HER son is only 10 months old but he has already been on a number of dates.

Madam Karen Yeo, who is in her mid 30s, tags along on these outings, but she keeps a distance as he busies himself with making new friends.

It's known as playdates, where mothers bring their tiny tots to interact with other children.

Said the stay-at-home mother: "I'm home every day so I like to go out and talk to other adults. Sometimes going out makes me appreciate my home better."

Madam Yeo, who is a first-time mum and has a maid to help her with the household chores, said: "I do get a bit lonely - there's just me, the baby and the helper at home. My husband is frequently away on business trips."

She started joining playdates since January after doing a search on networking site Meetup.com and has even hosted some at her home.

Mrs Jonnansical Ong, a 33-year-old housewife, said she joined playdates to learn a tip or two. She does not have a maid and takes care of her four-month-old son herself.

She said: "I want to see how other parents handle their kids and learn from their experience."

Madam Yeo and Mrs Ong are some of the few Singaporean mothers who join playdates, which are entrenched in western cultures and more popular among expatriate mothers here.

But the playdate culture is catching on as local mothers warm up to the idea of their babies interact freely in an unstructured environment.

Some of the informal groups that have been set up here are the Singapore Babies & Toddlers Playgroup, Baby Signs Singapore Meet-up Group, The Singapore Babies and Toddlers Reading Group, Babycafe and The Singapore West Coast Park Baby & Toddler Playgroup.

Limited number

Most mothers join multiple groups as there is a limit to the number of playdates hosted and number of mothers allowed each time. Sometimes the mothers find themselves on a waiting list.

The playdate groups are normally kept very small to allow better interaction - usually about five to six pairs of mother and child per session.

Madam Sara Hamze, 23, from England, recalled her first playdate about eight months ago: "I was a bit shy and nervous. I don't know who these mothers were."

But after attending the first playdate, she decided to hold one herself and has held about 15 playdates since.

When Singapore Blissful Babies Playgroup founder left Singapore last October, Madam Hamze took over.

She said: "It is nice to host playdates. I get to meet mothers who lives nearby and babies who are about my son's age. I get to know many friends in Singapore."

That was a stark contrast when she relocated here together with her husband in July 2009.

She added: "Over cakes and juice, we talk about our babies and share ideas with each other."

When it comes to hygiene during playdates, mothers we spoke to are generally unconcerned about that.

Madam Julie Ong, 34, who is a Malaysian and a permanent resident here, said she trusts the hosts to keep their house, environment and toys clean.

But Mrs Ong, who is very concerned about this, would rather bring her own toys if she is unsure about the cleanliness of the playdate venue.

"Sometimes babies get oral thrush if they put dirty toys into their mouth," she said.

"If the baby is ill, there's an unwritten rule that the mother doesn't take her baby to the playdate. If the mother is sick, she doesn't turn up. If the host is sick, the playdate is cancelled."

Other than this mutual understanding among mothers, there needs to be chemistry as well, as "some are very friendly, some are not", she added.

Mothers could try out the different playdates hosted until they find some that they are comfortable with.

There are some playdates which welcome fathers too, said Mrs Ong. Her 35-year-old civil servant husband, Tony, said he "sits around, carries the baby and talks to the other mothers" during the sessions he has been to with his wife and son.

He said: "It is a cool way to meet other people with shared interests, expand our social circle and let our baby have a good time."

This article was first published in The New Paper.