To help parents with young babies in the cost-of-living crisis, an Inverness charity is supplying baby bags to those in need.
InSpire Inverness wants to help parents of babies aged 6-12 months, who they say don’t benefit from support schemes as much as newborns.
At this stage in their development, they are engaging more with their surroundings, especially during mealtimes, so the charity has these covered in their baby bags.
The Little Explorer’s Baby Bags were started five months ago by Sandra Wratten and Kristy Strange, who saw a real need for support for new parents across the Highlands.
Ms Strange said: “We saw that there was a higher demand in terms of our food parcels and even people coming to collect nappies and other baby items, so we really wanted to target those people in need.
“For new parents especially it can be difficult, and there is a lot of support for the first half of a baby’s life, but with the cost-of-living crisis, a lot of these essentials may not be viewed as essentials.”
‘Something babies can be excited about’
After receiving £1,000 as part of the Tesco Community Grant scheme and donations from Inverness Cathedral, they were able to curate bags with items worth £40.
Some items in the bags may be less essential to families who are under financial pressure due to the cost-of-living crisis and so go without them.
These include tableware such as plates, forks and spoons, which Ms Strange says is important for making mealtimes interactive for babies.
Also included are food pouches, books, bibs as well as a weaning diary and pacifiers to help babies in their journey towards a more varied diet.
“It’s not only giving them the tools that babies need during their development but also making sure those items are something babies can be excited about.”
Ms Strange says organisers were keen to provide high-quality items that will last for a long time and would be appealing to babies through colour and texture.
Currently, the team has put together 25 bags with seven allocated to charity, Home Start, that will deliver to families in Ullapool and Kyle of Lochalsh.
Ms Wratten says Home Start first became part of the scheme after they approached InSpire to help families with winter clothing and school uniforms.
She is hopeful the scheme can continue but it largely relies on charitable donations.
Ms Strange says that families living outside of Inverness may be disadvantaged when it comes to community support so this scheme is important for reaching those people.
If you are a parent who would like to apply for a Little Explorer Baby Bag contact InSpire Inverness on 01463 225553.
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