Seeking Playmates for My Son

Just take him to different parks, story time at the library, mommy and me classes at the rec center or Y, things like that.

Do you have a gymnastics gym near you? My daughter and I did a class that was Mommy and Me style for 18mo-3yrs and she loved it! Plus she made a couple of little friends!

welcome to mamapedia!!

Go to your local library! They have kid groups there for reading...

then try your local YMCA or even your gym that offers child care while you work out.

Actually at almost two, he doesn't need MUCH interaction with other kids. They tend to ignore each other at that age anyway. Just take him out to parks and stuff and go near other kids. He doesn't need regular play mates or anything yet. If you want to find regular pay date type people I'd try library story hours, little toddler gymnastic classes etc...but those toddler classes tend to be more for parents than kids really. Kids don't care honestly. Sometimes church daycares have cheap short sessions and they don't care if you show up or not. You could take him for an hour or two a couple days a week or not and meet some parents that way. Also stay generally social so you get invited to picnics, parties and barbques and stuff. People often bring toddlers to those so you can meet them that way. Ask the neighbors you do have if they know anyone, everyone has nephews, kids, grandkids, and cousins and friends etc even if they don't have young kids themselves..

I agree that story time is a good 'free' place to meet other moms.

MOPS is good too. There is a fee and it is through a church, so you should be christian.

I think it will be good for you to make friends going through the same thing (raising a child similar in age). It is fun to talk with others and know you are not alone.

Go online and google different activities. There are usually free or low cost things to do.

Do you go to church? The children's ministry at a good sized church will offer lots of interaction for your little one.

Also, "sticking" your son in daycare isn't so awful. It allows him to interact and socialize in a structured environment.

I joined MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) when my daughter was an infant. It is a national mom's group for moms with children who are infants through kindergarten. The format of the meetings makes it so easy to plug in. If you google MOPS you can find a meeting in your area. I loved my MOPS groups and have friends to this day from that group (my daughter is now 8). Blessings!!

The library was the best place for me.

Also, visit your closest indoor mall & see if they have a play yard for sm
kids. Ours was carpeted so they could crawl around, see other kids etc.

The YMCA usually has parented preschool play programs as well as mom's groups.

At 20 months he just needs to be around other kids; not have playmates. They don't play together at this age; just side by side doing the same things. As others have suggested check out park and rec programs and see what the library has for story time. My local library has a children's room that has some toys so I frequently take my youngest granddaughter there to play. She gets to be with other kids which is nice. I also take her to the park almost every day I watch her. Again she doesn't have any real friends but she does get to see and interact with other kids.

Kids don't really actively play together until they are about 4 years old.
They do something called parallel play which is sitting next to each other and occasionally grabbing each others toys.
There are a lot of Mommy and Me groups where mom's get together with the kids but it's pretty much socializing for the Moms more so than it is for the kids.
I wouldn't worry about it too much.
Interacting with you right now is the most important playing they need to do.

Our church has an awesome youth group! I know you aren't looking for that age group. Most churches that have youth groups have children's groups.

Libraries typically have morning reading groups.

Parks.
YMCA
Your gym.

Go to places kids are. If the library has story time, go there. If there is a park nearby, go there. One of my best friends I met when our kids were together in the mall play area. Scope out Meet Up and see if there are any parent groups in your area.

I lived there some years ago and I used to take my son to My Gym and to a kids program they had on Saturday on Nova University; not only did he really enjoy both programs, but you get to meet other parents with children the same age that you befriend and make play dates with for the times you don't go to those classes.
Hope this helps, I know how difficult it is to live in that area with small kids if you don't know many people, it's not a very child friendly area (that's a big reason why we moved back to Ohio).
Good luck!

Go to Meetup.com. It has lots of Mommy groups.

You go to where other kids are. You go to the public library free story hour, or you go and hang out there to choose some books. You go to the park. You go to the local Y or community center. You check out churches and synagogues for play groups. You inquire on line or at community centers to see if there is a Newcomers Club - many of those have play groups that help parents meet each other too. If there is nothing structured, you can talk to the children's librarian about setting up a story time or a free play time - our children's library has puppet play and some big wood blocks, and kids can play there as well as look at books. Libraries really want to engage the community so I'd be surprised if there isn't something in place, but if not, volunteer to help them set something up. If they have a bulletin board, or if the supermarket or children's clothing/resale shop has one, put up flyers saying you want to start a play group for kids 18-36 months, and put a bunch of those tear-off strips with your phone # or email address. Maybe a local church will donate space, or maybe you can rotate to different members' homes. About 6 families would be good to start, but you can begin with fewer. When we did play groups, the host parent provided juice & snacks (and coffee for the parents) as well as the toys (yes, kids need to learn to share) - but resale shops and yard sales are a good place to collect a bin of community toys that can move house to house.

Take a music class, gym class, go to park, go to library. Everyone says they do not need to have playmates. I differ on that one. My 2yo granddaughter (just 2) lives her friends. They play together building, dancing and laughing.

Call some Methodist churches and see if they have a Mother's Day Out program. In the places I've lived that church is always the one that has them.

One of them does half days on Tuesdays and Thursdays 9-noon and the other one does 10am-3pm Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The kids bring a sack lunch to this one then take a nap after eating.

You can do one day per week or all the days they're open. It would also be an opportunity for you to run errands, clean a bit, exercise, have lunch with friends, and have your doc appointments.

We still know kids that our kiddos went to MDO with.