This is going to sound a bit silly, but I am sure I've read postings like this before. I'm in my late twenties, and I have a 8.5 month-old little girl. She is very active, as most babies this age are. I moved to the Bay Area a couple of years ago and left behind all my family and friends. The few friends I have made do not have babies, so I need to meet some mamas and babies that my little one can hang out with.
I've looked online for mama's groups, but it's all a bit intimidating. I'm a very laid back, low maintenance, and pretty shy person (at first). I guess I would love to either be in a group or go to a place that would be on that same vibe. We tried Gymboree in Oakland but it was really pricey, and I am not working at the moment, but looking to.
I'm going to shorten this, because I can go on and on about it, I'm sure. I guess my actual question is: Do you fellow mamas know where I can find a laid-back, non-judgmental, low-maintenance, mamas group OR a place like a baby's indoor play place that I can take my baby to, where she'll see other babies?
I've heard of Ruby's which is more reasonably priced, but my daughter is not old enough. With this cold weather, our walks have shortened a bit, and do not seem to be enough anymore. She seems to really want to interact, she is very extroverted(though not at first).
I am located in Oakland, Grand Lake area.
Thank you for any responses in advance, they are greatly appreciated! :)
Thanks so much to everyone who responded! As always, you gals at Mamasource never fail me :)
Thanks to all the helpful suggestions and links, we have been exploring lots of fun different places without having to go completely broke(er) in the process. :)
Hi P.-
There is a playgroup I found through meetup.com: http://www.meetup.com/eastbayplaygroup/calendar/9342597/. There is also a music class that is very close to the lake I believe it is called music together. Oh I also found this website: http://www.lilaguide.com/city-oakland-ca.aspx. Hope this helps!
A great place to start is the New Parent Support Group in Alameda, right over the Park St. bridge. I joined a group their for an 8 week session and met wonderful mom's and their babies. I came out of it with a really close friend, and our children play together often. I highly recommend you check it out. Best of all, it is at NO COST to you to join. Here is a link to more information:
http://www.xanthos.org/index.php?id=5
Best wishes.
I would suggest a mommy and me class. I attended one at Kaiser in SF and am still friends with some of the mothers I met through that class. The Kaiser classes were free and met every week indefinitely. When I moved to a new city I looked up mom's groups. Not on-line groups, but an actual group that had membership and met in person on a regular basis. Through them I got into a weekly playgroup. Usually you get into a group of moms whose kids where born in the same year as yours. You might do some searches for Moms group Oakland and Grand Lake area. Good-luck.
Hi P. ~
I'm looking for something similar as well. I'm a first time Mom at 41 years old with an 8 month old daughter, alot of my friends' children are grown. I'd like for my daughter to interact and play with other children her age as well. Finances are tight, so nothing too pricey. If you get some good responses, if you wouldn't mind sharing I'd appreciate it. If you don't want to check these places out alone, drop me an e-mail and maybe we can go together? Let me know. G.
Have you tried Habitot in Berkeley or the Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA) in Oakland? She may still be young for MOCHA, but Habitot is lots of fun. It is right near a BART station, but I can't remember which one. Also, when the weather warms up, I recommend Little Farm in Tilden Park. You may or may not meet people there, but most kids love seeing/feeding the animals. They are open year round, and in the spring there are lots of baby animals there.
I didn't read any of the oter responses yet so this may repeat what's already been suggested but....try your local park & rec. A lot of times, the local community centers offer a variety classes for babies. Also, try story time at your local library. My saving grace for both my boys ( now 8 yrs & 3.5 yrs) at this age was the Y. We're long-time members of the Downtown Berkeley Y. They offer Baby Gym classes several times a week. I took them to the baby gym claaes as well as left them in the wonderful Shildwatch so that I coudl work out. There's also Y in Oakland somewhere on Broadway, I believe. You can either be a full member & go to the classes for free or, I think you can join as a program member & pay a small fee. I know you mentioned cost...the Y offers financial assistance/sliding scale so look into it & see what you can find. Best of luck & Merry Christmas!
You could try your local Parents Without Partners group. That's a group of single moms/dads and they plan great family activities. You can google them or look in your local phone book.
I just moved to the East Coast from Oakland and I miss all the great kids activities and my moms group! Here are a few links I found helpful:
http://parents.berkeley.edu/
http://www.tbaoakland.org/kindergym/index.html
http://www.sadiedeyscafe.com/
(above used to be Tumble and Tea)
http://www.studiogrow.com/berkeley.index.html
http://www.habitot.org/index.htm
There is also a Gymboree near Grand Ave.
Try emailing: ____@____.com
Good luck.
P.-
There is a GREAT program called Kindergym at Temple Beth Abraham in Oakland (off of Grand). It is non-denominational (meaning anyone can attend and there isn't a specific Jewish theme). The best part is you can just pay the drop-in fee ($8) whenever you want to go. It is one large room filled with toys. On average there is about 20 mom/nanny/dad and baby pairs. The first 30 minutes is free play. The last 15 minutes Dawn, the great teacher, leads a singing, parachute and bubbles activity. It really is a lot of fun. This week was the last one until January.
It starts back up Jan 7th. The dates and times are Wednesdays and/or Thursdays from 11:15 am - 12:00 noon.
http://tbaoakland.org/kindergym/
P., try Bananas (it's a non-profit organization for childcare resources, and support for parents) they have a new mother's group that meets once a week. They usually have one starting every few months.
Good Luck!
C.
Try Banana's, they have a newslettter with a playgroup section. I met two other Moms through the news letter and though we never had a formal playgroup we did get together frequently and it was great for the kids.
