Socialization

As a stay at home mom, I don't really have the financial means to put Isaac into daycare unless I get a paying job.  So part of my job includes trying to find ways to help Isaac learn how to interact with other kids.

I try to enrol in one or two parent and tot courses.  So far, I've found it harder to connect with the other moms there.  Most of the time, people get to the class on-time and leave immediately after.  For Isaac, he doesn't seem to really show any recognition of the toddlers in his classes.  Over the past two months, he's started to be more curious about other kids - he will go up to other kids and grab them.  I've been trying to teach him to be more gentle and to recognize signs when he starts to get worked up or frustrated so we've started to see some improvement on his grabbing behaviour.

Is it too early for toddlers to develop friendships?  We are part of a little play group that meets weekly.  I'm not sure if Isaac feels more comfortable with the toddlers in our group or not, but I hope that he's learning to share and have fun.

I've noticed that Isaac can get along better with some kids.  I'm still trying to figure out if it's based on personalities, ages, or genders.  He's interested in hanging out with slightly older kids (preschoolers) but not all welcome the attention of a toddler.

I'm always looking for more things we can do or places we can visit to expand our social circle.