A great place to play! (Mother Toddler Groups in general)

Member Name: Claribella

Product:	Mother Toddler Groups in general
Date:	23/12/08 (123 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great social interaction for you and your baby

Disadvantages: Can be very clicky

When I had Noah I wasn't too bothered about going to mother and toddler groups for quite a while. Being a Nursery Nurse I know how important it is for children to learn how to interact with each other but I was also sure that if I got together with friends and their children then he would get this from them.

As time went on and Noah became more 'knowing' I knew we needed to check some out. To be really honest I was very nervous about going. I'm not the most confident person in the world and I knew it would be very intimidating for me to walk into a big room full of judgemental mummies.

I found one in my local church hall and went along. I absolutely hated it. I walked in and all eyes were on me. The groups were so clicky and when I did speak to some women they acted as if I was a real inconvience to them. I perservered and kept going back thinking that things would change but apart from the odd nice mum, nothing did change. Even the women who ran the group didn't even come over and say 'Hi' and I went for about 6wks. Eventually I'd had enough. I figured that it wasn't a good environment for either of us to be in as I was stressed and knew this would rub off on Noah. I stopped going and this scared me off going to any others in my area.

When Noah was 12 months old we moved to a different area. My friend lived about 15 minutes away and the local library was just 2 minutes down the road. My friend told me that the library ran a rhyme time every wednesday and she also informed me of a mother and toddler group that she attended in the local area. I was very dubious after my first experience but I knew Noah was getting to an age where he needed a bit more social interaction and thought it would be great for him to experience new toys as he was sick and tired of the ones we had.

This experience was totally different. Staff were welcoming and although some of the women stood in their little groups and look as though they want to punch you in the face, the majority were very nice.

I've continued going to both and am part of the furniture there now. I look forward to going each week and it's not only Noah who has lots of fun. I get to have a decent conversation! I am a stay at home mum and I didn't realise how much I missed adult conversation until I started going along to my groups. My hubby loves it too because I don't ramble his ear off all of the time with stuff that he couldn't care less about:)

The one thing I do find with all of the groups that I attend is that most mums are in 'competition mode'. I find that I get questions like 'Is he talking yet? walking yet? sleeping through the night yet?' and before I have even answered they are telling me how their little angel slept through the night from minus one day old! At first I would be all competitive back and really get involved but everytime I go to the groups now I remind myself about the above and tell myself not to respond as I don't think it's healthy. Admittedly I do fall back into it sometimes but at the end of the day my boys are individual and thats what I love about them:) It doesn't matter if some other child develops quicker than them.

Noah gets so much out of these groups. Like I said before he gets to play with so many different toys which I just wouldn't have room for at home. They also do plenty of messy play which is great. I do creative play at home for him but I don't feel guilty if we don't do it for a couple of weeks because I know he will do it at his groups and the bonus of that is that I don't have to clear up the mess! (How lazy am I?).

So my five tips for mums who are considering going to a mum and tots group is:
1) Try a few different ones in your area because the chances are they will be very different. Like me you may not like one but really love another.
2) Try and go with a friend who has children too. It will make you more relaxed which will seep through to your little ones. It will also give you a bit more confidence.
3) Don't do too many. If you wanted you could probably fill every single morning and afternoon with a different group which is great but you will probably find that you and your babs will be shattered. I think it's pretty important to have some time with just you and your little one because they grow so fast.
4) Last of all 'Smile'. It sounds simple but the fact is most of the mums are probably new to this too and are feeling a bit on edge as well. If you smile this will open doors and you will make friends much quicker. People will be drawn to you:)
5) Let your baby explore.

Hope this helps and enjoy it!

Summary: Go to a few and find one you like.