Frequently Asked Questions

If you cancel your spot before the beginning of the term you will be refunded the full amount you have paid, minus a $25 admin fee. If you cancel once the term has started, refunds will be negotiated at our discretion. If you or your baby are sick, we ask that you please stay home for the protection of the other group members. Unfortunately we cannot reimburse for missed sessions. If the facilitator is sick/needs to take leave, we will do our best to arrange cover so the group can go ahead. If we cannot arrange cover, we will endeavour to arrange a makeup session but cannot always guarantee that we will be able to do this. Some parents have concerns about attending groups with their babies before they have had their vaccinations, but newborns attending our groups tend to spend most of their time sleeping and feeding on their own parents, not coming into close physical contact with anyone else unless the parent requests a hand with holding/feeding.

All groups agree to a set of ground rules in the first session, including creating a judgment-free zone, and keeping each other's stories confidential. We want everyone to feel comfortable to share openly and honestly, because we know that this is the best way to create feelings of real connection. Our facilitators may discuss topics that arise in the groups, including personal circumstances, with other Imperfect Parents facilitators, as a form of group supervision and safety for all those concerned. If we have concerns about the safety and wellbeing of a group member or their whānau, we will reach out privately to ensure that they are being supported in ways outside our groups as well.

Do what you need to do! We understand that everyone has a life outside of our groups, and we'd love you to attend our sessions, even if you can't be there for the whole thing. We know that for some parents at home with children, these groups can be the only adult interaction you have all day, so even if you can only make it for part of the session that is better than nothing!

Absolutely! We are comfortable with catering for twin parents in all of our offerings: antenatal courses, Imperfect Parents groups, and Nature Playgroup. We have many other twin parents in our wider Imperfect Parents community and are happy to connect you with them if you're keen for some solidarity and tips - since having twins is such a unique experience.

Pricing for our offerings is something that we are continually experimenting with, trying to find the balance between accessibility for parents and sustainability for us as a business. All of our groups are facilitated by trained professionals, with a wide variety of qualifications and backgrounds, whom we value dearly and want to compensate for the time and energy that they put into our sessions. We also have to pay for venue hire in every space we use, and the kai and refreshments that we provide at our sessions (except for Nature Playgroup, which is priced lower to reflect this). Finally, there is a massive amount of admin work that goes on behind the scenes, and in order for this to be a sustainable business we need to work towards being able to pay for this (because surely I - Sophie - need to pay myself at some point lololol). At this stage, because we're not a non-profit, there's not much outside funding accessible to us (though this is something we are continually working on), so, alongside the odd fundraising gig we organise, registration payments are our sole business income. BUT we also never want finances to be a barrier to attending, and we understand that the majority of our client base is parents on leave, and therefore on even tighter budgets than usual. For this reason we have introduced a tiered pricing system - with higher-priced tiers for those who can afford them, and lower-priced tiers for those who might not otherwise be able to attend. We leave it up to you guys to decide which option works for you - and then we hope like hell that it all comes out in the wash! Send tips!

At this stage, no. We have deliberately scheduled our antenatal courses over a six week period because we believe that returning weekly to learn and discuss with the same group of people really helps to build relationships - and building community is our core kaupapa.

Everyone has different reasons for attending but, in our opinion, antenatal courses are a super helpful way to prepare for parenthood. We try to provide a broad base of information, on a range of different topics covering pregnancy, birth, postpartum, infant feeding, and baby care. We emphasise your right to make informed decisions for your and your baby's care, and we teach you tools to do this. We encourage you to explore your values and beliefs, and how these might influence your decisions and experiences. We structure our classes in an interactive and fun way that allows you to get to know the other parents on this journey alongside you, building that community of support.

ALL expectant parents, including LGBTQIA+ parents, solo or single parents, surrogacy parents, and seasoned parents keen for a refresher. We believe there is no "one right way" to grow your family, give birth, or be a parent, so we practice as inclusively as we can. We try to structure our classes in a way that gets everyone involved, and in particular, ensure that support people understand that they have a very important role to play!

Our courses have a suggested "due month" to encourage connection between people expecting at the same time, however we understand that "due dates" are a very inexact and imperfect science. We have scheduled our courses so that they finish at least 3 weeks before the beginning of the "due month" for that course. If your due date falls at either end of the month, feel free to choose the location/timing that works best for you and the other commitments/locations in your life. There are no hard and fast rules.

Every session begins with parents arriving, parking up prams and carseats, being welcomed by the facilitator and offered a hot drink, before finding a comfortable seat in a circle, where they might have some chats with the others until everyone has arrived. Once most people have arrived, the facilitator brings everyone's focus together to the start of the group, and introduces the conversation topic/s for the day. Each person gets the chance to share their thoughts and experiences in turn, but people are encouraged to respond to each other's sharing and treat it like a conversation. There is no 'talking stick'. Our sessions run for two hours, with a break in the middle for hot drinks and some morning tea, which we provide, and usually deliver to parents in their seats. At the end of the session, the facilitator wraps it up, and parents often continue to stay and chat while the facilitator packs up the room.

Our first session of the term focuses on getting to know one another's backgrounds and journey to parenthood. Subsequent sessions follow a structure of sharing what's been happening for parents in their whānau that week, while also sharing thoughts on other topics. We don't follow a set 'curriculum', but rather try to respond to the needs of the group on any given week. Some days this might be delving deep on particular parenting topics like sleep (always sleep!), feeding, soothing, or play; but other days it might be relationships, employment, identity, hopes and dreams... and so much more! Our facilitators have a vast list of topics to choose from, and we consult with the groups about what they would like to ask each other as well.

All of our Imperfect Parents' groups are capped at a maximum of 12 parents - and we encourage primary parents (regardless of their gender or whānau structure) to be the ones attending these sessions. Parents of multiples are welcome to attend, and our facilitators are often able to help care for one of your babies if needed.

Absolutely not! One of the things we love about our groups is that we ALWAYS have a wonderful mix of parents, some of whom are attending with their first babies and some with their second (or third or fourth!). We love support, wisdom, and differences in perspectives that are shared in these mixed groups.

Come to group as early as you feel comfortable leaving the house together! Because our groups run according to the school terms, babies ages vary depending on how close their birthdays are to the start of term, but we have had parents attend the first session pregnant and come to the second session with their newborn in tow! Obviously everyone is different, and has different recoveries after birth, but we encourage you to come with your baby as early as you can, providing you are comfortable leaving the house together. Ideally we'd love parents to attend our groups for about two terms, and the conversational structure of the groups works best before the babies become super mobile, so coming along earlier means you're more likely to be able to enjoy your two terms with your group. Once babies are becoming quite mobile we encourage the group to continue with their own independent catch-ups, and/or parents to attend our Nature Playgroup where the little ones can explore the outdoors and parents can still enjoy connection and community.

Just yourself, your baby and your usual nappy bag with whatever baby needs: nappies, wipes, bottles if using, spare clothes in case of a blow-out in the car (you'd be surprised how frequently this seems to happen on the way to our groups!). But also, if you forget any of these, there are probably 11 other parents on hand to lend you a spare! We provide the morning tea and drinks, a place to change your baby, and comfortable places to sit and hold and feed your baby.

Simply put, because this one is about YOU. As far as we're aware, most of the other activities out there are offering things for your baby, who, quite frankly, doesn't need most of it. In our experience, most baby activities are really just an excuse to get you out of the house and in the company of other people, so why not attend a group that is designed to help you connect, rather than trying to have awkward small talk in the swimming pool changing room? We know that loneliness is extremely prevalent among new parents, and these groups are actively working to combat that, helping you feel more connected to others, less alone, more confident in yourself and your baby... and if you're feeling good, then your baby is going to be absolutely fine!

- Your child/ren - you just register and pay per whānau, not per child. - At least one change of clothes per child. - Snacks and water for your child and yourself. - Wet weather gear and sunhats/sunscreen, if appropriate. - Towels and togs for children if at the beach... it can be tricky to keep them away from the water, though we will always check the Safeswim rating before deciding where we set up camp for the morning. - A change of clothes for yourself (even if you just leave it in the car).

At 10am Dagmar will gather everyone together to welcome you all, encourage a round of introductions and get you familiar with the location. From there, it is free play! You are welcome to stop and feed your tamariki at any time - often when one child starts snack time then others will want to join in, which can be a nice opportunity to come back together again. The goal is child-led play: your child has autonomy to decide the what/who/how/why/when/where of their own play, with limited boundaries. As the adults, we are there to support them, keep them safe and only intervene when absolutely necessary. This is your chance to observe how your child is playing, how they are moving, who they’re playing with, and what they’re interested in. See what kind of magic happens when you stand back and let things unfold! This may also give you a chance to connect with the other families in attendance! As the term progresses and whānau get to know one another, the structure may change and shift, but Dagmar endeavours to greet everyone and ensure they are introduced to a few other people to talk to.

We set up a 'base' area, with a few mats to gather on and have kai, and then encourage children to explore from here. We provide a range of open-ended resources for the children to use in their play, but the best resources will be the ones provided by Papatūānuku: trees, bushes, branches, leaves, sand, shells... Dagmar will be present to support parents and caregivers as we follow the children's lead in exploring the environment. We try to ensure all locations have a public toilet nearby.

You, the caregivers, are ultimately responsible for supervising the child/ren in your care. We will do our best to ensure that the areas we are exploring are safe for the children, but ultimately it is a public space and we cannot make any guarantees. We will make note of the hazards at the beginning of the session, and hope that as a community we can support one another to stay safe as well. As a general rule, we encourage parents to let the children explore with their own bodies - this means not lifting them up onto places that they couldn't otherwise climb to themselves, or putting them into positions (i.e. up a tree) that might be unsafe for them. We also encourage parents to facilitate positive interactions between children - some are more used to being around other small people than others, some are more curious than others, some are more hesitant than others. We do our best to facilitate these interactions as much as we can, and we encourage you to do the same while ensuring that everyone is being safe.

In various parks and beaches in Central-ish Auckland. Our location each week is dependent on weather forecast and tides/Safeswim, and we aim to rotate between the following locations. We update each week's location and meeting point in the Whatsapp chat that you are added to after registering. Our current favourite locations are: - Pt Chevalier Beach (Harbour View Rd entrance, right at the south end of the beach) - Takapuna Beach (Park Ave entrance) - Fowlds Park - Pt Erin Park - Underwood Park - Mt Albert Domain - Auckland Domain (near The Crescent) Stay tuned each week for our location - we will try to return to the same few locations though so everyone can get familiar with the environments and explore them as the seasons change. Dagmar always shares a map with the exact location to make us easier to find.

Absolutely! Our Nature Playgroup community is a little more fluid than our other offerings, with some whānau attending every session that they can, and others choosing the option of a few sessions per term. If you sign up partway through the term you should be able to choose the part-term option on our registration form, or send us a message and you can pay to attend the few sessions left of the term.