Baby Basics South Somerset
Baby Basics South Somerset provides support to families with newborn babies, up to the age of 6 months. We support families across Somerset and the surrounding counties. Our starter packs include a moses basket providing the family with a safe space for their baby to sleep, which is then packed full of the basics; baby and toiletries for the new mum, bedding, blankets, clothing and much more.
About Us
Our project works on a professional referral basis, and so we work with our local health and social care professionals such as; midwives, health visitors, social workers, to provide support to families in need.
We are based at Monks Yard, TA19 9PY, a hospitality centre situated just outside of Ilminster on the A358.
Our project is run by a small team of committed volunteers who manage the project part time, around their other work and commitments.
We collect donations at our base at Monks Yard, and do this by appointment, so please do get in touch with us if you’d like to make a drop off. Please see our donation list for the items we can accept, as well as the items we’re most in need of right now.
Email: babybasicssouthsomerset@gmail.com
Phone: 07541 336732
You can also get in touch through Facebook or Instagram if you’d like to discuss making a donation
Meet the Team
We are a small team of volunteers who are all committed to making a difference to families in our community. Many of us have other jobs and family commitments and so we work part time on the project.
Get Help
We work by professional referral only.
We take referrals from any organisation working with families; including, midwives, health visitors, local councils, social workers and charities.
We support families with babies from birth up to the age of six months.
Families
If you live in Somerset, are pregnant, or have a newborn baby, or baby aged 0-6 months, and need help with items for your family then we may be able to help.
Please talk to your midwife, health visitor, social care professional or other family worker supporting you, talk to them about the items you need help with. They will then be able to make a referral to us on your behalf.
We do not accept self or family referrals.
Make a Referral
- If you are a professional wishing to make a referral to us then please download our referral form below
- Please email all completed forms to babybasicssouthsomerset@gmail.com
- Please complete one referral form per family
- Please ensure that you are using a new blank form each time and clearly specify the items that are required in the ‘Items that are needed’ box. There is a clear list of the packs we can offer underneath the referral form, to help guide you so you know exactly what to request, and to avoid us giving out items that aren’t needed. If only a specific list of items are needed then please feel free to pick these out and list them in the box.
- Please ensure that all boxes are completed to prevent us having to come back to you to clarify information.
We aim to prepare items as quickly as possible, and always work through our referrals in due date order. We aim to have the items ready at least 4 weeks before a baby is due, to give the family time to prepare ahead of baby’s arrival. In many cases we’re able to provide items much sooner than this. We always do our best to get the packs to the family as soon as we can. If a referral has come in for an emergency pack, or for a baby already born, then we will always prioritise these referrals and prepare then as quickly as possible.
If items are needed for a specific time then please do make us aware of this when you make the referral and we will always do our best to arrange items to these dates.
The quickest way to submit a referral is by completing our referral form and emailing it to us. We aim to respond to all referrals requests within 48 hours.
We will make contact with you once we have prepared the items, to let you know that they are ready to collect. It is really important that you are able to collect the items from us, at Monks Yard (TA19 9PY) or you are able to make arrangements with a colleague to collect on your behalf. We do not allow families to collect their own items. Failure to communicate with us about collection times may result in us cancelling the referral.
There is no limit to the number of times a family can be referred to us if you assess that they still need support. We can help with additional toiletries or the next size clothing if we have it available.
If there are specific items that a family require, and they aren’t listed on our referral form, please ask as we sometimes have extra items available.
If there is any additional information that you feel we should be aware of when preparing items for a family, please add this to the additional information box at the bottom of the form.
Telephone referral
If you would like to call us to discuss a referral our telephone number is 07541 336732.
Please note that we may not always be available to take your call, so please do leave us a voicemail, ensuring you leave your phone number, and we will call you back as soon as possible.
Give Help
Donating secondhand items
We accept second hand clothing, bedding, baby towels, muslins, bibs, toys and moses baskets, but all items must be stain free with lots of life left in them.
Our most needed items right now are:
- Moses baskets
- Moses basket fitted sheets
- Baby lotion
- Shampoo for mum (must be brand new)
- Conditioner for mum (must be brand new)
- Small soft toys suitable for a newborn
We also have a specific list of the items that are included in each of our starter packs, this is a mixture of clothing, bedding etc and toiletries. The toiletries must be brand new/unopened. Please see this full list below. If you have any of the following and would like to donate them to us please do get in touch with us to arrange an appointment to drop off. All donations require an appointment to drop off.
Items that can be donated for our Moses basket starter packs:
- Moses basket, with or without a stand – but must have a stain free cover/liner
- Moses basket fitted and flat sheets
- Moses basket sized blankets (knitted, cellular and fleece)
- Baby towel
- Muslins & bibs
- Size 1 nappies
- Baby wipes
- Baby shampoo, wash/bubble bath and lotion
- Cotton wool for baby
- Mum toiletries: shampoo and conditioner, tooth brush and tooth paste, shower gel, bubble bath, body lotion, soap bar, maternity and breast pads
- Small chocolate treat for mum
- 0-6 month baby clothing, including babygrows, vests, outfits (tops and trousers), cardigans and jumpers, coat, socks and hats
- Scratch mittens
- Small soft toys suitable from birth up to 6 months
- Baby baths (must be free standing, we don’t take bath seats/supports)
Donating equipment
We are limited on storage space and so can not take in large volumes of different equipment.
Equipment we can accept:
- Moses baskets and stands (please remove mattress)
- Baby baths
We are unable to take larger items or those suitable for babies over the age of 6 months. We occasionally take in bouncy chairs, high chairs, newborn prams and cots if we have a specific request for them, and the condition of the item is good. Please email or message us with some pictures if you have any of these to donate. We will then be able to advise if we can accept.
We cannot accept any items that are broken, missing parts or need excessive cleaning.
We do not accept:
- Swinging cribs
- Travel cots
- Car seats (unless brand new, in a sealed box and for a newborn)
- Jumparoos or sit in walkers
- Bumbo seats
Donating new items
All toiletries that we give away must be brand new or unopened.
We accept donations of brand new moses baskets, baths and clothing etc.
You can purchase items and support us through our Amazon wishlist here.
If you would like to purchase items from elsewhere and have them posted directly to us then please send us an email or message and we can provide you with our postal address.
Donating financially
Regular or one-off
To donate via BACS please contact babybasicssouthsomerset@gmail.com for details.
Baby Basics South Somerset sits under the charity Monks Yard Church, and therefore all monetary donations made have to go through this charity. We always ask that a reference of Baby Basics is used. Please be assured that any funds donated specifically for Baby Basics South Somerset are allocated to our specific account and are only used for the work of Baby Basics South Somerset.
How can you get involved?
If you would like to get involved and are interested in volunteering with us then please email babybasicssouthsomerset@gmail.com, tell us a bit about yourself and what area you’d like to help in. We only have a small work space, and so we don’t have capacity for a big team, but if you’re interested in being a bit more hands on with the project then send us an email and we can discuss whether we are currently in need of more support.
Other ways you could help:
- Purchase items from our wish list – we are always incredibly grateful for the donation of physical items. The items on our wish list are quite often items that we have nearly run out of, and need more of in order to fulfil our outstanding referrals.
- Do you knit or know someone who does? Then we would gladly accept first sized/newborn sized cardigans, hats, booties and moses basket size blankets. It’s really important that no strings or ribbons are used to make these, to adhere to our safety policies. We also can’t accept any crochet blankets as there is a risk of little fingers getting caught in the holes of these blankets.
- Do you sew? We like to give out our mum’s toiletries in a drawstring toiletry bag, so she can take the toiletries to hospital with her. We are always in need of these, so if this is something you’d like to help with then send us an email and we can chat to you about sizes etc.
- Could you do some fundraising for us? Be it a sponsored walk or coffee morning. Do you work for a business which has a charity focus and likes to support the local community? We are a self funded project and so rely heavily on donations from community groups, businesses and grants to help us continue providing support to families in our community. If this is something you’d like to do for us then please do send us an email.