You probably thought that when you became an adult, you’d no longer have to go through the stress of making new friends. But when you have kids, even if you have a BFF, you also need to make some MFFs (mum friends forever).
Although your best mates will stick by you through thick and thin, they may not be on the same journey as you. While you’re spending your day preparing meals, for example, they could be preparing work reports. You therefore need to find people that you can relate to and that are going through the same highs and lows. So now we’ve agreed on that, the next item on the agenda is where to look for them to make mum friends.
Social media can get a bad rep for being damaging to our mental health, however if you use it in the right way, it can be beneficial. Look out or ask around about groups of mums near you and you can enjoy chatting to other women both online and in-person. Instagram pages that provide support and arrange meet ups include Mum Tribe Ireland and Mum Talks. On Facebook, GirlCrew is fab for making new friends (it’s not specific to mums but lots of ladies with little ones are members). By joining the GirlCrew page specific to your county, you can guarantee that there will be events nearby.
Most baby groups are still online at the time of going to press but that’s not to say you can’t chat to other mums during the session and arrange an in-person meet up separately. My son and I really enjoyed our Baby Sensory classes and would definitely recommend them. Putting a positive spin on it, there are even advantages of doing an online class. While it’s still a great opportunity to meet other mums virtually, you don’t have the stress of packing up your supplies, travelling to a venue, or having your child disrupt the class – the mute button has its advantages!
When it comes to toddlers, Little Kickers and Rugby Tots provide great social opportunities for both the children and the adults. You’ll both get lots of fresh air and exercise and then once the session is finished, why not ask the parent of one of their little playmates if they’d like to grab a takeaway coffee and join you on a trip to the playground?
If you’d like to get some exercise without bringing your little person along, look out for outdoor exercise classes that will be sure to wake you up after a sleepless night. No doubt once you get chatting, you’ll find that other members are mums too and you can plan to get together afterwards.
Libraries aren’t only a great place to borrow books, they also hold monthly events and lots of them are for parents and kids. Get yourself on their mailing list and when their event listing drops into your inbox, sign up for anything that interests you. It’s such a relief to start filling up your social calendar again, even if it is just your monthly book club.
The great thing is that even if the friends you make when your offspring are babies drift away as your lifestyles change, once your children start school, it’s easier than ever to make mum friends. You’ll see lots of other fellow mums at drop off and collection time, there will be kids’ parties galore, and once you join the class Whatsapp group there’ll never be a dull moment!
