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Petworth Peanuts 

Newborn Cohorts

Petworth Peanuts has been hosting Newborn Support/Education Cohorts since Spring 2020, starting with just 15 newborn moms! As of Fall 2024, over 2,000 families have participated in our Cohort program and dozens of new parents join every month. This page includes information about our Cohort structure, schedule, topics of discussion, and more. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, check out our FAQs, or contact us here.

Peanut parents talking at a newborn cohort meet up in Sherman Circle
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How does it work?

Our Newborn Cohorts meet weekly for three months, both in-person and virtually. A virtual discussion with an expert guest speaker is hosted approximately every Thursday; you can see a sample list of our discussion topics below. The Cohorts also meet in person, outdoors (weather permitting!), on a schedule determined by the Cohort members.  Cohorts may choose to plan other Cohort events as desired, and discussion topics will be decided in close collaboration with Cohort members as well.

Who can join?

All caregivers of newborns are welcome, including birthing parents, foster parents, adoptive parents, and partners – whether this is your first baby or your fifth! Discussion topics are designed for caregivers of newborns, but older babies (6+ months) are welcome if the below topics are of interest.

Expert Speakers / Discussion Topics

Our cohort guest speakers are subject matter experts / licensed professionals, and our discussion topics vary widely depending on Cohort interest. Past speaker topics have included: 

Post-Partum

Postpartum depression

Postpartum fitness

Postpartum mental health

Postpartum physical health & recovery

Postpartum Yoga/Meditation

Exercise post-partum

Pelvic floor recovery / therapy

Infant Care

Breastfeeding and pumping

Newborn sleep: 0-4 months

Baby sleep: after 4 months

Baby-wearing

Baby gear show-and-tell

Baby and Me Yoga

Infant touch, massage 

Tummy Time Strategies

Development 

Infant Motor Development

Emotional/Social Development

Cognitive development

Baby Sign Language

Speech Pathology

Bi-lingual learning

Introducing solids / 

Baby-led weaning

Next Steps

Returning to Work

Finding Childcare

Parenting toddlers

Behavioral Issues

Potty training 

Managing multiple children

Early Literacy

Work-Life Balance 

The cohort discussions are a safe, non-judgmental space for members to ask questions, exchange advice/resources, and share their "highs" and "lows" for the week as they navigate the adventures of newborn parenthood.

How do I join a Cohort?

​If you have a baby born recently/due soon, and/or you'll be on parental leave this Fall, click here to join the next Cohort! Newborn Cohort membership is just $75 per family and also includes Peanuts annual membership through September 2025 (regularly $50/year). This fee helps us cover the costs of supplies, events, and operations. Peanuts is 100% volunteer-run and we deeply appreciate your contribution!

When should I join?

You can join at any point, to start exploring our resources, and get in touch with other parents! The form will ask you to indicate the desired start date. We understand that life with newborns can be unpredictable, so you should feel free to email us and ask to change the desired start date at any point. 

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A newborn cohort kicks off every month, and runs for approximately three months. The kick-off meeting will normally take place the first Friday of the month, at 2pm. The exact date and place of the meeting will be confirmed via email a few days before the start. 

 

The (indicative) calendar for the kick-off meetings of newborn cohorts for the school year 2024-2025 is: 

  • October 4, 2024

  • November 1, 2024

  • December 6, 2024

  • January 10, 2025

  • February 7, 2025

  • March 7, 2025

  • April 4, 2025

  • May 2, 2025

  • June 6, 2025

  • July 11, 2025

  • August 1, 2025

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Please note that registration normally closes the Friday before the kick-off (the last Friday of the month), when an email with detailed instructions is sent to the registered members. If you see this message after registration is closed but would still like to join the upcoming cohort, please send us an email to hello@petworthpeanuts.com . We'll do our best to try to include you!

I'm already a Peanut, but I'm expecting a new baby!

Congratulations! We're always thrilled for our Peanut alums / sustaining members to join new cohorts. Current Peanuts Members just need to purchase a $25 cohort upgrade package to participate in a cohort. A cohort coordinator will be in touch to confirm your preferred cohort start date.

I don't live in Petworth, can I join?

Peanuts membership is open to all caregivers regardless of location. Our expert speaker sessions are conducted via Zoom. However, cohort meet ups and most Peanuts events are generally hosted in the Greater Petworth area. Members are always welcomed to independently plan additional events and meet ups closer to home as well.

I joined! What next?

After you join your Cohort via our Join portal, we will be in touch via email approximately 1-2 weeks prior to the kick off date (see above) with more details and next steps. If you are interested in volunteering as a leader for your Cohort, let us know! Leaders are integral to our cohorts and are equipped with lots of great materials, contacts, and  mentorship. The speakers are already organized/scheduled prior to the Cohort start date, so a Leader's primary job is to help coordinate meet ups via WhatsApp. It’s an amazing opportunity to meet parents of similarly-aged children while directly supporting the Greater Petworth caregiver community.

What happens after the Cohort?

Your Cohort programming will last for approximately 3 months, after which you will become an annual "Sustaining Member" until September 2025, when you'll have the option to pay just $50 for a regular yearly membership. Our Sustaining Members, like our Cohort Members, have exclusive access to all of our amazing members-only events, initiatives, and resources, including our annual Spring Egg Hunt, Mother's Day Brunch, Peanuts Family Portraits, Peanuts Family Field Day, happy hours/social events, continuing education expert speaker series, private mailing lists, resource databases, discounts, and much more. Note that our cohorts stay in touch via their Cohort WhatsApp chats, and often plan additional meet ups, events, and reunions after the cohort "officially" concludes! There is no expiration date for the important connections our cohort members make with one another.

More questions? Check out our FAQs or Contact Us!

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