Are playgroup and playdates important?

Its hard to find a playgroup near me, Ive heard so much about my friends living in the city going to playgroups etc and im so jealous that my baby just at home with me…. Shes not sad but i feel sad for her cos i cnt do anything.

Is it really important to have playgroups? i kept playing with my baby all day everyday and never ignore her.. but at the same time im always tired and cant keep up with her energy 😭 shes going to be 1 next month 😢

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I have been to a few playgroups my little one is 7 months now and I’m honestly he does like looking at other babies but I don’t think it would have affected him if he didn’t go, I do think sometimes it’s more for mums to chat and catch up, I will probably go more regularly when he’s on the move/walking, don’t feel so bad, she sounds like she’s coming along amazingly x

Honestly I think both are just as good. They both have pros and cons. But if I'm honest having been going to playgroups I think I prefer being at home just me and my little boy he can roam more freely it's less chaotic as no other kids and I'm quite lucky because even tho I am very hands on and active with him he is really good at playing by himself xx

I never took my eldest to groups because I was scared to and he was fine.
I do take my youngest and I think she does benefit.

I’m in a similar situation since we moved, there’s much less on offer. We met lots of lovely friends at playgroups where we lived before. Everyone is different and your LO might like different things to mine, but what I’m planning to do this year is take advantage of the trial sessions of a few classes and find one to go (though I’m sure it’ll mean a fair bit of travelling 😮‍💨). Our LO often prefers a day nearer to home/playtime together at home

I used to beat myself about it but, take this with a grain of salt because I can’t remember where I heard it, I heard that it’s more important around 2. The only socialization little babies need is their caretakers. We’ve been careful due to ours being a preemie and having lung disease. Going out during flu season isn’t really an option for us and our doctors agree it’s fine and not going to slow him down.

we went once or twice a week and he got fed up with the same routine/play to the point where he'd tell.me he wants home 5 minutes into the "play" he was much more interested being in the outside area exploring, looking at cars or trees :)))

playgroups were good to give me a mission for the day and go out but that was equally replaced by going to the park or supermarket...so anywhere with people and a bit of busyness really

Thank you all so much for the replies ♥️

I haven't had my baby yet and hope to take them to some things, but just wanted to say, as far as I can tell, my Mum didn't take me to anything. I must be one of the least socialised kids ever 😂 she did spend a lot of time with me herself and I think I've turned out OK (maybe others would disagree!!) So don't beat yourself up 😊

When I was a baby my mum didn’t have any play groups or anything like that around and she was living in a different place than her hometown so not many family members or friends around either but she is a very talkative and a fun person so we had a lot of fun together indoors and outdoors. I started speaking at 12 months and was talking in sentences by 17 months.
I’ve been taking my son to baby groups since he was 3 months old. He is nearly 18 months and saying barely 5 words😂 I don’t think playgroups are that important.

At the minute I’m not taking him to any as he’s only 15 weeks but when he has longer wake windows and things I will be, I live in a village though and there’s limited options. I talk to baby all the time and he’s always doing something so he is getting the stimulation he needs, if you find you are finding it difficult to keep up, I would definitely consider taking her to some, even if it’s just to release some energy x

I can not find any either and my guys loves to play with his cousins but they live 2 1/2 hours away. I am so thankful I found this thread it has great info.

Something I’ve learnt about covid, is that you don’t need to worry too much about playgroups, group play, sessions, etc. My son was born 2 weeks before the very first lockdown and spent pretty much the first 2 years of his life not being able to do anything. His stimulation outside of the house was going food shopping! He is going to be three in March and says hi to everyone, gets involved in group sessions now with hardly any reservations and is so smiley and happy and outgoing. So, I wouldn’t worry at all. Sounds like you’re doing a great job.

It’s not just for her I go to playgroups for ME lol. My sanity, and scouting out a mama or 2 there that I can befriend and meet outside of the playgroup in our own hrs

in our community

Am I just fucked?

I need a new car. I purchased my current honda civic in 2024 after my car was totaled in an accident. Seemingly there was nothing wrong with it. I went alone to the dealership because my dad lived out of state and my bf wasn’t available anyways. Couple months down the road, the cars sensors start going berserk. We got it checked at the honda dealership and with our own family known mechanic and no problems came up. It was just wack. Fast forward to know, the car has about 155k miles. We bought it at 125k, I know STUPID CHOICE. Here’s why i’m ultra fucked though. I’ve been a SAHM for the last year, my baby is 7 months old. I’m starting a part time job next month but literally at 10 hours a week. That’s the most I can do as I do not want to put my baby in daycare and do not have any family that can watch him for an extenuous amount of time everyday.

Besides the fact that the honda civic is kind of uncomfortable to fit the huge car seat, the stroller snd stroller seat attachment. which i don’t wanna have to repurchase and buy a smaller one. The car is SHIT. The car runs weird right off the bat anyone will say that when they drive. The engine light is on. There must be a hole or something in the AC unit because the AC is broke and everytime we put the AC gas in it it ends up leaking within 1-2 weeks. AC gas is kinda expensive to be refilling it that often. My dad doesn’t think I should put any money into this car to fix it. We still owe about 3k. We want to trade it in however my parents think that I should get a NEW car since this used car gave us such bad faith. Mind you, when I got it and for a couple months after, none of these problems were there :/ I drove from NJ to BOSTON a few months after getting it and the emergency sensors went off and the car was shaking bad and i had to pull over. Never found out what that was about.

I have 5k to put down. BTW, my parents are heavily involved because i’m 24 and I live with them (me and my bf) in hopes to move out when we have the funds for that. I don’t wanna ask my BF for any money. I know he’ll just throw it back in my face down the line during an argument because he thinks a paycheck is the extent of his contribution as a partner and father. Whole other story. My parents can’t afford to throw any money at a new car. My dad thinks I should get a new car that’s relatively recent like 2023+. Not for the aesthetic but because he thinks insurance rates might be better for a newer vehicle. They want me to ask my BF to contribute since it would be a family car for us. That he would also be able to ride around in when he’s not driving to work in his own car. I dont wanna downgrade to just 1 car because he goes into work incredibly early and I dont wanna have to wake my baby up at 4am and take him to drop his dad off. I also just need my own car because Im starting a part time job soon. I could just use my part time dollars to pay it off but what if I’m stuck with a car note in the event anything happened with this job? My bf and his family suggested we buy a car from enterprise because it’d always gone well.. however i told him there’s a lot of risk in buying a RENTAL CAR. and he said there’s also a lot of risk in buying a used car from a dealership. He said you’re NOT getting a new car. a new car to me isn’t about the aesthetics, it’s about the security that we wont have the same issue we’ve had with the used car i bought in 2024 which was seemingly great when we first got it.

Anyways, I don’t drive my car anymore. Because of all its sensors and issues. But it’s not practical to keep having to use my parents car to get around. I don’t know what to do, if there is anything TO do. Seems like i’m just backed into a corner. My honda is just losing value as it sits in the drive way, already is very low value due to the shit miles it has.

I get I should just maybe lean on my BF as he did agree to help with the down payment and the car note but I just don’t want to. He will throw it back in my face. That’s for certain. I also don’t wanna make a poor financial decision that’s gonna effect me and my baby in the long run.

Baths while pregnant

I’ve had baths throughout my pregnancy. I don’t want advice on that. I wondering how other women who have baths while pregnant lay in the bath? Is it considered laying on your back? I’m 5’6 so my feet just touch the end 😂

Mama friends

Hey y'all I wanted to see if there were any other mamas here in TX that need more mama friends I'm out in Lubbock

Need more friends!

Hi Ladies, if I’m being honest making friends has always been a struggle of mine. Being straightforward and honest , I’ve slowly experienced myself turning into that girl that only hangs out with her husband and honestly I’m getting bored of him lol . Looking for open-minded , understanding women who aren’t afraid to be themselves. Im looking for women who can teach me things and be open to learn new things by doing things outside of their comfort zones positively of course. Simply looking for sister-ships , for family.

Besties

Looking for friends! I don’t really have many friends or really anyone I talk to and would love to find a bestie! I’m a stay at home mom full time to my 6 year old and 2 month old boy mom in Oklahoma!

need advice (long post)

I’m 8 months with my first baby. Her dad and I are still together. for a little bit of context, we’ve been together for almost 2 years now and this past year he struggled a lot with his mental health and living out of his car for the entire year. I live with my mom. He had a job most of the year other than a three month period Where he was unemployed. He is almost 10 years older than me and I am currently a still a student in college. When I found out I was pregnant he was against keeping her because of our financial situation but I did not want to terminate the pregnancy. He started working a new job beginning of this year that pays 70k he had to move a few hours away for it. The situation I need advice on is that I have given him a total of $7000 in the past year to help him when he’s really needed it. I am unemployed so a lot of the money has been taken out of my savings. I have no problem helping someone who needs it but it’s gotten to the point where I feel like he’s very unappreciative that I help him and starting to take advantage. He has sent me a total of $500 for things for the baby. But even still ask me for money here and there. I gave him my credit card information so he could use it to sign up for a storage unit that he told me would just be a one time thing and now it continues to charge me monthly and he still has not paid me back for that or turned it off, he also started using my credit card for some thing that he says his work is going to reimbursed him for, but he never even asked permission to use it for this. He still is living out of his car. He then does little things that upset me like accumulating parking tickets which I get happened sometimes but him not being more mindful and cautious so he doesn’t have to spend more money is kind of annoying to me or the other night when he was talking about signing up for a gym membership that is $200 a month. I don’t know if I’m just being greedy or something but I have this baby coming and I’m running out of money. Thankfully my mom is helping me a little bit with buying her things but it’s just upsetting and I don’t know what to do.