Mums' playground cliques

[Lobe]

Can I just start by saying: IT REALLY DOESN'T BOTHER ME!
My three year old has just started nursery school (he's a September baby and has started earlier than he would have done).
I was wondering if the playground behaviour among mums exists everywhere else? When we go to pick our children up, there are always groups of mums in threes, fours and fives, who completely ignore newcomers. It is SO cliquey! Today I arrived at picking up time at exactly the same time as four mums who also have children at nursery and they completely ignored me! I tagged along behind them feeling like a gooseberry ... Fortunately I do know quite a few other mums at the school and chat to them but does this little 'gang' behaviour happen elsewhere?!

bwhiskey - I found joining baby groups really hard when we moved to a new town (my ds was 13 months old). Everyone seemed to have known each other from ante natal and didn't seem to need any more friends! Have you tried any activities with your son? We joined a baby swimming class and also Tumbletots and found it really enjoyable and a way to start talking to people. At baby groups I just ended up sitting on a chair trying to smile at people and catch their eye but at an activity you are lead by the child and the other parents were less able to stay sat in a clique. As you wade round the pool or lift the baby over a climbing frame it is quite easy to just start chatting with the person beside you.
I have found I've had to be quite forceful - always shouting hello and smiling at aquaintances in the street but I've got some lovely friends out of it now!

You get back what you put in.

I think it's natural to gravitate towards people you know in the playground - it's odd isn't it that no-one on these threads ever thinks they are doing it, but given it's prevalence some must be! Those groups probably aren't ignoring you in most cases, they are just having a conversation. They aren't deliberately being rude, or ignoring you, they are just passing 5 mins whilst waiting for their kids. It happens everywhere, as these threads show. It doesn't mean the world is populated with rude cliquey women! If you want to join in, make a passing comment about something - a new scooter, ask how their kids are settling in, or whatever. They weren't born knowing each other, they made friends at some point too!