Hi there. I know some parents groups and playgroups can be pretty clicky but you might find that there are others that are more suited to what you want.
You could contact the playgroup association in your state and they'll give you a big list of each one and you don't have any obligation to join straight away. Some friends of mine did the rounds at about 15 playgroups and found one they liked where the group was welcoming and friendly and the activities were fun.
On the other hand, I went to a New Parents Group when my two were about 5 weeks old that was facilitiated by a Community Health Nurse for babies 0 to 6 months. The group started getting pretty big and they offered us the facility to use so we started our own playgroup from mums I knew from there and others I met along the way. Once a month we have an 'outing' to a park or playground etc, etc. It doesn't cost anything except a packet of bickies now and then and we have a lot of fun and share ideas. Our babies are 5 months up to about 15 months and we've also organised swimming lessons as a group and often have people come to the group and talk about things that might be of interest to us (ie. Kindermusik, toy parties etc).
We seem to talk more about the babies and pick each others brains rather than who earns/drive what.
So don't give up - you'll really appreciate it and your child will appreciate the socialisation.
I still like to meet new people though and welcome hearing from anyone who has ideas and information to share. My email address is
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