A LACK of mother's and playgroups in the city has forced some residents to travel outside of Wagga for services.
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Three mums, one from Wagga and two from Collingullie, said mother's group should become more enforced as there are a range of benefits not only for their babies, but for themselves too.
According to NSW Playgroup, there are eight centres in Wagga offering playgroup sessions but there are only four general sessions.
The other six sessions are more specialised, such as those only open to Aboriginal people, for those experiencing post natal depression or those who are disabled.
Emma Bruckner relocated from Melbourne to Collingullie in 2017 and gave birth to her first son Johnny seven months ago.
Mrs Bruckner said many of her friends in Melbourne were assigned mother's groups after giving birth and was at a loss when she found out that her one antenatal class was to become her mother's group.
"The only way you could make friends was through your antenatal group and in mine there were three couples, who were all lovely, but two were from the army - so not permanent - and the other couple were in their young 20s - in a completely different stage of life," she said.
"I was really excited [for mother's group] because all my friends in Melbourne gained life-long friendships through it."
Mrs Bruckner is one of about 18 mothers involved in the playgroup held on Fridays at the Collingullie Public School.
Although the children range in ages, she said it has been great to meet and bond with like-minded people.
"I definitely think mother's group should become compulsory ... I'm quite lucky, I'm not very shy and through my husband, who's from here, I've been able to meet people through his work," she said.
"But, a lot of my friends in Wagga have two-to-three-year-olds and I really wanted to find mums that had no idea what they were doing, who were in the same boat as me.
"There's a few now at Collingullie who have some babies, so now we've got a little Whats App group."
Wagga mum Melissa Shephard has also struggled to find mother's groups in town and now drives the 20 minutes each way on Fridays at CPS.
"I have three children, with only one that is not in school yet, and my three-year-old daughter used to attend Glenfield, but it closed down due to a lack of numbers," Mrs Shephard said.
"We did struggle [to find another place in Wagga]; I went back to work full-time ... the only day I don't work is on a Friday and most of the other playgroups run earlier in the week.
"I think the lack of venues is something that makes it hard."
Like Mrs Bruckner, Mrs Shephard said her mother's group formed from her antenatal group, but it was only available for her first child.
"It was only for a few months and then there was nothing for my subsequent children," she said.
"It's a bit of a trek to Collingullie, but we love it; it's a great combination of indoor and outdoor play and it's nice for mums to get together, especially for those who don't get the chance to go out very often.
"For many it's an escape to get out of the house and have an adult conversation; it's so necessary to have that outlet and the ability to talk face-to-face."
NSW Playgroup Indigenous specialist Kellie Murray said the demand for playgroups in Wagga is high, but a lack of funding can see these centres close.
"Playgroups do experience challenges in sustainability such as limited or no funding, turnover of volunteers, venue costs and access for families who may be isolated," she said.
"These factors have led to a decline in the continued operation of groups as well as the establishment of new groups.
"There is a need in Wagga to provide playgroups to help especially our vulnerable children to gain vital social, emotional, cognitive and physical skills to assist them in their early years, and as they transition to school."
Ms Murray said there were some services in Wagga that were operating mums and bubs playgroups, which relied solely on funding and many weren't successful in gaining new funding.
The CPS playgroup's organiser Sara Jones said the group has grown from its inception almost two months ago.
"There are 18 people registered ... I think actively about 12 mums using the playgroup and a few people from Wagga," she said.
"I'm finding each week that more people are interested in driving out to Collingullie.
"It's very social, mums can share experiences and it's good for their mental health ... it's also a great way of meeting people who are in the same boat."