Useful Websites

• Claire Mackaness Handmade cards and events management
• Flamecat Unique enamelled baby keepsakes for your child at an affordable price. Flamecat’s stylish baby handprints and footprints are personalised and handcrafted in enamel. Mounted on contemporary bespoke frames.
• Nappilicious Cakes For nappy cakes with a difference visit Nappylicious Cakes
• Pretty Pollies - Workshops & Birthday Parties Create your own specially unique cosmetics & beauty products
• Precious Fingerprint Jewellery Capture precious memories with a unique item of fingerprint jewellery.
• Ruby Doodles Face Painting Face painting for all occasions  
• Twinkle Photo Design Unique personalised photo cards and bookmarks
• Wall Word Designs Wall art, phrases and quotations for your walls.

• Blenheim Primary School Blenheim Primary School has various activites on offer.
• Seesaw Children's Centre, Braintree
• Southend Childcare Listings Information about children's centres and their activities throughout Southend. 
• Spangles Children's Centre, Stansted
• Sure Start Sure Start brings together childcare, early education, health and family-support services for families with children under 5 years old.

• Tiny Talk Several teachers in Essex providing baby signing classes.
  

• Debutots A unique blend of interactive storytelling and dramatic play for 6 months to 7 years
• Sit & Fidget Sit & Fidget is a registered Arts charity providing high quality, low cost opportunities to take part in workshops, events and performances. 
• Stagecoach
  

• Tumble Tots

• Caterpillar Music
• Jo Jingles The UK's leading provider of fun, interactive music, singing and movement classes for babies and children aged from 3 months to 5 years of age*. (*up to 7 or 8 in some areas). Classes in more than 500 centres around the UK and Ireland.

• Bump 4 Joy Maternity Clothes for the Larger Lady
• Little Label Trendy basics and underwear for babies and kids
• Little Lollipops Kids Online store for funky kids and their parents. Stand out from the crowd in cool designer clothing from Småfolk, Snoozy, Speesees, Sweet Peanut, Toby Tiger and Birdy Nam Nam
• Little Ones Clothing Character clothing at reasonable prices.
• Lush Baby Lush Baby sells high quality, luxurious babywear, accessories & gifts. All the products have been carefully seleted to ensure style, comfort and practicality. Many of the Lush Baby ranges have matching accessories. The collections are unique & most of all fun!
• Tinkabellas Sells a unique range of fashion jewellery & hair accessories for all ages & occasions.
• Togs4specialsprogs Custom made clothing and accessories for Babies and Children with special needs
• Fancy dress outfits Fancy-dress-wear.co.uk is a content rich site which gives not only inspiration for fancy dress but seeks out the best bargains and fancy dress deals around.
  

• The Animal Ark, Norfolk Adventure play in 20 acres of parkland with animals.
• Barleylands Farm Centre & Craft Village, Billericay Children of all ages can meet and feed our friendly farm animals, ride the mini tractors around the farm and let off steam in the adventure play area. Also features the craft village.
  

• Baby Aid First Aid kits for babies on the go.  Baby Aid Compact is small enough to fit into your baby bag and contains 34 baby friendly items.  Refills also available online.  Free P&P(UK).  Free Gift Wrap.
• Health Visitors Parents and health visitors in partnership.
• NHS North East Essex NHS services for mums in Colchester and Tendring areas.
• Spirals Masterclasses A definitive guide to mind body classes in Essex.

• ActivBrentwood A comprehensive guide to Brentwood on the internet
• Billericay Parents Forum A local charity run ‘for parents, about parents, by parents’ offering support through really helpful, friendly parenting courses, led by trained parents, which cover all age groups from birth to teens, drop-in sessions and open evenings
• The Essex Factor The ultimate guide to Essex Venues including a free venue finding service.
• EssexSites  - The Website Directory for Essex Households
• Things to do this Easter in Essex Places to visit and things to do for children, adults and families in Essex this Easter Bank Holiday weekend
• Longpier News for Southend & surrounding areas.
• Mum's the Word Aims to keep local mums informed of places to go with their babies and provide opportunities to meet new friends. 
• Wickford Extended Services

Nurseries & Childminding

• www.findachildminder.co.uk
• www.brentwoodchildmindinggroup.co.uk
  

• Away with the Kids The Travel Directory for Families - Away with the Kids lists fabulously child and family friendly holidays in the UK and Ireland ranging from luxurious hotels, self-catering cottages and fun-filled farms to tipis, camper vans and castles – take a look, you may be inspired.
• Baby Aid First Aid kits for babies on the go.  Baby Aid Compact is small enough to fit into your baby bag and contains 34 baby friendly items.  Refills also available online.  Free P&P(UK).  Free Gift Wrap.
• Bumps, Babes & Kids 
• The Naughty Seat Positive Parenting Products & child behavioural aids. Our products include a Time Out range, and large selection of reward charts, star charts, behaviour charts, reward stickers, certificates and badges to encourage good behaviour and healthy eating.
  

• Bewitched Photography Maternity, Newborn, Baby and Family Photographer based in Essex.  Fun, relaxed Portraits with a family friendly style with prices starting from just £10.
• Derek Anson Photography
• Little Smilers Photography of babies and children in the Essex area.
• Maria Murray Photography Fine art  photography specializing in babies & children by Maria Murray, modern, natural, with the personal touch.
  

• Monkey Bizzness The local indoor playcentre for kids
• Partyman World of Play An indoor playcentre and unique party venue like no other!
  

• Starlight Dance Works
• Essex Zumba Ditch the workout - join the party!

• Three Lions Football Football coaching for children aged 2-10 years.

• Lord Butler Fitness & Leisure Centre Activites for children, free swimming for under 16s and an OFSTED registered creche.

• Okami Martial Arts Runs martial arts activity class for 4-7 year olds called Little Dragons, Family classes in Karate, Ladies only KickBoxercise classes & Personal training.

• Waterlife Swim School Baby and toddler swimming. Warm pools small classes.
  

• Essex Yoga Classes A definitive guide to Yoga classes for people in Essex.
• Linda Beach Includes classes for pregnancy and post-natal yoga.

• Bliss Bliss, the special care baby charity, provides vital support and care to premature and sick babies across the UK.
• Essex Cloth Nappy Network The Essex Cloth Nappy Campaign was established in 2000 to encourage parents and carers to try cloth nappies as an alternative to disposable nappies. The campaign has evolved into a continual educational programme, helping to raise awareness throughout Essex. The latest development is the introduction of the Essex Cloth Nappy Network.
• Little Angels Little Angels  (Darwen) CIC is a Community Interest Company which promotes, supports and protects breastfeeding. It aims to make breastfeeding fashionable, whilst offering evidence based information and support in a friendly and approachable manner. It does this by offering peer support through employment of the local community.
• Parents' Aid Parents' Aid offers preventative services, designed to preserve the integrity of family life, to families at risk of social exclusion.
  

• Blake House Craft Centre Over 20 shops including Kit 4 Kids, Instep Dancewear among others as well as crazy golf.
• Castle Point Transport Museum
• The Original Great Maze A great day out for all the family
  

• Wish List Toys Read about some of the best toys, including games, electronic pets, construction toys and more.
• Jack, Ted & Dolly Children's wooden toys and educational toys
• Knot Toys Traditional and Fair Trade wooden toys
• Let's Play Fair Ethical and fair trade toys.
  

• Kip McGrath, Basildon & Wickford  Voluntary OFSTED Registered Tuition Centre in Basildon and Wickford
• Kip McGrath, Chelmsford Chelmsford after-school tuition for 5-16 years children specialising in Maths and English for all abilities and also 11+ tests, SATs and GCSE preparation
• Tutor Hunt Free service for tutors and students to find one another
  

• Beauty 21 Offers sophisticated, modern women and men a host of tried, tested and successful beauty products to ensure you are always looking and feeling your beautiful best
• MGM Inflatables Inflatable hire and event organising. 
• Plum Fairy Cupcakes Cupcakes for all occasions.
• Vision.Life.Design Coaching and Counselling
• Wi-cycle It   Recycle your unwanted items for cash on the UK's free eco-auction site