What is Baby Week?
Baby Week UK is a registered charity that brings together services, sectors and communities to promote the best start in life for babies and young children. Founded in Leeds by Sadiya from Child Friendly Leeds and Lucy, then a Family Outreach Worker and Churchill Fellow, the initiative was inspired by Brazil’s Semana do Bebê (Baby Week), a UNICEF-supported programme. Leeds hosted the first English-speaking Baby Week in 2016 in partnership with Child Friendly Leeds, the NHS, academic and third sector partners and organisations across the city, and has since supported other towns and cities to develop their own Baby Week programmes.
What began in Leeds has grown into a national movement, with more than 20 regions across the UK taking part. By bringing organisations together and encouraging collaboration, Baby Week supports a shared ambition to make the UK the best place to grow up and ensure every child has the strongest possible start in life. In 2019, Baby Week UK was recognised as runner-up in the Charity of the Year category at the British Journal of Midwifery Practice Awards.
Through annual citywide events, Baby Week celebrates babies, families and the work of maternity, health, early years and family services, while raising awareness of the importance of the first 1,001 days and the crucial first five years of life. Over the past ten years, hundreds of events have engaged thousands of parents, expectant parents, professionals, practitioners and babies
Baby Week 2025 Photo Album
Baby Week Key Events
Baby Week marked its 10th anniversary since launching in Leeds and has now expanded to 20 locations across the UK. Over the course of the week in Leeds, an impressive 167 free or low-cost events were promoted, attracting approximately 1,800 attendees.
- Leeds Libraries: Child Friendly Leeds promoted 34 sessions and showcased Leeds Libraries’ free, family‑friendly Story & Rhyme sessions and playful spaces for under‑fives with 3.4k views on social.
- Children Centres & Family Hubs: 30 free/ low‑cost activities were promoted with over 8k views on social media. Events ranged from stay and play, wellbeing, learning and play activities attended by hundreds.
- Active Leeds Leisure Centres: 27 free and 50p sessions with many attending for the first time. Ranged from baby massage, active sessions, soft play, water sensory and first‑aid workshops. Over 14k views on social media and most fully booked.
- Ambassadors from all sectors: On the website, 76 events in Leeds were added by 70 different partners featuring sensory, play, wellbeing, parental support, fitness classes, arts and culture events, webinars, including a child-friendly takeover of Thackray Museum.
The national conference brought together 160 delegates at the Leeds Met Hotel, alongside partners such as NSPCC, BookTrust, Boromi, BBC Parenting and the PANDAS Foundation, and featured the launch of the Leeds Best Start and Beyond Plan with cross-sector partners working together.
It’s all about partnership working
Child Friendly Leeds is a city-wide ambition and we’re all about working with partners called our ambassadors, whether it’s enrichment opportunities such as the launch of a Recipe Book with new arrivals, Christmas Gifting Initiatives, Baby Week and The Child Friendly Leeds Awards.
Together with our partners across the city, we’ve really blazed a trail in our work to raise awareness of the critical importance of a child’s first years of life and I’m so proud of the national institution that Baby Week has become. The week is a real highlight of our Child Friendly Leeds initiative, supporting our ambition for Leeds to be the best city for all our children and young people to grow up in. This week has become a real one-stop shop to celebrate babies and young children and show a full range of activities and help on offer across Leeds and the UK so parents and carers know where to look for crucial advice and support.
“Participating in Baby Week definitely helps us promote our organisation and raise our profile among families, especially in relation to our Early Years services. While our attendance is consistently strong, we always see an increase in numbers during Baby Week. The event also provides a valuable opportunity to collaborate more closely with our external partners and to offer families unique, one-off free sessions.”
– Headingley, Horsforth and Ireland Wood Children’s Centre Family Services
Any questions or to get involved in future projects and campaigns, please email: childfriendlyleeds@leeds.gov.uk
