Making new 'mummy' friends ...

[G1nger]

I'm naturally quite a shy person, although I work hard to disguise this. I don't have trouble making friends if I have a bit of time to get to know them (I made lots at my last workplace, for example) but I'm finding that I'm not making friends, so much as acquaintances among the other mothers that I meet. My baby's 11 weeks old. I don't know if I expect too much, really. I'd like to swap numbers, to meet for lunch from time to time, and perhaps over time become proper friends (or maybe not, of course), but I feel too shy to initiate swapping numbers.

I'm sure everyone has their fair share of nerves around this... Any advice, please?

Just do it. If you go to a baby group ask someone if they want to go for coffee or something after the group.

Really though, friendships from baby groups etc are hard to find because they are so false, maybe there is someone you have more in common with than just the fact oyu have a baby the same age but maybe not. That takes time to find out, you can only find that out once you all get out of the fuzzy newborn haze and start talking abou tmore than feeding and sleep. Maybe have a look at groups that are a bit more specific to your way of parenting, you are more likely to find people you have things in common with there.

I've been there, and now I am again as I have moved countries, so am trying to make new friends here! All I can advise is to smile and initiate conversations. I know it's so hard and sometimes cringeworthy, but you've got to put yourself out there! I have stared chatting to a couple of people who I always see walking their dogs when I'm walking mine and there are a couple of ladies at my rhyme time that I think could be good chums. I'm just waiting to pluck up the courage to ask them for a coffee/playdate. Go for it, the worst they can say is, "no thanks"!