How to Find and Join a Mothers Group

Parenting is hard, like really hard and you don’t want to do it alone. The bigger you can make your support network, the better a parent you’ll likely be, which is why it’s important to build the best support network you can. For new parents it can also be a time where their friendships and relationships start to change, there may be a drop off with old friends as priorities change. Which is why a mothers group can also be a great opportunity to make new lifelong friends. I know personally my mother keeps in touch with friends she made in her mothers group over two decades ago.  But how do you find a mothers group? Well here are 4 tried and tested methods that should work across Australia:

1. Maternal and Child Health Services

2. Facebook Groups & Community Pages

3. Playcentres & Community Centres

4. Online Directories

Maternal and Child Health Service Mothers Groups

If you’re pregnant, you may not know that many public hospitals and local councils offer mothers groups as part of their postnatal support. In fact, if you’re not recommended to a mothers group before discharge, at your next post-birth check-up at a community health centre they may also recommend one then. Generally, these recommended ones will be organised by your local council and will often run them, and to find them/get in contact you’ll generally be able to contact your MCH nurse for the details. 

Facebook Groups & Community Pages

This is a bit of a more active search process, but will give you many more choices in the location and finding a group that resonates with your values more. You don’t just need to use Facebook either, you could try Google or other search engines on your search. Here’s a quick guide on how to keyword your Facebook searches for the most effectiveness:

Include Local Area Keywords

This could include any of the following:

1. Suburb (e.g. Doncaster, Burwood, Glen Waverley)

2. City or Region (e.g. Melbourne, Gold Coast, Western Sydney)

3. Council area or LGA (e.g. Whitehorse, Moreland, Logan)

Mum-Related Keywords

Use terms that match your stage or style of parenting:

• mums / moms / mothers

• new mums

• first-time mums

• expecting mums / pregnancy

• single mums

• stay-at-home mums

• toddler mums

• working mums

• playdate group

• parent group

• mother’s group

Once you’ve got in mind the type of keywords you’re keen on using, try combining them into searches like these in Facebook's group search:

"[Suburb] mums group"

e.g. “Nunawading mums group”

"New mums [City]"

e.g. “New mums Brisbane”

"[Region] mother's group"

e.g. “Northern Beaches mother’s group”

"[Suburb] playgroup"

e.g. “St Kilda playgroup”

"[City] parenting support"

e.g. “Adelaide parenting support”

"Expecting mums [Year] [Location]"

e.g. “Expecting mums 2025 Sydney”

"[Location] parents community"

e.g. “Gold Coast parents community”

"Single mums [Region]"

e.g. “Single mums Western Suburbs Melbourne”

If you’re finding an abundance of options in your area and are looking for a more niche experience, you could even try adding in keywords relating to your specific needs or demographic. 

Playcentres & Community Centres

There’s no easier place to take young kids than a playcentre, which is why many mothers' groups are organised at them. You’ll find that on their websites, on the flyers and all round a playcentre that are advertising for open spots, trial days or programs to start your own mothers group. Even if they don’t it’s a great way to meet other mothers, who may even recommend you join a group that they attend. The more you ask around at an indoor playground or play centre like MiniTown, the more likely it will be that you find the group you’ve been searching for. 

Online Directories

There’s a few online directories you can use to search directly for a Mothers Group. Sites like https://playmatters.org.au/, https://www.parentopia.au/join-a-group, https://www.playgroup.org.au/find/ all have really useful directories that make it incredibly easy to find like minded parents. They generally have features where you can either scroll through all mothers groups, or enter a post code to be shown ones near you. Making the process of finding a mothers group relatively simple.

Go Out and Find your First Mothers Group

The benefits are innumerable, learning opportunities, a bigger support network, lifelong friends. Nothing should be stopping you from living your best life as a mother. We’re sure that with this easy guide you’ll be able to find a mothers group that can support you through this next stage in life.