Catering to little ones
Despite the tight-knit form of the typical Catalan family, many foreign mothers, and mothers-to-be will tell you that Barcelona lacks both professional help and social groups for prospective and new mums. Most Catalan women now return to work when their babies are just four months old—the standard length of maternity leave here—and many do not have the luxury of longer leave, given the low wages on offer. This goes some way to explaining the paltry availability of clubs, groups and services for new mothers, so it has been left up to the foreign community to create its own.
For many, a good starting point is the MSN site BCN Tots. Here, information in English is posted about anything from weekly get-togethers, help and advice to nanny services and items for sale. It is currently run by British mother Rachel Trew, and to access the site it is necessary to register by email (bcntots@hotmail.com). The site, and its mums’ groups, can be a huge support for many foreign mothers, who tend to find themselves isolated, she said.
“Most Spanish mums return to work after 16 weeks, so for the majority of the city’s residents I guess there isn’t a need for mother and baby activities during the day. It’s such a shame, as in the UK there are all sorts of activities available, like tumble tots and baby signing classes. At least they have baby swimming classes here.”
Another big problem for foreign mothers is finding day care unless they are prepared to hand over their children to a nursery five days a week. This is even the case for babies as young as three months who, in the majority of cases, will have to attend full-time at state-run guarderías due to the overwhelming demand for places. The Playhouse in Gràcia (saraplumier@hotmail.com), however, has bucked this trend and differs from most Catalan nurseries in a number of ways: it offers the option of part-time care in English and Catalan, parents are welcome, there are fewer children per teacher and no babies are accepted.
The centre was begun by Sarah Yandell, who was unable to find decent day care for her own two children. “I couldn’t find anything that I liked as I just wanted somewhere to take them a couple of mornings a week for a few hours while I had some me-time.I also wanted somewhere child-friendly and where I could stay while they settled in. In the end I took my daughter to a German place called BCN Kinder which was excellent. I realised that the only English-speaking nurseries in Barcelona were very expensive and all up in the Zona Alta or in the suburbs. I wanted to set up a centre that was accessible in terms of price, and also city-centre based. It took me two years to find the right place, though.”
Also tapping into the demand for part-time care are former nanny Julie Stephenson and ex-public relations professional Julia Fossi, who set up Tender Loving Canguros (TLC), a nanny and baby-sitting agency. Julie says that many parents want their children to remain at home, with one-on-one attention. ”We started TLC because we saw a gap in the market for English-speaking child care,” said Stephenson. “We both had babysitters but found that every new person we met wanted to use them and it got a little frustrating when they were too busy to babysit for us. We originally aimed at ex-pats and tourists but now we find we have an equal amount of requests from Spanish/Catalan people who want more English introduced at home.”
Mujer is a boutique-style shop in the Sant Pere area of the city, which holds weekly get-togethers for new mums to share information and experiences. It is run by British mother Louise Melotte. “I arrived with a four-month-old son from Brighton in the UK—one of the most child-orientated places on the planet. I discovered to my dismay there really wasn’t enough in Barcelona for babies. All I could find here was the Ludoteca in Parc Ciutadella where I went about asking mothers to be my friend! I decided to set up ‘mums meets’ on my patio at home. Now I have Mujer, a great space where there is information for mums, a place they can chat and relax with their babies, meet other mums and shop for products that aren’t readily available elsewhere.”
Not only is there a lack of products here in Barcelona but professional advice can be difficult to find. Without close family nearby, new mothers can feel in desperate need of support and advice at such an emotional time, a fact not lost on Zoe Koumbouzi, who recently trained as a breastfeeding consultant with Alba Lactancia, with a view to establishing the city’s first English-speaking breastfeeding support group. “The advice on breastfeeding from paediatricians is pretty confusing. There is little support in hospitals to help mothers to start breastfeeding properly and there is pressure to give babies formula milk at the slightest problem.”
For pregnant women and new mums, Pamela Thompson offers natural therapies for tuning the body at A Mà Teràpies. For older children, the Drama Factory offers theatre classes for ages five to 10 in English. Founded by British actress Sophie Heydel, kids write their own material and are encouraged to develop their imagination. “It’s great for their self-awareness, self-esteem and communication skills,” said Heydel. “But above all it is fun.”
Many new mothers said that despite having to search hard for what they want, overall Barcelona is an exceptional place to bring up children. The last words go to a new mum. “Barcelona has loads to offer both parents and children because the weather means children can spend more time outside all year round, and of course there’s the beach,” said Louise Vaughan. “I think the lifestyle here is more geared towards kids. The Spanish don’t think anything of taking their children out to restaurants for lunch or dinner and I do think, in general, they are much more tolerant.”
Parenting directory
Information about breastfeeding
BCN Tots group
Mujer
New mums meet every
Monday at 11am
Carders 28
Tel. 93 315 1531 or 616 881 599
The Playhouse
Bilingual nursery in Gràcia
Mozart, 10, bajos
Tel. 93 368 7834 or 661 469 419
The Drama Factory
Improvisational theatre
classes in English Tel. 93 301 4301
Tender Loving Canguros
Nanny and babysitting services
Tel. 647 605 989
A Mà Teràpies
Natural and holistic therapies for pregnant women and new mums
Tel. 93 451 6572 or 651 591 973
CorreCoching (PowerPramming) is a way to get active and make friends without having to leave your baby. They do gentle aerobic exercise in the Ciutadella park. Call Zoe on 678 252 134