The Going’s On In The Baby Club

The Going’s On In The Baby Club

By Paul McCann

Opposite the shops on the other side of the road , there used to be a baby club where Mammy’s and Daddy’s could take their babies after they were born for a bath . Then I was told that babies were brought there to be given their names and measured for their first clothes, but no , I'll tell you what , there was a lot more going on in there than any one ever was told .

They had a big book in there where you could order babies and they were always very busy as you had to wait nine months before your order was delivered . I had four sisters and always wanted a brother but Mammy told me they were all out of boys when she went to order one . In those days I suppose boys must have been in big demand .

Then there other stories about some of the other things that were going on in the baby club . Most adults were not aware of any of these activities and now I feel it’s my duty to inform people about the baby club even though it’s been closed now for over 60 years .

As far as I was told , the club was the first initial early learning centre in Ardoyne for babies where they were taught to walk with a wiggle and talk with a giggle . They were also given special rusks to make their teeth grow and as a special treat and every once in a while n when the time was right , there was a storyteller who would come and visit and he would talk about about unicorns and fairies with wings . He always had a special way of making his stories come to life . He could talk baby language  and the little little babies could understand every word he said but when the babies tried to to tell their Mammy’s and Daddy’s about what the storytellers had said , and all the special friends he had in fairyland , theire Mammy's and their Daddy's couldn't understand a single wotrd they said ,

Most adults never seem to listen or understand a word babies say then as the years go by the babies forget  all about the wonderful things they see and hear during those early years  .  .

There usewd to be  a daily record that was kept in the babies club in a cupboard but unfortunately  that old cupboard was accidentally handed over to some young lads on bonfire night and the journal of all the events that were recorded in that book perished in the fire .

All I know is what I’ve been told by other people who have tried hard to remember what was going on . Babies clubs these days are unheard of and things are done much differently today .

Some might call it progress others would prefer that the world could be the way it used to be before .

The End