20 Babies Project

The past few years have been tough for us all, but especially so for parents who welcomed new babies in unprecedented circumstances during COVID-19 lockdowns.

Introducing the 20 Babies Project with BALTIC

The past few years have been tough for us all, but especially so for parents who welcomed new babies in unprecedented circumstances during COVID-19 lockdowns.

But the lockdown-inspired 20 Babies project has proven that amazing things can come from times of uncertainty and worry.

Inspired by her personal experience of giving birth to her fourth child on the 11^th of March 2020, just days before the first Coronavirus lockdown, Florence Darling – BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art's producer specialising in children and young people – created a project called 20 Babies, inspired by her desire to support other new parents and learn about their unique lockdown experiences during the pandemic.

Focused on exploring the shared experience of giving birth and bringing up a baby in the pandemic, the year-long programme of weekly sessions at BALTIC in Gateshead would involve 20 babies born after March 2020 and was timed to end in BALTIC’s 20^th anniversary year.

Sponsored by Tommee Tippee's parent group Mayborn Group and involving volunteer families from Gateshead and the surrounding areas, the project's overall aim was simple – to bring together a community of parents and children with shared experiences, and allow them to pause and think about what they'd been through while having a bit of fun in the company of others.

Bec Hughes | @the.house.of.hues

A programme combining discussion and play was put together and artists were commissioned to devise creative activities. Florence also attained funding from Newcastle University to engage PhD student Jessie Kelly – who had given birth to her daughter in November 2019 – to attend the sessions and produce an academic paper based on the unique experience of having a baby in a pandemic, learning what it was like for everyone, and finding out what works best with early years children in encouraging self-expression and creativity.

The first Wednesday morning session was held in September 2021. Over the following year, great bonds and friendships formed between the 20 babies – who're now toddlers – and their parents.

The main takeaway from the project so far? Everyone involved experienced something different during the pandemic – from isolation and worries about health and keeping safe, to feeling distanced from families and friends – but they all feel a shared sense of solidarity knowing that they experienced it at the same time.

At Tommee Tippee, we've been lucky enough to work alongside the project and to speak to some of the parents involved, and we're proud to be able to share their individual experiences with you.

Take a look at the links below to read their stories.