Mommy-and-Me Groups

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There are many benefits to joining mommy-and-me playgroups — for you and your baby!

By Jennifer Cox

Canadian moms are lucky to have extended maternity leave, especially when compared to the short reprieve of our southern neighbours. So what's one of the best ways to occupy the time? Spend it with other mommies and babies, of course!

After chatting with moms who are actively involved in mommy-and-me groups from across the country, we found one common denominator that ran rampant within these groups — everyone who is involved has fun! The kiddies get lots of social time while the moms can offer each other advice and provide support during what can sometimes be challenging times. Here are the benefits for little ones and the grown-ups, where to find additional resources, and how you can start your own playgroup.

Pluses for baby

Both Montreal mom Lori Goldfield-Kramer, who started a playgroup with 10 moms, and Tiffany Chambers of the West Edmonton Moms Meetup Group, agree that playdates are great for babies as well as toddlers. "They get to socialize and meet new kids, and a lot of them become really good friends," Chambers said, who has two boys who are three and five years old. "It also gets them out of the house."

"The kids get tired of their own surroundings so they like to play with other kids and their toys," Goldfield-Kramer, mom to a three-year-old son and 10-month-old daughter, said. "It's fun for them to get to play with different things. It's a good outing for the both of us."

Pluses for mommies

Being a stay-at-home mom comes with its ups and downs, and it can be reassuring to chat with other mommies who have likely gone through similar experiences with their own children — a mommy-and-me group is the perfect setting for exchanging ideas and advice. "You have a baby, and within a day you're booted out of the hospital," Chambers said. "You're struggling, especially when you're a first-time mom, things are happening and you're wondering if it's just me. These groups give moms so much support."

Raheel Shaharyar has an 11-month-old daughter and founded CoquitlamMommy.ca out of BC with Meghan Simington, who has a nine-month-old son. "A lot of moms have babies later in life in our 30s, and have gone from having a full life where we're at work connecting with people to now having a child," she said. "Moms want to get connected. We're looking for ways to get out and talk to other moms."

"We're always exchanging advice as well as exchanging baby things, like toys and clothing," Goldfield-Kramer added. "If one of our kids has grown out of something we do a lot of lending, which also helps the moms to save money."

In addition to mommy-and-me activities, at one another's homes as well as at parks, indoor gyms and other active venues, some of the women organize evenings devoted just to them sans babies. Chambers said her group has regular moms-only meet-ups. "We have coffee nights almost every Tuesday, book club once a month and dinner nights out. One of the girls is running the 'biggest loser club' where they're trying to race to lose weight, each person puts in $20 and the winner gets the money. We try and get to know each other as moms."

Additional resources

Playdates and other activities are helpful but so are the resources that some of these savvy moms have put into place. CoquitlamMommy's blog is read by parents from across the country, and they have a popular fan page on Facebook, both of which they try to update daily. The West Edmonton Moms Meetup Group also has a website with message and discussion boards so moms can find out about upcoming events, ask questions and exchange ideas.

Starting your own group

All of these mommy-and-me groups started because of a mom (or two) who took the initiative to start one up. Then, through word of mouth and social networking, news of their meetings quickly spread. "Call around to let people know about it, pick a day, and then set up some rules like who will host and when," Goldfield-Kramer said. "There are always moms out there who are looking for playgroups."

Have you ever joined a mommy-and-me group or started your own? What was your experience?