About Kind en Gezin
“Kind en Gezin” (Child and Family) is a Flemish child welfare agency that guides parents (and parents-to-be) during pregnancy until the child is 3 years of age. This service aims to be preventative by providing you with the information and help needed before your baby is born or reaches certain ages.
They provide a variety of post-natal services including:
- An introductory visit in the maternity clinic or at home
- House calls during the first weeks after birth
- A hearing test
- Free consultations in a ‘consultatiebureau’/consultation office (for a period of 3 years) with a doctor or nurse:
- Weighing and measuring of baby and toddler
- Preventive medical examination by a physician, follow-up of growth and development
- Vaccinations
- Eye tests at 12 and 24 months
You can use the services of Kind en Gezin for free and completely without obligation. These services are for every child born in Flanders. Kind en Gezin will contact the mother directly. If your child was not born in Flanders, register your child by calling the ‘Kind en Gezin’line: 078 150 100. After that, a nurse will contact you to make an appointment, depending on the age of your child.
Their website has a lots of helpful information about all sorts of topics, from health, sleeping patterns, and safety through to play, childcare and travelling with kids. While their website is mostly in Dutch, it translates pretty well with a browser extension, so we recommend you try that out.
You can visit the English page of Kind en Gezin here. There is only a limited amount of information available in English, but you can easily navigate the rest of the page from there with your translation tool of choice.
Huis Van het Kind
Huis van het Kind provides information from pre-natal care to 23 years old. They offer support groups, classes, workshops, information about parenting, playgroups and more. Below you will find more information about the parent group for internationals and the playrooms at Huis van het Kind.
International Parent Group
What?
Would you like to meet other international parents with babies and talk about parenthood and other child-related topics? Come and join our English peer support group! For moms and dads.
Who?
Freely accessible, please register in advance so theycan send you more details.
When?
Check all dates on their website: www.huisvanhetkindleuven.be/meet-parents
Playrooms at Huis van het Kind
With the playrooms of Huis van het Kind, you can expect the following:
- A cozy place where your child can discover new toys, learn to play and babble with new playmates
- As a parent, you can share experiences with others or just unwind
- No registration is required. You can come and go as you please. You can also pass by to feed or nurse your child
- The playrooms are free or ask for a small contribution of your choice (SpeelOdroom)
Who are the playrooms for?
- Welcome to all children from 0-3 years old and their (grand)parents
- All future parents who are expecting a child
- At the Girafant, you can come and play with your toddler up to age 5 on Wednesday mornings
Opening hours of playrooms
Check the current opening times at:
- www.huisvanhetkindleuven.be/speelplekken
- Facebook/Instagram
- Ask a staff member
Locations of playrooms
Playrooms for everyone
- Huis van het Kind: Savoyestraat 4
- SpeelOdroom: Ravenstraat 69
- Bib Tweebronnen: Diestsestraat 49
- Wigwam: Diestsesteenweb 379C
- Girafant: Nieuwe Kerkhofdreef 2
Neighborhood oriented playrooms
- De Mobil: Valkerijgang 26
- De Mobil in SpeelOdroom: Raventstraat 69
- Buurtwerk 't Lampeke: Riddersstraat 49, 1st floor, PREGO
- Koala Sint-Maartensdal: Rijdende Artillerielaan 6
- Koala Kessel-Lo: Lolanden 16
Contact Information of Huis van het Kind
facebook.com/huisvanhetkind/
Instagram.com/huisvanhetkindleuven
Phone: 016 27 24 90
email: info@huisvanhetkindleuven.be