The wisdom of many, the warmth of a small circle

Our online community runs on a private bespoke app built for one purpose: providing support, camaraderie, and real friendships. Think of it as a nesting doll. Five main groups, smaller subgroups, and inside those, the due date and birth date neighborhood specific chats where friendships are born.

Our large groups give you the reach of hundreds of parents for advice, discussion and classifieds. The small ones give you the support and connections that community is all about.

Members: log in Get the iOS app Get the Android app

The main groupsFive Main GroupsDowntown Mamas, Central Park Mamas, HRP Papas, Downtown Classifieds and the Childcare Group

The small circlesCohort ChatsBy due and birth date, then by neighborhood

Everything elseAffinity SubgroupsCareer, language and culture, shared experience and interests

AccessApp or WebiOS, Android, or any browser

The main groups

These are the main groups. Which ones you can see depends on your membership: Downtown Mamas, HRP Papas and Central Park Mamas each go with their own membership, while the Downtown Classifieds and the Childcare group open alongside them.

01Downtown Mamas Advice and DiscussionOur original group, started in 2004. Advice, discussion and peer support: motherhood and parenting, schools and education, work and life, health, and most of what else is on our minds as mothers in New York City. For mothers, expectant mothers and birthing persons, and those who identify as mothers, who reside Downtown.

02Central Park MamasOur Uptown group, started in 2023 and growing steadily. Advice, discussion and peer support, and classifieds all in one space. Topics include motherhood and parenting, schools and education, work and life, health, and most of what else is on our minds as mothers in New York City. Also a great space to post ISO and For Sale posts. For mothers, expectant mothers and birthing persons, and those who identify as mothers, who reside Uptown.

03HRP PapasEstablished in 2021, for advice, discussion and meet-ups among fathers. For fathers, expectant fathers, and those who identify as fathers, who reside Downtown.

04Downtown ClassifiedsOpen to Downtown members. Buying, selling, trading and giving away new and used gear. Apartments, sublets and vacation rentals, listed by parents rather than brokers. Household services and other recommendations.

05ChildcareSitters, nannies, night nannies and household help, recommended by members who have actually employed them or can serve as references.

Anonymous posts

While the HRP Mamas platform is not anonymous, members can post sensitive questions anonymously through our admins.

We offer this so that nobody is prevented from getting the help they need on highly personal matters.

To arrange an anonymous post, email our team at membership@hudsonriverparkmothersgroup.com.

Subgroups

06 Kinds

These are the smaller spaces, and where most in person connection actually starts. Each subgroup has its own polls, calendar, member directory and RSVPs for arranging things.

01Cohorts by Due and Birth DateEvery member is placed in a cohort with parents whose children arrived around the same time, organized by year and quarter, and as annual groups once children turn two. Cohorts run from 2003 through 2027, so there is one whether you are expecting or your eldest is in high school. Each cohort has its own forum, where a post reaches every member by email, plus a shared calendar with RSVPs and reminders, a searchable member directory, polls and photo sharing. Chats are set up a few months before the due dates in that cohort, so expectant members have somewhere to land before the baby arrives.

02Neighborhood ChatsInside each cohort sits a set of Signal chats: one for the whole cohort, and others by area, including FiDi and TriBeCa, Battery Park City, SoHo and Greenwich Village, West Village, Chelsea, Lower East Side and East Village, Flatiron and Gramercy, Hell's Kitchen and Hudson Yards, Midtown East, and the Upper West and Upper East Sides. The links are pinned at the top of the cohort messages. This is where walks, playdates and coffees actually get arranged.

03Career Networking GroupsFourteen groups for members who share a profession, for discussion, resource exchange and get-togethers built around common working lives.

04Language and CultureTwenty-four groups for organizing language-based playgroups, seasonal festivities and cultural celebrations.

05Support and InterestGroups formed around a shared experience or a shared enthusiasm, from adoption and fertility to running, textiles and dogs.

06Tweens, Teens and BeyondFor mothers of children ten and up: school transitions, the college process, first jobs, parenting in the digital world, and the resources that go with all of it.

Career networking groups

Architecture, interiors and real estate. Arts and writing. Education. Entrepreneurs. Fashion and visual arts. Finance. Health, social work, medicine and psychology. Human resources. Journalism and media. Legal. Management. Marketing, advertising and public relations. STEM. Technology.

Language and culture groups

American Sign Language. Arabic. Cantonese. Dutch. French. German. Greek. Hebrew and Jewish culture. Hungarian. Italian. Japanese. Korean. Mandarin. Persian. Polish. Portuguese and Brazilian. Russian. Scandinavian. Slavic: Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian. Spanish. Turkish. Vietnamese. Plus the languages and cultures of Africa and of South Asia.

Support and interest groups

Adoption. Allergies. Mamas of Black and biracial children. Brave Mamas, for living with and surviving cancer. Diabetes. Environment and climate. First-time mamas over 40. Grief circle. IVF, fertility and surrogacy. LGBTQ mamas and LGBTQ parents. Mamas in recovery. Mothers of multiples. Single mamas. Single mothers by choice. Working mamas with stay-at-home partners. Dogs and puppies. Sports and running. Knitting, sewing and textiles. Mamas Market, for members who are makers, artisans and freelance service providers. Plus peer support for pediatric ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and neurodiversity and learning differences.

Members can browse and join every subgroup from the subgroup directory, or email our membership coordinator for help finding the right one.

Private by design

No algorithms, no advertising, no data brokers, no influencers.

Every member is a verified local parent.

Not a member yet

The community is for members. The events are for everyone.

Every educational event and parenting workshop we organize is open to all, whether you are a member or not. If you live in the neighborhoods we cover, you are welcome to apply.

Join us Educational events