Can we all agree that the idea we were sold by the movies of meeting parents at the playground and forming life-long friendships is a bit far fetched? Now that we’ve made our peace with that, it’s time to figure out how to ACTUALLY make friends once you become a parent 👀
Being expats, most of us don’t have a village to support us here and that’s why the need to have friends to lean on increases more than ever! We all know that parenting is a rollercoaster and it’s always fun when you have a friend sitting next you right?
So we did some research and came across these wonderful 2 websites/apps that can help you find like-minded families near you!
Let’s get started:
Peanut-app.io
The peanut app is specifically targeted towards women. They envision a world where no woman has to navigate life alone. By using their app, you can connect with women who are at a similar stage in life. That stage of life can be anything from conceiving, pregnancy, motherhood, and all the way through to menopause.
Another great thing about their platform is their vast and supportive discussion forms. Definitely a good resource to have in mind when parenting throws 102 questions your way.
A simple look into how this works:
- You download their app and put in your details like: your name, what stage of life you’re in, where you live, what interests you have and why you are using the app etc.
- You are shown various profiles of women that have similar interests as you
- You start messaging one another
- You can decide to meet in person, set a play date and more
- You become a part of their vast community and join discussion forums, podcasts and have a space for all your questions and queries.
Note: The app is free but some features are only for paid customers
View the website here
It’s July
It’s July states that its mission is to enable families to connect, discuss mutual interests, and establish new friendships in a safe environment. It is basically a match-making service for families.
A simple look into how this works:
- You create a profile for your family and include details like: your name, how old your child is, where you live, what interests you have etc.
- You can filter your matches by destination to find families near you
- Once you choose a match, then IT’S July system sends a notification to the other family and if they approve, you are introduced to one another.
- You can then decide to meet up, arrange a playdate and more
Note: The website is free for now
View the website here
Other great ways that have worked for us to meet families near us are by visiting neighborhood family centers like muetterzentrum Sendling, mutter-vater zentrum Neuhausen, familienzentrum Trudering and Elki Schwabing just to name a few of the many in Munich where they offer play groups, classes, open cafe’s or even meet ups for the families close by.
Or you could join pre-baby or post-baby classes as well as attend kids-centered events to meet families to connect with.
We hope you are able to find some amazing connections near you and start building your own little village abroad 💛
Leave a Reply