This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase through these links, I earn a small commission at no cost to you. I do not promote anything I do not believe in or stand behind.
As a new mom, staying home with my 4 month old daughter, I was looking for free things to do in our local community that involve meeting other moms and babies! I like to get out of the house and provide Jemma with some social interaction each week since it is just me, my daughter and our cat home during the day! I want Jemma to experience new faces and new places. Below are the groups/activities I have been taking Jemma to for the past few months!
Milk & Coffee
From 10-12 on a Tuesday, I socialize with other moms and give Jemma an opportunity to interact with other babies. Interaction is more in the form of watching/looking at other babies and moms and parallel play on the floor, but Jemma enjoys it! Milk & Coffee is the name of the group and it is offered through our local breastfeeding center.
I started going to Milk & Coffee after Jemma’s 2 month appointment. At that point, Jemma was sleeping longer stretches at night (anywhere between 5-7 hours). I was very fortunate Jemma started sleeping longer because it allowed me to get some more zzzz’s! I learned from the pediatrician that breastfed babies usually don’t start doing longer stretches that early, but as long as her weight gain is 3-4 ounces per week, she wasn’t concerned. The pediatrician suggested the Milk & Coffee group because they do free weight checks. I have been going for 1 1/2 months now!
I was nervous about going that first day and wondered how Jemma would be. I still hadn’t taken her out besides running errands at this point. It was pouring rain too! I drove to the pediatrician’s office only to find out the group meets at a local church. I trudged back to my car in the pouring rain and put the address of the church into my phone to find out it was about 8 minutes away. Okay, I will still go….even though I was going to be late and hate being late, we were already out and planned to do this today!
They started by having everyone go around, introduce themselves and their babies. Many of the babies happened to be around the same age as Jemma, give or take a month. One of the moms immediately befriended me and I enjoyed talking to her and another mom for the duration of the two hours. The group was very casual…talking, drinking coffee, eating some snacks, feeding our babies and playing with babies 🙂 We shared our experiences and asked questions.
Stroller Gang
Many of the moms from the Milk & Coffee group started meeting for walks during the week. They created a group called the “Stroller Gang”. I joined these moms on a walk at an outdoor shopping area last week and it was a lot of fun!
Here are all the things I love about the “Stroller Gang”:
- Getting Outside = Fresh Air and Sunshine (most of the time)! Spring is just around the corner 🙂
- Exercise – Walking is a healthy and free way to get some exercise and shed that pregnancy weight. Getting out for walks improves your mood too (Yay for endorphins!).
- Time to socialize with other adults/moms – It can get lonely being home with a baby all day so this group is a great way to get some adult interaction. Walking is more fun with friends 🙂
Baby Storytime
I started researching the websites of our local libraries and discovered they offered storytime groups for babies! Another free opportunity to meet other moms and provide Jemma with social interaction. One of the libraries has storytime every Monday and the other library has it on the 1st and 3rd Fridays every month.
These are the ways that Jemma and I stay active during the week. I would love to hear about the groups and activities in which you’ve participated with your kiddos 🙂 Feel free to comment below!
