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Playgroup Spotlight: October-December 2022

Playgroup Spotlight

OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2022

By: Mira Guidi | September 7, 2023

What is special about your playgroup?
There are a lot of things that make our Oct.-Dec. ‘22 playgroup so special!

First and foremost, I’d say everyone is just so welcoming, kind, open, and accepting. I remember my first walk with the group after my traumatic birthing process - I was nervous. That nervousness soon dissipated. Everyone was so transparent about their journeys, gave candid and real advice, and were wanting to engage and provide support! I left feeling invigorated, that I wasn’t alone in my challenges/decision-making, and like I could tackle this new mom role no problem!

We also have a very active WhatsApp chat. Folks are very open to being vulnerable and asking any and every question you could think of - whether it relates to babies, being a new mom, Marin, etc.! As a result, you get great advice and people aren’t afraid to ask the tough questions.

I also love that folks ask for what they want to see from the playgroup - at first we were planning mom-focused events, and there was clearly an expressed desire to open it up to families/partners. Since then, we’ve planned family-friendly events as well! We have a good amount of participation from partners. It is hugely beneficial for the entire family unit to gain this community.

People are also very generous and have a service mindset. We held a donation drive for the nonprofit I work for, the Marin County Cooperation Team. We collected new mom and baby items for Black Marin City residents. It was on a short timeline. In one afternoon I had an entire SUV filled with items and our clients were so grateful. It was really incredible to see how quickly this group could mobilize. And these types of donations have continued on an ad hoc basis!

Everyone is also just so appreciative of what we do as co-leads - which always makes the job more joyful!

Where do you meet and how often?
At first we planned events ad hoc. We are now in a cadence where we are meeting at least twice a month - a mom’s night out on the First Thursday of every month, and a weekend activity the Third Saturday of every month! Folks meet up as they’d like to as well - for music class, walks, etc. and use the WhatsApp chat to do so.

How does your playgroup benefit you as a mom?
I think the unfettered, unfiltered support from other moms is what I find to be most beneficial. I remember being so lost on so many things in the beginning, especially our baby’s sleep, and having multiple perspectives from multiple moms was so helpful!

For me personally too, I just adore my playgroup co-leads - Melanie and Lea! The three of us have become fast friends and I am just so grateful for them. We have developed strong friendships that I don’t take for granted.

How does it benefit the kids?
While our babies are on the younger side, I think the babies benefit from interacting with one another developmentally. For example, my daughter isn’t exposed to a lot of other babies since she isn’t in daycare, and I’m so grateful she has this built-in network of babies to interact with. The hope is that the families stay close throughout the years, and our kids develop friendships that last a lifetime!

And let’s be honest, mom’s nights out benefit the entire family unit, including the kiddos 🙂.

What's one unique activity your group has done?
We did an afternoon of wine tasting in Petaluma on a Sunday that was for the entire family! We had about 20 families participate and it was SO fun. We will definitely be doing it again.

Mira Guidi's passion for building community is also why she joined SMMC after the birth of her daughter in the Fall of 2022. Finding much needed support through her daughter’s age-based playgroup, Mira quickly became her playgroup co-lead, and is now ecstatic to be serving on the SMMC board as Director of Social Media. Mira believes the SMMC community is invaluable and she looks forward to enhancing SMMC’s social media presence this year!

Mira lives in Greenbrae with her high school sweetheart and husband, Colin and their daughter, Niyah! In whatever spare time she has, you can catch Mira at a local soccer field playing co-ed with her husband - which is how they met at Redwood High School.