Finding Mom Friends When You're Social Distancing
Parents like you, who are pregnant and giving birth in 2022, have it so rough right now.
I totally get it. Everything that you’ve dreamed and been told being a new parent was like has been flipped completely upside down.
You thought you would have all of your family and friends around to support you and help out with your brand new baby. But instead social distancing is the norm and your in person support squad is not as big as you had hoped.
You envisioned you and your baby attending playdates and mommy groups. But instead you’ve mostly stayed home and your baby hasn’t left the house at all. You’re worried about your mental wellness and your baby’s development.
Aren’t we supposed to be meeting and hanging out with other parents and babies for BOTH of our sake?
As social creatures, playdates and mom groups give new parents the perfect opportunity to practice new parenting skills in a new setting and to connect and share experiences with other new parents who are going through the same things.
Both of which are so important to affirming your growth and confidence as a new parent. This also provides an opportunity for your baby to socialize and play with other babies, which does not typically start to happen until around 18 -24 months.
Still, interactions with other babies is crucial to child development over time and gives your child an opportunity to practice navigating new situations and settings in a safe way.
Plus it is always awesome to see how other parents are parenting. Not to compare but to uplift and even to see if something sticks with you and you want to try it out.
Even though many new moms are terrified of COVID-19 (and rightfully so) and staying home with their babies much much more that doesn’t mean that you can’t still find opportunities to connect and socialize with other new moms and babies.s
Here are 3 way that you can find places and spaces to meet and connect with other new moms and babies like you even when you are definitely not taking your newborn anywhere:
1. Connect with local groups that have gone virtual.
There are many groups that typically provide in person support like La Leche League, a local babywearing group or playgroup that are now meeting virtually. A quick google search in your city will get you started on the right track but if you need more options, your pediatrician, older moms and even message boards can be a great way to figure what groups meet in your area. Then from there you can reach out to see if they are still meeting virtually and get the dates, times and access link to participate in the next virtual meetup. For example, La Leche League is a great peer support resource for parents who are breastfeeding or chestfeeding. But at the moment, in Maryland almost all of the groups are meeting virtually or have placed meetings on hold with group leaders still taking support calls.
2. Apps like Peanut
Maybe you’re a techie mom and apps are more your thing. If so then, the peanut app is a great resource for you. After spending a couple of days looking around and getting a feel for the app this is my conclusion. It’s like Tinder, meets a Facebook mom group meets Clubhouse but its just for moms. You can simply connect with other parents in groups, connect and chat one on one by swiping up or down to make connections with moms near you and hop into a live podcast room to talk directly with other moms oftentimes from across the globe. And while the peanut app and others like it can be awesome for connecting and meeting like minded or similarly seasoned mothers, I always caution you to use safety and precaution first especially when it comes to you and your precious baby. Don’t share more than you’re comfortable sharing and be wary of revealing too much personal information. That aside you can totally use the peanut app safely and successfully. I personally love the live podcast feature and plan on hosting a few of my own in the future.
Did you find any of these tips helpful?
