Mush app helps new parents find friends

A wave of social opportunities for new mums are being created thanks to an app designed to tackle loneliness in parents.

Mush has become the Tinder app for new parents - telling other searching families the area in which you live in, the age of your children and your interests.

Downloading the app is free - and it is enabling Kent mums to go on organised group outings, walks, or meet for a coffee and a play with other families similar to their own.

Faye Hackwell, 31, from Sevenoaks, is mum to 13-month old Niamh.

She said she initially struggled to meet people when suddenly at home with a new baby.

She said: “You become a mum and your whole life changes, so all of a sudden you don’t have as much in common with your existing friends who don’t have children.

“There are loads of great play groups and classes in Kent, but it can be nerve-wracking trying to strike up conversations in a big group of people you don’t know, so I joined Mush and have since met some lovely mums I would probably never have met otherwise.

"I’m now leading a weekly group walk at Knole Park anyone can come along to and have organised some great coffee meet ups in town where the babies have played while we’ve got to know each other.”

A recent survey by Mush revealed that 60% of mums can often go an entire day without adult interaction while more than 80% would prefer to go to a playgroup or baby class with a friend.

Mush lets parents create a profile, see who else is on the app near you and has a message facility to arrange events.

There are more than 45,000 members signed up across the country.

For further details on the new app and how to download click here