Are you curious about your baby’s unique personality and communication cues? Do you want to understand what your little one is trying to tell you? Look no further! Join the All About Me Group, where we delve into the fascinating world of newborn behaviour.

What is the Newborn Behavioural Observation (NBO)? The NBO is an evidence-based intervention inspired by the Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale. It’s designed to strengthen the parent-infant relationship by providing individualized insights into your baby’s development. Through 18 neurobehavioral observations, we’ll explore your baby’s visual, auditory, and perceptual abilities, helping you see your baby as a unique person.

Awake and Sleep States: Decoding Your Baby’s Behaviour Together, we’ll decode your baby’s different “Awake and Sleep” states. By understanding these states, you’ll learn to interpret your baby’s cues and respond in a way that meets their developmental needs. We’ll explore everything from eye contact to emotional regulation, making your baby feel heard and supported.

The Association for Infant Mental Health has a range of Getting to Know Your Baby videos have been designed to help parents, caregivers, and health professionals to know how to support the development of a baby’s emotional wellbeing. See categories for more videos:

To view all videos click here and below is an introduction to getting to know your baby, a baby states introduction.

When and Where? Join us on alternate Monday mornings from 10:20 am (for a 10:30 am start) until noon at St. Edmunds Family Hub, Victoria Park Road, Torquay, TQ1 3QH. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate older siblings, but this special group is perfect for new parents eager to connect with their little ones.

Book Your Spot Contact your Health Visitor as soon as possible after the new birth visit to secure your spot. Call 0300 333 5352 and embark on this exciting journey of discovery with your baby!

Remember, every baby is unique, and together, we’ll celebrate their individuality. See you at All About Me!

Join Our Baby and Parent Wellbeing Group!

Calling all parents and carers! Are you looking for a supportive community where you can bond with your little one and practice self-care? Look no further! Our Baby and Parent Wellness Group is here to nurture both you and your precious baby.

For Babies (Aged 8 Weeks to 6 Months):

Baby Massage: Learn gentle techniques to soothe your baby, promote relaxation, and enhance bonding.
Baby Yoga: Explore playful movements that support your baby’s development and encourage flexibility.

For Parents and Carers:

Mindfulness Sessions: Take a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Learn mindfulness techniques to reduce stress and stay present.
Journaling: Discover the therapeutic benefits of journaling. Reflect, express, and connect with other parents.
Self-Care Tips: Because you deserve it! We’ll share practical self-care strategies to recharge your energy.

For dates and times search family wellbeing group on our what’s on page

📞 Referral Only: Speak to your Health Professional or call 01803 210200 to secure your spot. Let’s create a nurturing space together!

We want to help every parent or carer in Torbay to find the right support at the right time. Support isn’t just for the tough times. It’s there to help make your whole parenting experience easier and more enjoyable.

Where you can get support

Welcome to 0 to 19 Torbay. Helping families find ways to avoid illness and stay fit, happy and healthy.

Family Hubs are a new way of bringing together all the support a family may need and provides a welcoming space and a ‘front door’ for families from pregnancy through to young people turning 19 (or 25 if they experience SEND)

You can download our booklet here which is full of helpful information as you settle into the area. If you have any questions about our service or would like to find out what’s on in the area, please go to our website https://torbayfamilyhub.org.uk or find us on Facebook or Instagram, just search for 0to19Torbay. To access everything you need in one easy place, you may prefer to download the Family hub app.

Alternatively, you can contact our advice line on 0300 333 5352 or email
publichealthnursing.torbay@nhs.net.

As you connect with us, we hope you quickly feel welcome and
settled in Torbay.

Discover the Magic of Baby Massage!

For Babies 0-6 months

Are you a new parent looking to bond with your precious little one? Look no further! Our Baby Massage sessions offer a delightful way to connect, relax, and create beautiful memories together.

Why Choose Baby Massage?

1. Bonding Time: Strengthen your emotional connection with your baby through gentle, loving touch. It’s a moment of pure magic that you both will cherish.
2. Better Sleep: Help your baby drift off into dreamland with calming strokes. Say goodbye to restless nights!
3. Colic Relief: Soothe your baby’s tummy troubles and ease colic symptoms. Massage aids digestion and provides comfort.
4. Quality Time: Put away distractions and immerse yourself in this special bonding experience. Use music, simple songs, and nursery rhymes to make it even more delightful.

The Benefits of Baby Massage

Many thousands of parents have already attended our courses and discovered the numerous benefits of baby massage which can include:

For your baby

• Helping your baby to feel securely attached
• Helping your baby to feel more loved, valued and respected
• Reduced crying and emotional distress
• Increased levels of relaxation and longer sleep
• Development of body awareness and coordination
• Relief from wind, colic, constipation and teething discomfort

For you

• Feeling closer to your baby
• Gaining a deeper understanding of your baby’s behaviour, crying and body language
• Providing an enjoyable opportunity to spend one-to-one time with your baby
• Feeling the relaxing effects of giving your baby a massage
• Increased confidence in your ability to care for and nurture your baby
• Learning a life-long parenting skill

Booking

To book, please click here.

Please book a place for your town only.

Download our leaflet for information on the services and support available in Torbay for infant feeding, your mental health and wellbeing and early communication. To see What’s on and when, go to our What’s On pages.

If you have just moved to Torbay, view or download our transfer in booklet full of information and advice to support your child or children’s health.

Are you ready to explore the stunning landscapes of Torbay? Look no further than Ramble Club, our family-friendly walking and talking group. The Ramble Club offers the perfect opportunity to:

• Make Time for Yourself: Escape the daily grind and immerse yourself in nature.
• Embrace Nature: Breathe in the fresh air, soak up the sunshine, and enjoy the beauty around you.
• Move Your Body: Walking is great exercise, and it’s even better when you’re surrounded by scenic views.
• Connect with Your Child: Share quality time with your little ones as you explore together.
• Make New Friends: Ramble Club is a welcoming community where friendships blossom.

Next Meet Details: dates, times and location are on our What’s On page

Why Join Ramble Club?

• Changing Scenery: Each month, we explore different beautiful spots across the bay.
• Family-Friendly: Bring the kids along—they’ll love discovering new places too!

Don’t miss out! Lace up your shoes, get your baby or toddler ready and join us for Ramble Club. Let’s create memories amidst Torbay’s breathtaking sceneries. See you there!

Watch this lovely video of families and staff enjoying Ramble Club. The video was created by Torbay Council for the Director of Public Health’s Annual Report 2024. Click here to read the report and see all the other videos featured.

Download our helpful leaflet with all our perinatal mental health and parent infant relationship services and support for families living in Torbay. Click on the links underlined for more information about each service.

Support, information and services to support parents, carers, children young people and practitioners.

• Start for Life, pregnancy and parenthood guidance up to babies
• Early years, support through your child’s early years from toddler to pre-school
• Children and Teens, trusted information for primary aged children and secondary aged teenagers
• Help for parents and carers
• Torbay SEND Local Offer
• Torbay care experienced local offer
• Finding childcare
• Wraparound and holidays
• What’s on

Watch this short video to find out more about family hubs and how they can support you and your family.

Other information on our website –

• Perinatal mental health
• Parent infant relationships
• Infant Feeding
• Early Communication

Call us : 01803 210200

Email: Familyhubtorbay@actionforchildren.org.uk

Download the Torbay Family Hub App and chat to us or find information and advice.

What is VIG?

VIG is a strengths-based, effective, brief intervention for parents and carers of children across all ages. VIG can even be used during pregnancy to help you to connect with your unborn baby. Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) can help you to see what you are already doing that is helping your baby/child – strengths that you may not know you have.

Find out more from the Association for Video Interactive Guidance UK and watch this is a brief video of parents talking about their positive experiences of VIG.

We’re here to provide trusted health visiting support for families in Torbay, offering guidance on everything from infant feeding and child development to sleep routines and emotional wellbeing. Whether you’re a new parent or navigating the toddler years, our team is here to help your family thrive.

Health visitors are specially trained nurses or midwives who work with public health nurses and community nursery nurses who are part of our 0 to 19 Torbay and Torbay Family Hub service. Together, we help families stay healthy, happy, and confident as they raise their little ones.

We work with midwives, GPs, paediatricians, local family hubs and voluntary organisations to provide the best possible care to you and your family.

When we will visit you

Before We Visit – A Quick Reminder About Pets

Pet Safety Reminder: Please keep pets secured or in a separate room during our visit. If this isn’t possible, we’ll need to reschedule.

Find more about what a health visitor does

Ways to get in touch

Need advice or support?

Chat to us via the Torbay Family Hub App, just download from the Play or Apple Stores.

• Call: 0300 333 5352
• Email: tsdft.0to19torbay@nhs.net
• Online: www.torbayfamilyhub.org.uk
• Social Media: search 0 to 19 Torbay on Facebook and Instagram

For Local Infant Feeding support

• Call: 07500 952216
• Email: nhsinfantfeedingtorbay
• Social Media: NHS Infant Feeding Torbay

Useful websites

• Parent Talk – Free down to earth parenting advice and 1:1 chat from Action For Children
• FREE online Antenatal and Parenting Courses , with online code TAMAR inourplace.co.uk

“We had a great experience which helped me not quit breastfeeding and I’m extremely grateful for Gail’s non-judgemental holistic approach”.

– A parent attending the infant feeding clinic

BeWell@StepOne is a mental health support service offered by Step One Charity. The aim of the service is to reduce the pressure on NHS services and help individuals to manage their own mental health and support others in their communities.

Self-referral mental health support for across Devon.

Find information and support for your mental health from the NHS.

Whatever’s on your mind, we’re here to listen

Free digital mental wellbeing support for adults across the UK

www.qwell.io

Watch video to find out more

There is a team of Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWP) who deliver Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) alongside other therapeutic interventions. There are also online opportunities for wellbeing workshops such as: Stress less, Introduction to Mindfulness, Improving Sleep, Talkworks For Resilience and Wellbeing, Wellbeing in Pregnancy And Beyond. There is online self-help (available 24 hours a day) and live text-based therapy   On the website they have a video to describe their service aswell as access to a quick online self-referral system.  Otherwise you can contact them on 0300 555 3344 or online www.talkworks.dpt.nhs.uk.  On the section ‘How Can We Help’ there are Mental Health  resources, an A to Z of self-help leaflets as well as other websites and online resource.

Great support, information and advice and links to support for maternal mental health. Find out more here.

Urgent support

If you are in crisis, despairing or suicidal, please talk to a healthcare professional immediately. This could be a GP, midwife or health visitor, for example.

Or, you can:

• Go to A&E at your nearest hospital
• Find a local NHS urgent mental health helpline (England only)
• Call Samaritans on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.

You are not alone. Mental health problems during and after pregnancy are common and help is available:

The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement for men against mental health issues and male suicide. Their helpline is for men in the UK who are down or who have hit a wall, for any reason, and who need to talk or find information and support.
Telephone: 0800 585858 (Mon-Fri from 1.00 pm-11.00 pm)
Website: www.thecalmzone.net (with webchat from 5.00 pm-12.00 am)
Facebook: @theCALMzone

The PANDAS Foundation (Pre And Post Natal Depression Advice and Support) offers free support and advice to any parent who is struggling with their mental health. It also provides support for their families.

There is a specific Facebook page for dads, including a link to a closed Facebook support group. To find your local PANDAS group, click on this link: https://pandasfoundation.org.uk/how-we-can-support-you/support-groups/.

Telephone: Helpline: 0808 1961 776 (11.00am-10.00pm daily)
Website: www.pandasfoundation.org.uk
Facebook: @PANDASFoundation and @pandasdads
Email: info@pandasfoundation.org.uk

An online health and wellbeing app which can provide you with a range of wellbeing resource this can be found at http://devon.orchahealth.com

You are one click away from hundreds of apps that can help you with your health and wellbeing.

All the apps in your Health App Library have been tested (assessed) by the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps (ORCHA).

Start browsing your Health App Library now by using the search bar at the top. Or click on a category such as sleep, women’s health, men’s health or mental health.

Puts you and your mental health first 7 days a week for 365 days a year. This is an Urgent Mental Health Helpline call free on 0808 196 8708 it’s important to get help quickly, You are not alone The service is for people with mental health and learning disability needs. If you are experiencing any of the following :

• Changes to your mood
• Withdrawing from people (close family, friends or work colleagues)
• Not taking care of yourself like you usually would 
• Having increased thoughts about your life not being worth living 
• Excessive worry 
• Feeling out of control or unable to cope 
• Feeling anxious about leaving the house
• Hearing voices or seeing things that others can’t 
• Thinking about harming yourself 

 Then Call the First Response Service on : 0808 196 8708

Available 24/7, For Crisis Management and Perinatal Mental health resources and information  24 hours 365 days a year

Call: 0800 470 0317

Suicide prevention and Stay Alive action plan resources and help for worried about someone ;

Call: 0300 330 5464 8pm-11pm Tues/Wed/Fri Sat and Sun www.stayalive.app

• call any time day or night free 365 days of the year from any phone  116 123 or  0330 094 5717 (local call charges apply) or use their website.

www.samaritans.org/branches/torquay

Great support, information and advice and links to support for maternal mental health. Find out more here.

Urgent support

If you are in crisis, despairing or suicidal, please talk to a healthcare professional immediately. This could be a GP, midwife or health visitor, for example.

Or, you can:

• Go to A&E at your nearest hospital
• Find a local NHS urgent mental health helpline (England only)
• Call Samaritans on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.

You are not alone. Mental health problems during and after pregnancy are common and help is available:

Are you feeling distressed, frightened, overwhelmed, or that things are too much for you? Don’t know where to turn to get mental health support? Are your usual sources of support closed for the night? The Moorings @ Devon offers out-of-hours mental health support to anyone aged 16+ in the Devon area, from three locations in Barnstaple, Exeter, and Torquay: Torquay

Address: South Devon & Torbay Mental Health Centre, Torbay Hospital, Lowes Bridge, TQ2 7AA

Open Monday to Friday from 6pm – 10:30pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 1:30pm to 10:30pm.

Contact to book: 07483 991 848 or Email: devontorquay.mhm@nhs.net

Website: https://www.mhm.org.uk/the-moorings-devon

To find up to date information, please visit their site here.

If you’re looking for an App to support your mental health and wellbeing, try one of these.

• SAM app – ( to help you understand and manage anxiety self help app for the mind
• Mindfit App ( Helps reduce negative thoughts and change thought patterns )
• Insight Timer- Meditation time app to support relaxation
• Breath App – (the Breath App guides you through a series of deep breaths, and it reminds you to take time to breath every day- taking you through breathing exercises)
• Smiling Mind App (Mindfulness meditation free App)
• Gratitude Garden
• Headspace App (Mindfulness meditation free for first 14 days then monthly subscription)
• Unwinding Anxiety ( 7 day free trial then a cost )

Here’s some books …..

• https://reading-well.org.uk/books/books-on-prescription/mental.health Self help books for mental health recommendations
• Daylio journal Mood tracker
• Journaling
• Mind Over Mother by Anna Mathur
• Good Mums have Scary Thoughts by Karen Kleiman

Getting to Know Your Baby videos have been designed to help parents, caregivers, and health professionals to know how to support the development of a baby’s emotional wellbeing. See categories for more videos: –

• Introduction & Why Bonding matters
• Bonding Before Birth
• Baby States
• Early Interactions
• Sleeping & Soothing

Click on this link to the Infant Association for Mental Health to see a range of helpful videos.

HOPE myhealth-devon.nhs.uk/hope programme click on HOPE Resources to Hope Podcast click on Episode 2 Podcast Postnatal emotional well-being

Episode 3 Podcast People struggling with anxiety and depression

Find lots of links to helpful websites to support your health and wellbeing.

• NHS choices enter postnatal depression video and there are three women talking about their experience of postnatal anxiety/depression (How do I know if I have postnatal depression) It is emotional but makes you realise that you are not on your own.

• The perinatal mental health team use www.rcpsych.ac.uk click on patients and then enter keyword like postnatal depression section on there for carers. Includes Leaflets about Mental health which are translated into different languages    

• Perinatal Mental Health Team leaflets

www.dpt.nhs.uk/resources/leaflets/perinatal-mental-health-leaflets click on our services then Pregnant women and new mothers

• Mind provides an informative website about ‘looking after your mental health and Perinatal Mental Health online www.mind.org.uk Information line : 0300 123 3393 mon-Fri 9am-6pm (except Bank holidays ) email: info@mind.org.uk live chat available Tips for everyday living A to Z for Mental health

• www.rethink.org Living with OCD

• www.mind.org.uk/ perinatal OCD – intrusive thoughts

• www.cntw.nhs.uk self help guides for mental health and wellbeing

• www.moodjuice.scot.nhs.uk/selfhelpwebsitewhichincludesmindfulinformation

• www.youtube.com(3minutebreathingspace)

• https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/resources/self-help-guides

• https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/

• Choice and Medication This website offers client information about mental health conditions , treatment options available to help make informed decisions about choosing the right medication www.choiceandmedication.org

• Netmums to support parenting www.netmums.com.support/pre-and postnatal depression

• Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) Resources to support mental and wellbeing https://dbtselfhelp.com
• Headspace – Headspace is a science-backed app in mindfulness and meditation, providing unique tools and resources to help reduce stress, build resilience, and aid better sleep.https://www.headspace.com/nhs

• www.actionfor happiness.org- 10 keys to happier living
• www.everymindmatters.co.uk – your mind plan quiz (5 x quick questions), Top tips to improve your mental wellbeing
• My Black Dog is a charity that offers peer-to-peer support for people struggling with Mental health online Mental health Chat opening Times :Monday- Friday 5pm-10pm, Saturday- 1pm-3pm, Sunday 7pm to 10pm  My Black Dog – Mental Health Chat Support
• Meditation– Very Well Mind https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-practice-loving-kindness-meditation-3144786#citation-2