Top Five Best Ways to Meet Other Moms in Miami

Which Miami mom are you?

A. "None of my friends in Miami have kids yet."

B. "I just moved here and don't know anybody."

C. "I stopped working when I had the baby and all my friends still work."

Whether you're an A, B, C, or All of the Above, finding "mommy friends" in Miami can be a unique challenge. Here are five great ways to meet fellow moms in Miami.

1. Join a meetup group. If you aren't familiar with meetup.com, you should be. This is my number one, gotta do it, absolute best recommendation for meeting other moms in Miami--mostly because I have met my BEST Miami mom friends through my meetup group. Here's how it works: a group organizer or assistant organizer schedules events online, and group members can RSVP, see who else in the group will be attending, chat on message boards, etc. Because meetup is web-based, it is ideal for busy moms with crazy schedules. You can see what is going on with your group at 4AM if you want to (after the baby has fallen back to sleep, but you haven't!) Here in Miami, mommy meetup groups have really flourished, and there are groups for any niche, be it a geographic area (SoBe Mommies), lifestyle (IronMommies), parenting philosophy (South Florida Babywearing), or attitude (Liberal Parents of Little Kids.)

**miamibabymama tip: In my experience, each meetup group has it's own distinct "vibe", so if you join a group and don't click with the other moms after an event or three, don't be discouraged, just try another group.

2. The Right Park at the Right Time. We are blessed with fab weather much of the year and the parks are often packed. Be strategic though--most parks have their "prime times" to meet other moms. I know around here, Kennedy Park on weekday mornings is a great time to meet other moms. On the other hand, Merry Christmas Park, which is right around the corner from my house, is a mommy graveyard on weekday mornings--either empty, or all nannies and their charges, who tend to keep to themselves. Merry Christmas Park is full of mommies to meet in the early evenings on weekdays, though, and most of the larger area parks are full of families on weekends, if you want to get dad in on the action.

3. Classes. Whether it is Gymboree, My Gym, or Baby & Me Yoga, classes are a great place to meet and potentially click with fellow moms. Think about it--if you and your little one are attending weekly classes with the same group each week, you'll have time to check out the various mommies, and strike up a convo with whoever you decide could be future BFF material.

4. The Gym. Let's face it--if you have one or more young kids, chances are you need to be going to the gym anyway. Whether you're still whittling away the baby weight, or you need the stress release, the gym is nothing but a good thing. (And because, well, this IS Miami, girl--gotta keep up with the hotties lurking around every street corner!) So, here's the mom-meeting potential. Gyms with child care centers are great places to meet other moms. At my gym, the moms tend to chat a bit before and after drop-off and pick-up for classes, and kind of get to know each other in a very casual way. Your kids know each other from the gym child care center, you'll know if they get along, so it makes it easy to set up a playdate so the little ones can see each outside of the gym setting.

5. Library Story Times: Most area public libraries have story times tailored to different age groups. Find a library in your area that has a hoppin' story hour and start attending. Like the gym, most moms arrive a bit early, providing an opportunity for a little casual chit-chat before the storytime begins. Find a branch near you!

Final Tip: Be Aggressive, B-E Aggressive! If you meet a mom that is easy to talk to, and that seems cool and funny and like someone you'd want to hang with, get her number, whether you meet her at the park or the supermarket. Then, make the call--ring her up or send a text inviting her to get together, and go from there!

photo credit: sxc.hu/lusi