Moving To Chiang Mai With Baby

[keurope]

We will be moving to Chiang Mai with 1 month old baby and I am looking for any activities to meet new friends.

Can you recommend any playgroup or other activities where I can meet new people ?

Also what gated community would you recommend in Mae Rim area with young expat famillies? What are ongoing prices for 3 bedrooms house with small garden?

Any breastfeeding support group and good pediatrician, what hospital is the best?

Anything I should bring with me that is not available in CM?

Thanks

[p1p]

Try contacting the Raintree Resource Center, just by the police station on the Eastern bank of the river by Nawarat bridge.

They are a Christian organisation, but have a long list of resources for new arrivals with families. Some of these resources are not even Christian based!

(As an aside and a strong warning. If you are of Oriental race, you may find this place, or the ladies that use it, less than friendly. My wife, Thai but with a British education to university graduate level, tried to join a couple of mothers groups and play groups suggested by Raintree. She was left in no uncertainty that her presence was not welcome because of her race.

On one occasion she was so upset by their bigoted venomousness that she was effectively driven out of the place in tears. She had to sit at the side of the road waiting for me to collect her. She was there with a 1 year old toddler and carrying a baby only a few weeks old for over half an hour.)

[earlofwindermere]

We got started with the Raintree as well but didn't "click" with any of the groups either. There are a lot of expat families with young babies in the city. The two easiest ways are: go to a church or stop at a school. If you plan to live in Mae Rim, definitely stop by Prem as there are several groups of moms who get together in the mornings.

As far as supplies, my wife is a nurse and has researched this quite a bit. We have found pretty much most things. The two things that we bring for ourselves (or asked by others to bring) are infant medication (ie infant Benedryl and infant tylenol) and swimmer diapers.

[keurope]

Any other advices where to meet other moms with babies?