Prouty Parent-Baby Group

The Parent-Baby Group meets on Mondays 11:00am-12:30pm. All are welcome! It’s a free, drop-in group. 

Every week, we’ll have a professional scale available for weighing your baby and a lactation-trained nurse available to help you troubleshoot. 

Light refreshments are provided.

Location:

The group meets in the white tent in the soccer field in front of Holton Hall. During inclement weather, the group meets inside Thomas Hall – 209 Austine Drive.

UPCOMING TOPICS

Nov 2nd — Small People, Big Feelings — We’ll take time this week to hold space for the big feelings (and questions) that can accompany parenting a new child.

Nov 9th — Lead Safety with Emily Gibbs — We have a special guest joining us today to answer questions about lead poisoning, mitigation, and safety as well as what programs exist to help with funding these efforts in our community. We’ll also talk about nutrition’s role in this process as well as leaving room to discuss ways of handling other environmental hazards.

Nov 16th — Starting Solids — Nutritionists from WIC join us to talk about starting solids, making your own baby food, introducing allergens, and navigating early shifts in eating habits.

Nov 23rd — Navigating the Holidays with a Baby — we’ll share tips for finding your holiday sleep rhythms, responding to undesired comments, and traveling with baby.

Nov 30th — Songs and Stories!

As we head into the fall, we will take a day to talk ask questions about vaccine concerns or recommendations, navigating shots with kids of different ages, and overall wonderings about navigating the season with a new baby. 


The Prouty Parent-Baby Group is a way to connect and to learn from and lean on each other while parenting a new child. Each week, we focus on a topic to support your life as a parent.

  • Swap best practices with fellow parents in the area
  • Get answers to your questions from our maternal child health and lactation professionals
  • Find out your baby’s weight or how much they’ve eaten during a feed using our infant scale
  • Watch babies learn to smile at each other

Discussions are facilitated by the Winston Prouty Center for Child and Family Development’s maternal child health nurses Leah Nussbaum, Sally Pennington, RNC, IBCLC; Autumn Blais, RN, PNP; and Emma Schneider, RN, IBCLC.

Have questions?  Email at emma@winstonprouty.org. 

Previous topics

  • Back to the Basics: Fun Ways to Promote Health Development, with Sandy Stark from Early Education Services
  • When will they…? – Child Development Q&A with Nancy McMahon, Winston Prouty Center
  • Yoga with Baby! Try out a yoga with baby sampler with perinatal yoga specialist Melissa Boyles.
  • Understanding and Healing Your Postpartum Body with Pelvic Floor PT
  • Infant Dental Health
  • Before, During, and After: Preparation and Support for Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum
  • Infant Safety Q&A 
  • Navigating the Holidays + Baby Print Card Art! 
  • Reading and Library Fun 
  • Navigating Family Relationships with Nancy Wohl
  • Baby Led Weaning with Sally Pennington
  • Sleep Q&A with Axis Monet
  • Pumping, Bottles, and Beyond with Sally Pennington
  • Attachment and Co-Parenting with Hayley Rowland
  • Resources for Kids! with Sandy Stark
  • Reflections on Birthing in Our Community with Deb Kitzmiller, Vermont Department of Health
  • Transitioning to Childcare with Laura Beatty, Child Care Referral Specialist
  • Potty Training with Manzi Wilde
  • Helping Baby Sleep with Sally Pennington, RN, IBCLC
  • How Lactation Adapts with Sally Pennington, RN, IBCLC
  • Methods for Relieving Stress with Emma Schneider, RN
  • Ask a Pediatrician with Dr. Susan Slowinski
  • Baby Wearing with Whippersnappers
  • Diaper Day!
  • Water Babies with Hannah Lindner-Finlay
  • Food Mindsets and Tools
  • Why Babies Fuss with Sally Pennington
  • Navigating the start of child care
  • Early Childhood Philosophies — Reggio Emilia with Honor Woodrow
  • Tummy Time Extravaganza
  • Early Childhood Philosophies: RIE
  • Early Childhood Philosophies: Montessori 
  • Navigating Holidays with Baby
  • Favorite Book Share!
  • Childcare Check-in with Kes Rooks
  • Baby Senses–Vision
  • Good Enough – Navigating the headspace of perfectionism, comparison, and other mind eaters in early parenting.
  • Baby Senses–Hearing
  • When Partners Don’t Agree
  • Water Babies
  • Postpartum Moods
  • Songs and Stories Day

Group Guidelines

Prouty Parent-Baby Group is a place to connect, learn, and lean on each other for support. You will hear a range of ideas and possibilities on various topics. Take what works for you. You know yourself and your baby best. We kindly ask that everyone have a chance to speak without interruption. If you have some good advice to offer, please ask first if this is what they want. Sometimes being seen and heard with compassion and understanding is just what they need, what we all need.