The parent-driven campaign 'Save Our Toddler Classes' is calling for restrictions on baby groups to be eased for children over 12 months.
Yesterday, Nicola Sturgeon announced that the number of adults allowed to attend such baby and parent groups, with children under the age of 12 months, would double to 10.
However, many parents are now calling for the change to extend and include toddlers over one year old.
The online campaign has already garnered support from several MSPs, including Monica Lennon, Donald Cameron and Alex Cole-Hamilton.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon's u-turn on parent and baby group restrictions 'not gone far enough'
After Ms Sturgeon's announcement that restrictions would ease for babies under 12 months, a campaign update was posted online.
It read: "The Scottish Government will now allow more people to attend classes for babies under 12 months.
"The campaign continues until they get it right for all under fives."
MSP Monica Lennon, who spearheads the online campaign, wrote: "Parent power in action on Twitter today.
Parent power in action on Twitter today 👏. Babies, toddlers and growing tots need their classes.
— Monica Lennon (@MonicaLennon7) October 5, 2020
Thanks to @DAJCameron and @agcolehamilton for their support too. @NicolaSturgeon got it right for babies. Now let’s #saveourtoddlerclasses pic.twitter.com/dYNLl5peCe
"Babies, toddlers and growing tots need their classes.
"Nicola Sturgeon got it right for babies. Now let’s #saveourtoddlerclasses"
Mother Seonaid Shepherd wrote a heartfelt post imploring leaders not to forget about her 18-month-old daughter.
Speaking to The Herald, she said: "The restrictions placed on toddlers are unfair and I feel they underestimate the how much goes on in toddler development at 18-24 months.
"From new and overwhelming emotions, building independence to refining their communication and language skills, this is a critical stage for their emotional and social development.
"We need to give our toddlers the chance to make friends and learn how to be with other children.
She added: "After seven months of no interaction with other children, I was absolutely heartbroken when my daughter and I recently attended her toddler Yoga class and my previously fun loving, outgoing little girl grabbed me and hid herself in my chest from other children.
After 7 months of only adult company, my beautiful girl is now scared of her peers 💔 she’s at a critical age for social, emotional & speech development. Do not forget about her and her friends. They are our future. #saveourtoddlerclasses @NicolaSturgeon @Douglas4Moray pic.twitter.com/KN3wicsFH4
— Seonaid (@seonaidshep) October 5, 2020
"She has only just started coming back out of her shell and interacting with her friends again yet now she is being dragged back into a scary, lonely world of isolation.
"I really worry about my daughter’s social, emotional and speech development in a world where these classes no longer exist."
"Parents of toddlers in Scotland feel abandoned. Our children have been abandoned.
"It is about time practical and responsible guidelines were issued which support parents of toddlers and are for the good of toddlers themselves.
"These children are after all, our future."
In response to the news yesterday, baby-group leader Jenni McShannon said she was "relieved" but backed the claim the so-called 'U-turn' hadn't gone far enough.
She said: "Lots of these now toddlers have never been to a class due to the length of the restrictions that were previously in place.
"Their development is just as important as those newborn babies and the parents mental health is just as important too.
"It seems unfair that children are able to attend shops, restaurants etc where there are multiple people but cannot attend an activity that would have a positive impact on their development and allow that special time between parent and child."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article