Getting into the swing with mother and baby groups...

[daftscotslass]

Not sure if this is the best place for this so if not, sorry!

Is it just me that feels a bit awkward with this? Time seems to have gone by so quickly that's me just thinking about this sort of thing now. On a whim today I decided to go to baby signing with DD. It was great fun and everyone was very pleasant and friendly.

But I don't think I'll be making lifelong friends there if you know what I mean. Everyone I met was nice but was full of chat about their huge houses and/or idyllic lives. Becky really enjoyed herself and I liked it too but I don't think I got anything out of the adult contact if you know what I mean? Everyone I met wasn't the type of person I could be friends with or get close to (if that sounds stuck up I'm sorry, it wasn't meant to be!). I found everyone very much "my baby can do this, what can yours do?" which I'm not overly enamoured with.

I'm not sure what I was hoping for at the end of the day - perhaps just to meet some like-minded mums because most of my friends who are mums live more than 20 miles away and I only get to see them a couple of times a month. I generally find it quite easy to talk to new people but just didn't feel quite right about this which is unusual for me. Who knows, maybe it's just me being weird? Anyone else feel similar?

I'm going to go again next week - it was really busy because it's one of few groups on in the holidays so maybe that'll change - it was hard to speak to one or two people at a time

 

[helsekia]

i feel exactly the same way when i go to massage and wiggle n giggle.theres some parents there that jst like to tell everyone else about the new exciting thing theyve bought or the holiday they have been on.i just do my thing and leave really,but i know what you mean,like a fish out of water

 

[valentine]

I think its just perseverance then you weed out the gems! Go again and keep chatting and I'd like to bet that you'll come away with a couple of friends after a few outings.

I've made some friends for life (probably 6 or 7) through being a Mummy and I'm delighted that DD will be going to our village school in 4 years time with children she's known since she was tiny (3 weeks old!).

I went to baby signing too and met lots of Mums who drove BMWs, went on expensive holidays, had children with 'posh' names, were SAHMs (my thing I get very jealous over - can cope with no holidays and cr*p car!) - baby signing and baby yoga (also met some here too) are very Yummy Mummy things to do, so perhaps this is unsurprising!

I've made the best friends through going to informal things that the HV organises and to local village baby and toddler groups - these tend to have 'people like me' at them - no money but happy!

Valentine Xxx

 

[jools221181]

I take Brody to Stay and Play and I found it really awkward too. Just saying the odd words to eachother here and there. I am so shy but determined not to pass that onto Brody as I hated growing up shy
Eventually you will find maybe a couple that are easy to talk to and you get on with. I have found I tend to chat more now I have been going a while and Brody absolutely loves it! He cries if I walk straight past the gate bless him

 

[clarey]

I know exactly what you mean, but I would stick it out for a few weeks, you may find there are others feeling like you, a bit intimidated to be themselves on first meeting. Im sure people think I am stuck up when they meet me but Im just shy, maybe some of the show-offs are just nervous too? I do hate the baby comparisons though, how tedious

 

[1sttimemum]

i no how you feel., i went to a postnatal group. i tend to get on with older people but with me being younger they dont seem to want to no. also alot of them had there own cliques due to going to a breastfeeding clinic together

 

[Zodiac]

I now go to 4 different groups a week.

1 in particular, we all started a brand new group at the same time, so all the mums knows each other and all the babies are within a few months of each other which is nice.

1 of them took a while to get into, as I found the group a bit 'clicky' at first, where everyone seemed to know each other except me, and I felt left out. But then other new mums joined & I got to know some of the longtimers, and now get on ok there too.

I guess I haven't made any lifelong friends either, but Oliver loves other babies & it's nice to get him out of the house even just so that he has a different set of toys to play with

We even went on a picnic to a local park/lake recently. About 15 different buggies with babies in en-masse. Must have scared the living daylights out of everyone else expecting a peaceful walk in the park

 

[BabyMagic]

For me the best was attending NCT antenatal classes as we still meet once a week, and I have made some good friends. I find that everyone respect each other and understands that everyone is different. There are two who I meet more often now as we are more like minded.

I also made a friend at the baby clinic and in a local park - I meet them both and their LOs regularly!

My group of friends has changed so much since having LO. Some of them are from the BMW lot, and some not - for me there is no difference as long as we get along...

So I think I am for mum and baby groups