In the UK there's a charity called the NCT - the National Childbirth Trust. Many parents-to-be attend antenatel courses run by the NCT in preparation for the birth of their first child.
We attended an NCT course over eight years ago and we're still in touch with all the other mums and dads who were on the same course. A lot has changed since then. Preschool. Big school. Brothers. Sisters. New countries. Life.
One big reason people give for attending NCT courses is because they want to meet other people who are going through the same experience as them - bringing a new child into the world. The group, if it gels, can provide a much needed support network for new mums and dads. And it can provide good friends too. Friends for mums and dads, friends for the children.
Well, we were recently contacted by a new customer who had a brilliant idea (customers always have the best ideas!). She wanted to celebrate the births of all the children whose parents were on the same NCT course as her. There were eight children altogether, which means eight birthdays all within a few weeks of each other. With that many birthdays so close together, it's not always easy to keep track of them.
She ordered one of our crosswords with birthdays - it's a crossword showing the names of all the babies and alongside each name there's a little box that shows their birth date. Because she ordered the printable version, she can print off a copy for all the other mums and dads. As we said a moment ago, it's a brilliant idea.
When we designed this wall art we thought it would appeal mainly to families, and perhaps grandparents who would find it helpful to have all their grandchildren's birthdays displayed in one place. We never thought it would be used by NCT groups but now that someone's actually done it, it seems so very obvious (thank you Cat!).
If you've read this far and you are (or have been) part of an NCT group, we've set up a special discount code for you. Use NCT20 at the checkout and you'll get 20% off. Pass the code on to any other NCT members and leaders you know so they can benefit too!
Click on the picture below to learn more about our personalised crossword with birthdays wall art.