbers of branches around here - Wandsworth, Clapham, Tooting and Mitcham, Wimbledon. Have you enquired about courses at a neighbouring branch? The person who does the bookings for Clapham is different to the person who does the bookings for the other branches I mentioned and depending on your location, you may have more options?

[mrsF]

How frustrating for you. I did a really, really helpful course called lulubaby which I would really recommend. They have experts at each class (midwives, breast feeding experts, paediatricians etc) so I felt a lot less daunted and more prepared for the impending arrival and I met a really lovely group of mummies, which is really the most important thing. 12 months on we still see a lot of each other - it's a great source of support/advice. I hope you get something sorted.

here is the link to lulubaby
http://www.lulubaby.co.uk

[Mrsmac35]

Hi

My first baby is due mid march and I have just signed up with lulubaby for a January course. If you sign up for a bronze level membership on match up mums, which is free, they offer a 10% discount on the lulubaby course, so it works up just a little more expensive than the nct course. The booking process was really easy with lulubaby and they had quite a few dates available. We live very near wandsworth common and I would love to meet up as our babies will be very close in age! Please do PM me if you're close by x

[firsttimerSW11]

I know everyone is different but in my (very humble) opinion, NCT is basically paying for mummy friends, I got nothing from it I couldn't get from the hospital ante natal classes or google/books etc. On that basis, if only 3 couples had signed up, I wouldn't have done that class. You want to maximise bang for the buck and increase your odds of meeting at least a few girls you get on with. We had a group of 8 couples and 18 months on the girls are all still really close knit. But not only that, not everyone is around all the time and so it's nice that because we were a big group, there is always two or 3 of us around at any given time to catch up or have lunch/coffee/moan about lack of sleep etc etc. Anyway good luck either way. The fact is, you'll meet loads of people at Monkey Music, playgroups etc, so all isn't completely lost if you don't do NCT.

[suzieking]

I also did Lulubaby's antenatal course in Jan this year and highly recommend them. We had 7 in my group and we all get really well and still meet up on a weekly basis. The course was pretty informative and I liked the fact that they bought specialists in to provide you with info.

[KateHelloMums]

Unfortunately, there are more worse feedback than good these days about NCT.
On the upside there is a great alternative, a neat service called Match Up Mums run by local mum, Meg. Her website is www.matchupmums.com and they basically match you up with a small group of other local mums who have similar interest and look on life as you do - so you don't have to do this wonderful journey on your own.
I know how hard it is to find likeminded people and it is even harder to find one who is roughly around your age, is also expecting and lives locally - you almost need some magic for that to happen, right?
So anyway, have a look as it might be just what you are looking for!

HTH
Kate