Motherhood can be isolating at times. The first few months of my daughter’s life were a blur for me. Sleepless nights, breastfeeding woes, challenges in my marriage as we grew into our new roles as mom and dad. Loneliness and feelings of isolation began to creep in and I quickly realized how different life was going to be as a mom.
A friend invited me to a moms group that met on Friday mornings and it wasn’t long before I had a group of friends in the same stage of life I was in. Over the last 3 years I’ve learned just how important my moms groups are for my sanity. They get me out of the house, my daughter gets to socialize and burn off energy, and I have built some fantastic friendships. Don’t be deceived, they are about a lot more than just playdates for our kids! We get together for game nights, freezer meal workshops, and margaritas, lots and lots of margaritas.
Actually finding a moms group can be a challenge if you don’t know where to look, so I’ve put together a list of groups in Kansas City where you can make some mom friends and get connected.
- Building Better Moms (BBM): Meets at the Leawood, Olathe, and Blue Springs campuses of Church of the Resurrection. BBM meetings are a time to connect with other moms without your kids interrupting you every 2 minutes! There are guest speakers, food, and lots of opportunities to make lasting friendships. Groups meet during the day (with childcare) or in the evening. There are groups for early childhood, elementary, and middle/high school as well as mixed ages groups. Note: the groups run during the school year and spots fill up fast (registration begins in May for the following school year). Join the waitlist to be notified of openings.
- Hike it Baby: This group’s focus is on getting parents outside with their kids to connect with nature and with other families. You’ll find weekly hikes geared towards a wide variety of interests and abilities. Hikes take place all over the metro area. If you don’t see a hike that suits your needs, create your own hike and other moms are sure to follow the Hike it Baby Kansas City Facebook page.
- Meetup: Meetup.com it is a website where you can find local clubs and interest groups where you can “meet up” with others and form friendships over shared interests. There are several mom groups in the Kansas City area that can be found on Meetup. I’m personally a member of Cheers Kansas City, a very active moms group open to moms throughout the metro area. Search for “moms” with your zip code and you’ll find about a dozen groups, most formed around a common location (JoCo, Jackson County, Northland, etc.)
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MOMS Clubs: These are non-religious groups geared towards stay at home moms. There are several in the KC area including: Independence, Olathe, East of 435/Liberty, Shawnee-East, and North Kansas City/Gladstone.
- Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS): MOPS groups meet in churches but you don’t need to be religious or attend the church to join the group. Many locations offer childcare and evening meetings for working moms. There are also MOPSnext groups for moms of school aged kids. I counted more than two dozen different MOPS groups in the KC metro area, so no matter where you live, there’s probably one nearby. Plug in your zip code and find a MOPS group here.
- School district PaT/ECPTA playgroups: These playgroups are organized by the district Parents as Teachers and Early Childhood PTA programs. Some are free but others charge a small participation fee. Note: Most districts allow you to participate in the PaT playgroups even if your child isn’t receiving PaT home visits. Some playgroups are limited to kids age 0-36 months, others are open to all preschoolers, contact your local district for details. Kansas: Blue Valley PaT and Blue Valley ECPTA, Desoto PaT and Desoto ECPTA, Gardner/Edgerton PaT, Olathe PaT, Shawnee Mission PaT. Missouri: Blue Springs ECPTA, Center PaT.
- Facebook/Other: Read the group descriptions to get an idea if the group is the right fit for you, many are location based. Lees Summit Play, MomtourageKC, Thrive Local, South KC Sisterhood of Moms, Brookside Mother’s Association, and our own KCMB neighborhood groups!
- For moms of multiples: Check out Multiples of Kansas City, Northland Mothers of Multiples, and Johnson County Mothers of Multiples.
- Create your own! Reach out to moms in your neighborhood, the moms you always see at the park or story time, and your local mom friends on Facebook. Create the group that you want to be a part of. You don’t have to open your house to a hoard of children; you can schedule park play dates, organize a mom’s night out, or meet up at one of the best indoor play spaces around town. Make connections and reach out to other moms you meet, chances are they will respond positively!
Pro Tips:
- Joining a moms group can be intimidating, especially if you are shy around new people. I promise it’s worth putting on a brave face and getting out of your comfort zone! Everyone was the new kid once!
- Don’t be discouraged if the first group you try isn’t the right one for you. Sometimes you have to try a few groups before you find the right fit.
- If you’ve found a moms group that you love, pass along the info to other moms and invite them to join you!
What Kansas City moms group have you found to be a good fit for your family?
Hi there!
Thanks for mentioning our playgroup in your Building Your Village blog post, Julia.
We are actually transitioning our group into a Facebook page this month and it would be most helpful if you could change our link in your post to https://www.facebook.com/thrivelocalkc/ instead of our group link? We are going to close the group on March 1 and operate solely from the page. 🙂 Let me know if you’ve seen this and if that’s possible? Thank you so much!
Thanks for letting us know! We’ve updated the post to reflect this change.