by Christine Chagaris
The setting is a large, brightly colored room with yellow and orange curtains at Kidville’s Upper East Side location. The room gradually fills up with about 30 mothers, infants in tow ranging in age from approximately 8 weeks to 7 months. Each mom introduces herself to the group with her name, her baby’s name, where she lives and if she’s a stay-at-home mom or the place where she works. She then asks a question that has been placed in front of her on a piece of paper, such as “What is your favorite diaper?” (or “favorite baby product?”) The other moms offer varied but helpful answers.
The room is punctuated by the babies’ cries and coos, and a few of the moms are expecting. The group enjoys a pasta lunch and chats amiably – some moms are new to the group and some have attended before. They then sit attentively and listen to a presentation on the topic of this particular luncheon, “Fun and Inexpensive Things to Do in New York City.” The speakers, Risa Goldberg, Janice Chavkin and Kathryn Sachs, know their topic well, as they are moms to little ones themselves and thus have thoroughly navigated the baby and toddler scene in New York City.
Welcome to Big City Moms, which Goldberg, an Upper East Side resident and research manager at Microsoft (and mom to infant twin boys and a three year old daughter) started three years ago with her sister, Leslie Venokur. What started out as a hobby for Risa has grown into a thriving business. The group meets for different events on the Upper East and Upper West Side, as well as in Midtown, attracts moms from all five boroughs and is a valuable networking resource for expectant moms to moms of kindergartners. “We started Big City Moms as a “moms’ night out” program, a way for them to meet each other and exchange helpful hints and information about everything from parenting to fun things to do with your children,” she says. “There is so much information and so many resources for moms out there, but I found that the best way to learn is by speaking to other moms.”
Topics at the group’s lunches and dinners have included “What to Expect the First Three Weeks Home from the Hospital,” which was geared to expectant moms and featured a delivery nurse on hand to answer questions; and “Tips for Playing with Your Baby.”
Big City Moms has grown by leaps and bounds. Events run the gamut from lunches to weekly dinners with guest speakers, kids night out gatherings, weekly classes (originally designed for working parents) to holiday parties. Lunches are held at Kidville on the Upper East and Upper West Side, and there are also lunches at Joshua Tree in Murray Hill. Big City Moms hosts a minimum of two events per week, and each event is on a pre-sign-up basis.
At this particular luncheon, the moms and moms-to-be are enlightened about various city gems that are kid-friendly. The spots range from the requisite visits to Central Park (the group is advised that family memberships to the park are the most economical.); smaller parks such as Carl Schurz (where in the summertime there is a crafts program and music series for kids, plus a movie night); and John Jay ... to museums such as the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (where again, the speakers stress family memberships), restaurants to toy stores. The moms even get tips on places that are fun for nannies to bring kids, such as baby-friendly movie theaters and story times at different bookstores. The guests are encouraged to ask questions and to even share their own knowledge of the topic at hand as part of the presentation.
Finally, this event is capped off by a raffle of various items for infants, such as a girl’s “onesie” and two hats that some lucky moms and their tykes claim as prizes. All of the children get various goodies to take home, including a cute pair of socks. Kathryn Sachs, her little girl in her arms enjoying the scene, marvels at the positive impact Big City Moms has made. “I think there are two things that are really important that moms can get from this group,” she says. “The first is that it easily enables city moms to find real, helpful and constructive advice from other moms. The second is that valuable friendships are made here.”
Risa Goldberg echoes that sentiment. “I get a lot of help and encouragement from my family and my sister,” says this working mom of how she manages to balance her professional life and having young children. “And, of course Big City Moms is a great help and support system, too.”
|
