Hey everyone I am a SAHM for the first time. I have an older son but was working when he was little so his days where filled with daycare. I am now at home with my new little one who is 4 months old and I am trying to get suggestions on activities for him and things we can do to meet other families. I know that there are playgroups but I have never belonged to one before and am not sure how young they start? I am also looking for ideas for us to do at home together for him to be learning or at least stimulated.
Thanks so much!
There are MOPS playgroups, and church based playgroups you can join. At four months old, you can read to him, let him listen to music, take him out for walks. Perhaps you can even join a Strollercise group.
I belong to a moms group in HB, it's very casual. We meet at parks, we have playdates etc. I have a 7 y.o. and a 3 y.o. myself but there are many babies in the group. You can find the group on Meetup.com
Hi M.,
It sounds like you are lonesome. I stayed at home with my first son and found I need to get out and see someone...for me not him. Find a friend who has a baby about his age from church or go for a stroll in the park and when you see someone likely strike up a conversation and see if you click. Do things together...go to the park, take a walk, work on projects while the babies are on a blanket. When they get bigger, you will have a real friend who you can have your son play with at the park or at the house with blocks, trucks, etc. Organized gyms are OK...I tried them, but they really aren't for 4 month olds. Enjoy hugging him, bathing him and singing to him. As he gets older roll balls, build with blocks, look at books, do action rhymes, etc. Your interaction with him is what is important...he is not missing playgroups...you are missing seeing someone to talk to during the day:) I hope you find a few people whom you can share and enjoy while you enjoy your son.
H.
http://www.momsclub.org/join.html
The mom's club is designed for stay-at-home moms and there is a chapter in just about every single city! I recommend it highly!!
Hi M.!
There are so many moms clubs and playgroups in HB just waiting for you to join! My advice to you is to go to several and see who you click with and see how they work. Some are more structured and organized and others are more loose. I belong to two and am the leader of the Infant/toddler group (AKA the "Blue" group) of the HB South MOMS Club, which is a chapter of the International MOMS Club (www.momsclub.org as someone has noted below). The Infant/toddler group is for little ones zero to about 2ish. I joined when my son was two months old. In addition to weekly playgroups, we have a Mom's Night Out once a month and activities we do to support our local charity (a shelter for abused women and their children). There are lots of other activities, too. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Another fun thing to do is to take classes in the Sands catalog through the City of HB. They have infant classes and they're affordable.
I was new to Huntington Beach when I had my son and I didn't have any friends here at all. Joining the MOMS Club (as well as the other one I am involved in--the Pacific Coast Mom's Club) was absolutely the best thing I did. It opened up a whole world of child-oriented activities and I've made some really great friends now!
Congratulations on your new baby and I hope to meet you soon!
~Lori
I'm a single working mother but have found wonderful parenting groups at http://www.meetup.com/
There are stay at home groups/stroller groups etc.
You can try a local Gymboree. They have classes for children that young. And you're allowed to try it the first time for free to see what you think. It's not the cheapest thing in the world, but if you take advantage of the open gym times in addition to the weekly class, you get more bang for your buck. I recently joined and am loving it. I find that my house gets boring for my son and since he's not walking yet (he's a bit older than yours)it's great to have a another clean place for him to roam around (since the park isn't a viable option yet). All the stimulation seems to help with naps and bedtime, too. You may meet some other moms interested in doing other things together, as well.
