Bramley Mums

Connecting Mums in Bramley (and Dads too!)
Home
About Us
Coffee Mornings
Events
Hints and tips
Things we love
Links
Site Map
Contact Us
Things we love 
These are highly personal recommendations for all sorts of things we have discovered, used and enjoyed in our parenting adventure. Please contact us with your recommendation and a good reason for including it.

Baby classes and activities
Chirpy and very experienced teacher runs six-week classes locally. 
Jelly Babies 
Tadley Swimming Pool's parent & baby sessions on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday mornings. The floor is raised so you can just walk down a slope into the pool and there are plenty of toys. It can get busy, particularly on a Sunday. Staff are lovely and will help you getting into pool with baby if you swim at other times.
Bramley 0-5 club
Brilliant local parent and toddler group. Every Tuesday at Clift pavilion,10:15 to 11:45am. £2 per family. They have toys and activities for all the ages. The babies have a secure area to play safely.
Each week there is a craft activity as well as story time and songs. Adult and children's refreshments are provided and lots of friendly chat!
Contact Sharon on 07919086239
Active Tots
No longer incredibly badly signposted! Worth finding and within walking distance! Must be one of the best soft-play places in the country. Can get busy on Fridays.
MAD Academy
Active music and dance classes for pre-school children. Recommended by several friends. Several classes around Basingstoke.
Magical multisensory activity classes for babies. Lovely, lovely, lovely.
A wide choice of gym and dance classes for children of all ages at the Active Life Centre in Houndmills (behind Macmillan, opposite Sainsbury's depot).
Story time on Tuesdays, Baby Rhymetime on Thursdays and a better selection of pre-school books than Chineham.
Whatson4littleones.co.uk
For a comprehensive listing of local activities for pre-school children. Run from Bramley Green!
 
Music
Big Songs for Little Ones (and Grown Ups) Amazon link here
Funky arrangements of childrens classics. We particularly love the swing version of 'Wind the Bobbin Up'. This is good enough to have on repeat during a loooong car journey.
Lullaby Amazon link here
Great, soothing collection of lullabies with fab vocal and proper musical arrangements - not usual plinky plonk tat.
 
Books
Meg and Mog Amazon list here
Have you forgotten how good they are?
The Nickle Nackle Tree Amazon link here
One copy in Tadley library - but look lively or we will take it!
The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child  Amazon link to list of authors work here.
Can you believe there are only two of these books! Two!! Why aren't there more? Anything these people do is fantastic and guaranteed to be popular with your children.
 
Days out
Great for toddlers and closer than Beale Park. Cuddle a rabbit, ride on a tractor to see Dumbledore the stag and ride down the best wavy slide in the area. Quite expensive for a small animal park with a playground and slides (£6.25) but it has great charm and the season ticket is well priced.
Great Forestry Commission woodland near Farnham with good toddler playground, activity playgrounds, cycle trails (bike hire), cafe and loads of stuff for older children. No entry fee, parking cost only (£2 for 1 hr, £3 for 2 hours). Combine with picnic at Frensham Ponds for lovely day out.
It took us a while to pay over the £6 entry fee, but the playgrounds are good. Paying extra for the train grates.
 
Adult stuff
Monthly pub night, Bramley Inn
First Friday of every month, 8pm. We're the noisy group on the settees in the room to the right of the bar. Come and join us for a laugh and a natter!
Ooh yes. Not cheap, but VERY child friendly, postnatal classes and lots of staff trained in postnatal exercise.
Are you an Ironmum? Can you run, cycle, powerwalk, shoot hoops and still knock up a batch of homemade playdough? Watch the events page for training schedule and event details.
 
Pilates class
Petra Splain runs excellent six-week Pilates classes in the Ambrose Allen Centre, Franklin Avenue, Tadley, Hants RG26 6ER. Lots of pre- and postnatal participants. Contact Petra on 07791 863188 or petrasplain@talktalk.net.