WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — It isn’t always easy to stay fit and social while taking care of a new baby, but a newly formed group is helping Uptown parents get on track.
Lauren Mahana, 30, invites new moms and dads to meet each other with her walking group, Parents & Baby Walking Club.
What started out as a small Facebook group in October has quickly transformed into a network for walking parents in Washington Heights, Inwood and Harlem.
Mahana, who came up with the idea in September shortly after she moved to Washington Heights from the Hudson Valley with her husband and 6-month-old daughter.
"This was my goal," she said.
"I wanted to meet other moms and just go on walks."
One of the moms she met is Katie Culin of Washington Heights, who said she loves how easy making new friends has become.
"The group helps us connect," she said.
Mahana started reaching out to local moms on Facebook, online forums and parenting apps. Soon she was meeting up several times a week.
"I would just post when I was available," she said, "and other parents would join me."
The walks typically begin in the Anne Loftus Playground in Fort Tryon Park or the main entrance to Inwood Hill Park. They wind into the parks, often to the Cloisters Museum.
Many members of the group have even branched out to host their own walks, which Mahana said she encourages members to do.
Members join a private Facebook page through referrals from existing walkers, or through invitations sent from Mahana via social media.
Mahana said she sees the walks as a way for people who are sharing similar experiences to connect and "make it all a little lighter."
