Why You Can't Actually Make Friends at Trad Baby Groups
"Just join a baby group and make friends," everyone says.
Except it's not working.
Here's why: Traditional baby groups create the worst possible conditions for adult friendship formation. 50 bodies in a chaotic space with noise levels that make conversation impossible. (Not to mention how it feels for neurodiverse parents experiencing sensory overload - conditions are NOT ideal).
Now chuck in the constant interruptions as children need attention. No structure for connection - just hope that somehow, friendships will happen organically.
They don't.
You might exchange numbers with someone who seems nice. You might say "we should get coffee sometime" to three different people. You'll probably join another WhatsApp group you'll eventually mute. But genuine friendship - the kind where you can be honest about how hard this is, where you feel less alone - rarely forms.
Real friendship requires vulnerability, and baby groups rarely create space for it. Everyone's performing competence. Nobody wants to be the first to admit they're struggling. The environment is so overstimulating that you're in survival mode, not connection mode.
There is a baby group revolution happening across Worthing, Brighton, and Sussex that is rethinking everything.
Honey House sessions happen in independent cafes, design studios, lifestyle spaces - environments designed for adults that welcome children, rather than child spaces where adults are tolerated.
The Permission You're Looking For
You're allowed to want more than church halls and instant coffee.
You're allowed to seek spaces where you can actually make friends, not just make small talk with strangers you'll never see again.
Looking for baby groups in Worthing or Brighton where you can actually be yourself? Honey House offers weekly meet-ups designed for parent wellbeing, genuine friendship, and restored identity - in lifestyle spaces where everyone feels welcome.
View our timetable and rediscover what baby groups should feel like.