Being a new mom has enough challenges. From adjusting to life with a baby, to career standstills, to the strain it can place on your spousal relationships – it’s easy to feel defeated and alone. Having someone that you can relate to with the ups and downs of parenthood, at the exact moment that you are going through it, is seriously a game-changer. Finding these relationships can be challenging, though.

It’s called mom dating, and it is an actual thing.

Like most first dates, mom-to-mom conversations can start out shaky and awkward. After asking the inevitable (and inevitably boring) “Awe, how old is she?!” questions, we find ourselves stumbling over our words and fidgeting with our jackets.

Whether you move to a new city or are the first of your friends to be part of the mom club, odds are that you are eager to make some fellow “mom friends.” While it would be nice for these relationships to eventually deepen, sometimes it’s enough to spend some time with people who know what you’re going through in the trenches of motherhood!

Here are a few ways of going about picking and choosing your future wine-drinking (er, playdate) companions.

Speed Dating For Mom Friends

This is probably the most interesting, entertaining and brilliant form of mom dating. As you know, moms don’t have much time to socialize, but they desperately need the support. Hillary Frank created speed dating for mom friends as she herself had a tough time connecting with other moms after having her first child. If you are interested in attending a mama speed dating event, you can sign yourself up to be on Hillary’s mailing list, and she will coordinate dependent upon location.

Yes, there’s an app for that

If you’ve been scouring the Internet on how to make mom friends, you probably have heard of apps like “Mom Co” and “Hello Mamas.” 

These mom dating apps, inspired by Tinder, are essentially replacing old school methods of meeting other mommies like approaching moms at the park or grocery store, and are quite effective. Everyone knows that dating is difficult, and making friends as an adult is even harder, which is how these technology wonders came about.

Join a Meet-Up

No matter where you live, there are bound to be meet-ups in your area. They are free to join and are narrowed down by groups specific to neighborhood, type of activity, or age of your baby. Categories can range from stay-at-home-mom groups to new parent groups and beyond, already giving you an ice-breaker when attending for the first time. Gatherings like picnics in the park and afternoon book readings eventually turn into “moms night outs” and kid-free coffee dates.

Attend a Mommy and Me Class 

The best way to find baby classes near you is through a quick online search. The point of each class is to introduce something brand new to your baby, like the exploration of musical instruments or a water workout session. Whether you’re into art or fitness, or are just getting your baby used to socializing, there really is a class catered to every mom’s hobbies and comfort zones. While classes are obviously for the benefit of your baby’s development, they are great for finding other moms with the same interests as you.

[bctt tweet=”Mom dating is all the rage right now. Learn how!”]

So if you are ready to immerse yourself into a whole new world of modern parenting, be willing to put yourself out there and go make some well-deserved mom friends! Trust us. It’s worth it.

Any other tips for meeting like-minded mamas? Have you tried to find your mom-match via app? We want to hear them in the comments!