Couples looking for help to get on better after becoming parents can now receive even more free online support with our enhanced programme.

Becoming a parent is one of life’s big changes. As well as embarking on a lifetime of new experiences with a baby, it can change the dynamics within a couple relationship. During stressful times, a couple may find they argue more, and this can have a negative effect on their baby as well as their relationship. 

Building on the success of Me, You and Baby Too, we've created two new animations to enhance the resource, following learnings from a recent evaluation. These animations, co-created with parents, offer practical advice on how to listen effectively to one another and how to understand the thoughts and feelings that can trigger different behaviours. 

Me, You and Baby Too is hosted on our own Click website, and we joined forces once again with Best Beginnings to offer this latest support free to parents via the Baby Buddy app. 

The full programme, sitting within the You and Your partner section on the Baby Buddy app, has already been completed by more than 7,000 new and expectant parents. Evaluation findings have shown that parents who have taken part report reductions in the level of conflict in their relationship as a result of implementing what they have learned and having a greater awareness of their actions.  This has led to significant improvements in their overall relationship satisfaction at a time when it is often at its lowest.

Verity Glasgow, our director said:

“Becoming a parent is an exciting and daunting time for a couple – their relationship changes as they adjust to their new way of life. New-parent worries and lack of sleep can put a strain on relationships and cause arguments. Undoubtedly Covid-19 has brought additional stressors for families to cope with. Where this additional pressure leads to parental conflict, it is not only harmful to the couple relationship, but their children too. 

“We hope that our enhanced Me, You and Baby Too programme, designed to help people develop listening skills and understand each other’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours, will help couples navigate through difficult times.” 

Matthew Black, Head of Digital and Content at Best Beginnings, said:

“We know that becoming a parent brings with it new physical and emotional responsibilities, and due to the pandemic, parents may feel additional stress causing even more frustrations with their partner. Strengthening your relationship with your partner means you can be better equipped to weather the storms that happen in all relationships. This resource has been used by thousands of parents to help navigate the transition to parenthood with their partner, and the addition of new film content will offer even more to support to users of Baby Buddy.”

The ‘Thoughts, feelings and behaviours’ animation* shows how easy it is for a couple to misinterpret each other when one is feeling anxious about a situation and offers practical tips to prevent minor concerns from escalating. 

The ‘Listening activity’ animation* gives couples a practical exercise to improve their listening skills, challenging them to take it in turns to listen to each other without getting distracted. 

The full resource is available for free on both platforms until the end of the year. Download the Baby Buddy app and navigate to You and Your Partner, or access Me, You and Baby Too on Click.