How and Why to Host a Free Baby-and-Me Meet-Up

40-70% of new moms feel depressed, isolated, and lonely according to Psychology Today. (Image: Mom holds a baby in a dimly lit room)

Up to 70% of new moms feel lonely, according to Psychology Today. And it’s not just moms, really. Other primary caregivers, like dads and grandparents, are feeling isolated, too.

And you can help them.

Primary caregivers need safe spaces to connect with each other. Providing a reliable and consistent safe space isn’t just an important way you can benefit your community, though.

It’s a great way to build trust in your brand and grow your business, too.

(For other great ways to build your community, check out Three Easy Events That Will Make Parents Fall in Love with Your School)

Hosting a meet-up doesn’t need to be over-involved or stressful. With a little bit of thought and a strong pot of coffee, you can connect families, build parent bonds, and strengthen your own childcare community.

In this article, we’ll explore a few ideas to help you plan—and the very first step you’ll take to get started.

Set a day and time you can stick to every month.

Set aside one or two hours for the gathering. When you’re deciding on a schedule, ask parents in your network what a good time would be for them. Try to keep the same day and time each month (e.g. second Tuesday at 10am), so that caregivers can get used to it!

Invite your friends.

For the first few months, ask families from your school (or friends of yours) to bring their kids and hang out throughout the event. It’ll be awkward if only one or two new caregivers show up at a time and no one else is there! If your friends or current families are around, you can introduce them to the new family. Be honest about why they’re there and how they know you and your business. Whether they are friends or current families, their presence is a testimonial to your event and your childcare community!

Once you have a steady group of regulars or a good amount of rotating newcomers, the event will begin to self-support. But until then, it’s good to have the reinforcement of your current program families or friends with kids.

Enforce your sick policy.

Often, that means that children need to be fever-free for 24 hours before joining in, but your policy might be different. Whatever your regular policy is, enforce it for your meet-up too.

Be inclusive.

Seven million dads in the US and Canada identify as primary caregivers. (Image: Dad holds a baby, who points toward the camera)

For a long time, there have been “Mommy & Me” events and classes. Today, though, there are seven million dads throughout the U.S. and Canada who are primary caregivers. Beyond that, 2.7 million grandparents in the U.S. are raising their grandchildren . These caregivers make childcare and education choices just like moms do. Welcome them into your childcare community by including them in your event name.

So when you name your event, try focusing on the child (e.g. “Baby-and-Me”) or come up with a specific title for your event (e.g. “Snuggles & Coffee”), rather than the gender-specific “Mommy-and-Me,” which can isolate other primary caregivers.

Set expectations and advertise broadly.

Advertise the event for specific age groups. For instance, you can limit the meet-up to new caregivers with babies up to six months, or up to one year. You can also advertise that those caregivers can RSVP to bring an older child as well, up to a certain age. If you’re inviting older children, you might consider providing light snacks, like juice boxes and goldfish crackers.

Spread the word. Send messages through local parent facebook groups, schools that serve older kids than you do (they have younger siblings!) and local church bulletins. Libraries will often allow you to post free events on their information boards as well. Be consistent with your advertising; make sure to update your posts each month!

Staff your meet-up.

For every ten baby/caregiver pairs you expect, assign one or two adults to be present from your staff in addition to the event leader. This person will be a “floater." They're there to help the caregivers. For instance, they might offer to hold a crying baby while a parent finishes their conversation with a new friend.

For every five toddlers or older, assign another adult. This person’s role will be as a caregiver in a defined play area nearby, where the kids can explore while their caregivers and younger siblings hang out.

Lastly, you or another leader should immerse yourself in the group, chatting with the guests and generally participating in the party!

Set up your space.

Set up space for the mamas, daddies, grandparents, nannies, and other caregivers—and their babies, too! (Image: Two babies on a blanket drinking milk from bottles)

Set out some chairs (although you might find that the adults end up on the floor with their babies), some toys suited to the age range you’re inviting, and coffee and fixings. Depending on the season, you could offer iced tea, hot cider, or hot chocolate for non-coffee-drinkers, too.

Turn on some quiet background music. Choose something that adults will appreciate (no Kidz Bop, please!). A lot of Top 40 is innocent, and you can build a playlist of your favorites (just make sure they don’t drop any swear words or overt adult themes). The music should play quietly. It’s really just to create some background noise as folks come in. Once families have gathered, no one will even pay attention to it!

Remember that consistency is key.

This event isn’t a one-and-done cure-all. You’re building a community, and that takes time and consistent effort. Schedule one meet-up each month for the next few months. They’re low-stakes, so don’t stress! Just put them on the calendar and recruit a few friends for each date. You might start out with zero, or one, or two attendees. At the very worst, it’s a time for you and your friends to have a cup of coffee and coo over each other’s little ones!

When you schedule your first event, you’re planting a seed. When you consistently spread the word, you’re watering your seed. As your meet-up grows, your team and your families will harvest the benefits of an enriched childcare community.

Plant the seed.

Schedule one “baby-and-me” / “mommy-and-me” meet-up each month. (Image: an open paper calendar)

Right now, while it’s on your mind, send an email to your current families with babies 0-12 months (or 0-6 months, if that’s the age range you’d like to explore for your meet-up).

Let them know you want to offer a monthly meet-up for people like them: caregivers of new babies!
Give them three options of days and time frames (e.g. “Tuesday mornings, Thursday afternoons, Saturday mornings”) and ask which time frames they believe would work best for a 1-2 hour open-house style meet-up
Let them know that they are an important member of your childcare community, that you hope they will bring their babies, and that you will follow up with additional information once you choose a day and time for your meet-ups

Send a follow-up in a couple of days to anyone who didn’t respond (it’s not personal, I promise. People are busy).

Get some dates on the calendar and start to spread the word.

Enjoy your new community!