Last Tuesday, I was included on a panel for new parents by Baby Bites Brooklyn (a social and educational support group). The talk was called “Brooklyn Moms Tell All”- and that’s what (I hope!) we did. We talked about when to start searching for a nanny, daycare, how to do a nanny share, find a recommended pediatrician, find a mom’s group, what gear to buy, and more. In an 1.5 hours, we covered a lot!

One of the pressing questions was “I want to meet other expecting and new moms too. How do I do that?”

There are a few ways:

Check out the parents groups already available by going to our Page on Parents Groups (with reviews).

• There are businesses like Birthday Presence, Baby Bites Brooklyn and Boing Boing that help match you up with moms with similar due dates in your neighborhood
• There are working moms groups, freelancer parent groups, Post Partum Depression groups, New Moms Groups with a Pediatrician and Psychologist and more…
• Sign up for a few of them and try a bunch out- you might like one mom’s group more than another.

There are neighborhood yahoo listserves

• These are great forums for meeting and make playdates with other parents in your neighborhood
• You can also buy lots of second-hand toys and gear from parents on the listserve (and meet people that way too!)
• It’s a great forum for asking advice. People (in general) are really supportive and give you genuine answers.

You can also meet other moms at La Leche League meetings (I actually met 3 of my best friends there!) and breastfeeding circles.

• It’s easy to bond over nursing issues and questions. It’s an intimate setting where you share your stories.
• You can go to one of these meetings when you are pregnant too. I went when I was 9 months pregnant to see how other women were doing with nursing, what issues they might be having and what I might want to know before breastfeeding.

Classes for infants and young children are a great way to meet other parents right at the beginning. It’s also a great way for you to get out! My favorites:

• GoGo Babies (learn child development through movement with your baby)
• Music Together (music classes for infants and older)
• Sign A Song (sign language for infants and older)
• Mommy and Me Yoga Classes or prenatal yoga
• Fitness classes where you bring your stroller and work out- otherwise known as a “Mommy Boot Camp!”, Fusion, Stroller Fitness and Stroller Strides are a couple of them.
• Musica Para Mi (Spanish singing and storytelling)

Take a Childbirth or Childcare Education Class, you can make great friendships there. See our listings of them here.

• We have reviews of them here. Brooklyn has some amazing childbirth educators- I would highly recommend one of these classes over a hospital’s courses. (Though I would definitely take a tour of the hospital beforehand if you plan to give birth there).
  

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