This guide to East Bay new parent support groups, activity groups, and great places to meet other moms is sponsored by GoldenBug Children's Shoes in Oakland and GoldenBug Kids in Berkeley. Visit either location now through April, 30 2020 to receive 15% off when you mention {510} families.
When I joined Support Group For Mothers way back when, I had one simple goal: to make a friend with the same-age baby. I knew I was about to meet ten women with babies close in age to mine, and I thought, “If I truly like just one of them, this will be money well spent.” The support of fellow postpartum women turned out to be invaluable, but I was just thinking it would be nice to have someone to hang out with while I was on maternity leave.
I liked ALL of them, and some of us still get together. A handful of the kids are in high school together now, and they have a special (awkward?) bond, knowing that they were in the same “Moms Group”.
Looking for an opening to connect with other new mothers? Here are some resources, divided between support groups and activity groups:
Support Groups for New Moms
Alta Bates New Parents Groups
For brand-new moms recovering from childbirth, here's the schedule for drop-in breastfeeding support at Alta Bates in Berkeley (free).
BANANAS Support Groups
Offered periodically on the “parent workshops” calendar, moms will get to share their feelings, ask questions, and build friendships with one another. Facilitated by Alexis Azzam, MFT in North Oakland. Check schedule to find the next group >
Bay Area Babywearing
Interested in wearing your baby? Join this free group with monthly meet ups. The Berkeley group meets at Totland on the 3rd Saturday for kids of all baby-wearing ages. Union City gatherings are on the 2nd Sunday at Kennedy Park. Website for this group >
Family Room in Albany
On the same block as Five Little Monkeys in Albany, the Family Room has a birthing parents/mom and baby group, prenatal yoga class, prenatal self care as well as a fertility support group and a fertility awareness method workshop. Find out if a class or group works for you >
JCC Group “Not Just For Moms”
This weekly facilitated group will go for 6 or 8 weeks. All parents, adoptive, LQBTQ, single, and their babies 0-12 months are welcome. For more information or to register.
Jewish Baby Network
Jewish Baby Network welcomes everyone, including unaffiliated, single and multi-parent, multi-faith, multi-ethnic, multi abled, and LGBTQ families. Sign up to learn more at www.jewishbabynetwork.org
Kaiser new parents support groups (Multiple)
Groups for Kaiser members and are facilitated by a lactation consultant or licensed therapist in Oakland, San Leandro, Fremont, and more. Find a new parent support group near you >
La Leche League meetings (Many East Bay locations)
Dedicated to supporting breastfeeding, you'll find locations and details on their interactive map, which includes groups for Alameda and Oakland/Berkeley.
MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)
If you are pregnant or have a kid through kindergarten age, MOPS might be the group for you. They meet in many different locations across the country, including Alameda at this time. They have Moppets for the kids so the moms can connect while the kids play in a preschool setting. It includes breakfast, speakers, creative activities, and opportunities to meet many new moms in your group. Find out if there's a group near you >
Support Groups For Mothers (N. Oakland)
Facilitated weekly meetings put new moms on a path to a support group and a baby-friendly social life in these non-hospital affiliated groups held at a lactation support office in North Oakland. Learn more >
Then Comes Baby (Oakland)
This sweet spot for moms in the Grand Lake area of Oakland offers a full schedule of classes from prenatal to Potty Training as well as support and connection groups for new parents. See the website >
S P O N S O R M E S S A G E
| GoldenBug Children's Shoes in Oakland is the Bay Area's outpost for all things kids shoes. GoldenBug provides real shoe fittings, an old-school feel, and wall-to-wall shoes all for KIDS! GoldenBug carries shoe sizes for babies, toddlers, and big kids, up to 5 Youth. GoldenBug Kids in Berkeley carries some of your favorite clothing brands for babies and kids, up to size 10. GoldenBug focuses on clothing that is great for every-day play, with a few cute-as-pie fancy pieces thrown in. Tea Collection, Jojo Maman Bebe, Vignette, Little Green Radicals, and L'oved Baby are some of the popular brands. Looking for cute stuff for boys? Come check out Me & Henry- you'll love it! |
Activity-based mom meeting opportunities
Mom and baby yoga classes (Many locations)
Drop-in to any postpartum yoga class and find a supportive environment to spend time with your baby among other moms. If you're shy, you might find it hard to meet women this way, but keep showing up and the same faces will become familiar. We love Yogalayam's postnatal yoga class in Berkeley, near the Oakland border.
Baby Bootcamp (Oakland)
These classes coach postpartum women through a fun outdoor workout with their jogging strollers. The current schedule has energetic classes at Lake Temescal with lots of free parking.
Fit4Mom (Berkeley, Emeryville)
A bring-your-baby (or toddler) fitness class with playgroup events incorporated. Locations for stroller-based classes are Grove Park in Berkeley and Doyle-Hollis Park in Emeryville. Additional events take place around the East Bay at locations like Sports Basement in Berkeley and Rec Room in Berkeley. Learn more >
Berkeley Rose Waldorf Sweet Pea Class (Near UC Berkeley)
Session-based toddler groups run in eight-week cycles and are divided between older and younger toddlers. Learn more >
Epworth Playgroups (N. Berkeley)
Missed the boat on a mom's group when your baby was an infant? For toddlers, these groups have sessions and meet in the playroom of a church in North Berkeley. There is no religious component to the playgroups. Find out how to join >
Kindergym (Oakland)
The leader of Kindergym, hosted in an activity room at Temple Beth Abraham near the Grand Lake Theater, will make sure you feel welcome at this playgroup. She assembles age-appropriate toddler playthings, wrangles everyone together for circle time, and passes out a little snack. Learn more >
Lotus Bloom (Oakland)
A child and family resource center in Oakland with playgroups for kids 0-4. Learn more about their playgroups >
MeetUp.com (Various)
Look for an existing group near you or start your own. Hoping to find fellowship among mothers of color, working moms, lesbian moms, triathlete moms, or moms with babies who have special needs? Meet Up is a great tool for that. Learn more>
Music Together (Various East Bay)
We love East Bay Music Together for its music curriculum and getting to know so many other families of similar age babies during circle time when we let down our guard a little. Learn more>
Library storytimes (Various)
For babies over 6 months, there are baby-friendly circle time activities at nearly every East Bay library. Check our round-up of East Bay storytimes to see if there's one you want to try.
Toddler classes (Dozens of East Bay locations)
So many cool places offer play classes for parent/babies for pre-crawlers on up in so many subject areas. Get inspired by our class guide for preschoolers, toddlers, and babies.
tum-e-time (Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda)
4-week sessions offer new parents tips on infant massage, baby songs, and tips on how to spend time together. See dates, times, and locations.
[Find more places to meet parents in an active setting in our round-up of Best Classes for Babies and Parents]
Remember to visit either location now through April, 30 2020 and receive 15% off when you mention 510families.
[Photo credit as noted. The top photo and our feature photo were taken by Nissa Brehmer Photography]
Jennifer Pesetsky says
I definitely made some good mom friends from the moms group I joined! Here are other things that worked for me.
1. Hanging out at our neighborhood playground!
2. Standing outside where I live with my baby. I made one of my best mom friends because she was walking by our house pushing her baby. Our babies were the same age, and they lived nearby. She gave me her email address; I emailed her and it was a great friendship both for the moms and our kids. (We’re still friends, but they have since moved away. Sad!)
3. Craigslist! I made another one of my favorite mom friends because I posted something for sale which she bought. She came over, we figured out our girls were the same age, and we’ve been friends ever since. I refunded her money after we became friends. 😉
Rachel says
Jennifer, your comment reminds me that my dad was “walking me” when I was 18 months old in our apartment complex when another dad who was taking out the trash stopped him to ask how old his daughter was. Turns out the garbage dad had a daughter too and she was just 3 days older. Fast forward to 2015 … his daughter flew in from Minnesota recently and the two of us had a super fun weekend in San Francisco celebrating 49 years of friendship! You very likely created the same special bond for your baby just from standing outside!
Monica says
I loved being in a MOPs group. It stands for Mother’s Of Preschoolers…basically, if you are pregnant or have a kid through kindergarten age, then this is the group for you. The meet in many different locations across the country.
They have Moppets for the kids so the moms can connect while the kids play in a preschool setting. It includes breakfast, speakers, creative activities, and opportunities to meet many new moms in your group.
Whitney Moss says
Monica, where in the 510 is there a MOPS group?
Jennifer Smith says
There’s also the F.U.N. (Fremont, Union City, Newark) Mother’s Club (https://www.funmothersclub.org/). There’s an annual fee but it goes to paying for family events, Mom’s Night Out, Coffee Socials, and the Mother’s Day event.
christine c bradley says
There’s something similar based in Point Richmond called PRAM (Parents, Resources and More) – http://www.pram.net.
Jennifer says
Spring Parent-infant and Parent-toddler classes are now enrolling at the East Bay Waldorf School in El Sobrante. Our RIE- and Waldorf-inspired classes, taught by a RIE Associate, help parents learn how to read their baby’s cues, take care of baby in a way that builds a strong emotional foundation, and support baby’s developing movement, play and social skills. Meet a great community of parents. Parent-infant classes are Fridays, 9:30-11 am from March 23-May 24, 2018. Toddler classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Visit our web site for more details or call Lauren Gerig at 510-222-3297.
Paula says
Hey Heather! It’s Paula. I’d love to connect with other new moms but I’m not sure how that’s going to happen with the pandemic going on. Any tips?
Paula says
It’s also a bummer these are so mom focused! Where are the dads?!