Tell Fairy Non Bio about how you and your DC make friends - win a £300 voucher! NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

As part of our partnership with Fairy Non Bio, we’ve produced the Mumsnet Babies Podcast. There are ten episodes in the series and episode 7, which you can listen to here, is about making friends and being nice. When you get the chance, Fairy Non Bio would like you to listen to the podcast and share your thoughts - not just about the new friends you’ve made since having a baby, but also about how your baby socialises with other children.

Whether you go to parenting groups and classes in your spare time or not, making friends as a new mother isn’t always easy. Have you felt like it can be isolating, and that you have nothing in common with the other mothers in your area (apart from the presence of your tiny children)? Or perhaps you’ve found that parenting can be a reason to bond with other people, even if it’s just a case of having someone to grumble with about sleepless nights and dirty nappies? And of course it would be negligent to forget to mention Mumsnet as a platform on which mums can socialise and make new friends!

And then, as your baby gets older, their social life may become the minefield you need to navigate. Have you been mystified by your little one's’ ability to make best friends with complete strangers in the playground? Perhaps you’ve struggled to deal with getting them to share nicely with other children?

Whatever your experiences of friendship during early motherhood, post on the thread below and you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 Love2Shop voucher!

If you’d like to rate the Mumsnet Babies Podcast, please go to the iTunes store and leave a review.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

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With my eldest we made friends at baby groups, and now am navigating school run friendships! Poor youngest doesn't have friends of his own yet as I haven't had time!

I didn't make any friendships through birth or nursery as I worked full time. Now my son is at school I see more mums and have had a couple of play dates but because of working I definitely find it hard to make friends. my son is quite shy but has some good friends at nursery.

Made some good friends at the local swimming clubs

I found making friends really easy when I had my daughter. I started going to swimming at a local school for Parents and Babies and became friends with people there. We organised our own get togethers after that - play at each others' homes, garden centre meet ups and so on. I also used to go to the local church toddler group. I more went for my little ones to socialise and develop as I have always spent more time with family than friends. My children are at school now and I work, I have a lot of good friendships at work. My youngest two have only a 14 month age difference and when we go on holiday or out for the day they will play with each other but I have noticed that my son is more interested in including other children that are around than my daughter is.

I guess being that bit older I'm OK about striking up conversation with strangers, but it's so much easier with children, (Or a dog!) You have a common interest and I've made some great friends through our DC.

I'm one of those (annoying?) people who will just strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere and having children makes that even easier as it's a good conversation opener. I think by showing you're happy to chat and having a friendly smile on your face, people will naturally approach you too.

It can be hard to make friends as a new mum, my advice is that if your little one approaches another child, don't be afraid to chat to the parents too. We go to playgroups and I find that you soon make friends, in fact I now have a group of 'playgroup mums' who I socialise with. It helps I think if you go to playgroups where your little one is likely to be going to school as then they might meet little ones who will be in the same class as then at school. It helps them to know children before they actually go into nursery, I've found it definitely boosted my 3 year olds confidence as I could say things like 'you will be going to school with Esme soon' and she understood and was pleased.

Everyone likes holding a cute smiling baby, people lose interest once they want to move rather than be held. Best thing to do is make friends with people who have similar aged children, they are more understanding and less demanding. I found pushing to go to baby classes or groups when you don't want to go is the best place to find these people

My toddler makes friends by walking up to other toddlers, making eye contact, and then smiling at them. If they smile back, they both seem to instinctively run off together and chase each other around and play together. If the other toddler doesn't smile back my son moves on.

I have been lucky enough to make friends through taking my children to play groups and meeting other parents who have similar interests. By going there regularly you get to build a relationship with some of them over time.

My job involves me talking to a huge range of people all day and when I come home, I'm just all peopled-out. So, maternity leave was bliss. Just me and the baby - not having to leave the house if I didn't want to. Proper introvert.

My first is now at school and I've made probably only one proper friend in that time. As a mum, you're thrown together with random other mums whose only connection with you is that you had a child around the same time. Yes, I've made many acquaintances, some very good ones. But only one real friend. For me, it takes time to know if I should invest more of my time and energy into trusting and cultivating a friendship.

We spent a lot of time at parks and playgroups. One thing I found was regularity helped. Seeing the same people again and again built up lasting friendships. Not always easy in a big city and we were helped by the glory days of SureStart which meant regular good drop ins.

I found making friends when my daughter was small was very difficult, I didn't find they were on my wavelength.
On one occasion I went to a local NCT group at someone's house and when I was out of the room changing a nappy they were all arranging to meet up and never bothered to mention it to me !
I did find a friendly toddler group in a nearby village, my dd enjoyed the company and I was made to feel more welcome.
It is a minefield and I think you have to try a few.

I really enjoyed these podcasts whilst on mat leave :-)

I'm lucky to have a small group of pre-mummy days friends who now all have small children, so I see these s my friends and (shamefully) must admit I'm quite against making more - with the preconceived notion that extra friends, especially of the mummy kind are too much hard work and all too judgy of each other. We do however really enjoy classes and groups at out local children's centres especially, as I think it's nice for the baby to socialise. I do enjoy chatting to other mums there but must admit I've often purposely refrained from creating mummy friendship relationships from such situations.

I have met loads of people through my children, whether it is at their sports clubs or at school or just at the park.

I am generally quite shy but I find it easy to strike up a conversation with other mums, and dads, about the children and a few of those conversations have led to friendships :)

Baby groups were the best thing I ever went to when I had my boy. Loved meeting new people and hearing other mums stories and having the knowledge that all those events, good or bad, that happen to you happen to everyone else!!!

3 of the mums I met are still my best friends now and always will be.

Top tip from my daughter from our holiday last year...she said to me
"I don't know how you do it Mummy but I go up to someone & say...would you like to be my friend?"

So it is as easy as that! More natural for me start chatting, if there is a connection after time you have a cuppa & so on.

I think it is quite easy to make friends especially when your kids are young

Talk to everyone. Don't be an arse or judgemental. Smile and compliment genuineinly

I am really shy & struggled to make new mum friends at first. I went to a few baby groups & would chat to people casually, but didn't meet up outside groups.. I didn't feel like I could suggest a playdate or a coffee in a natural way!
However, I found it much easier when my LO started nursery as I would chat to other parents at drop off/pick up & had a birthday party for my son soon after he started & invited lots of his friends - it was a great way to chat to parents properly & led to us making some really good friends - with the bonus of knowing that our kids already get on!
My son doesn't have my shyness fortunately & will just go & chat to anyone who looks fun & ask if he can join in!

It was a struggle in early motherhood because I left work and moved as well as having a baby. I just decided to go to absolutely everything, babygroups, mum groups, church groups, charity groups, exercise groups, book groups, you name it i joined it and eventually i found my people, but it was lonely in the early days and it's hard if you are a bit shy too.

Most of my friends now since having children are friends I've made through playgroups, and nurseries and schools, My best friend I made at baby group which we used to attend every wednesday from our boys being a few weeks old up to a year and then we went onto a playgroup together and now our boys are in year two at school and are best of friends just like their mums !!

When the children were little, in playgrounds/playgroups/library events, then via 'the schoolgates' and out of school activities, and now they're both out of primary school not sure at all.

The children are both sociable and make friends easily which really helps.