Laurie Konkle has become a web mother for moms and dads at home with babies and toddlers.

The Stoney Creek mother's website, justplaydates.ca, links moms and dads who need a chance to connect while their children have fun playing. The site is also open to caregivers such as separated partners, grandparents, foster parents and nannies.

Laurie started the bilingual site last December and has about 600 members.

It's the only site of its kind in Canada that she knows of.

"It has potential to help isolated newcomers to Canada who are learning English, to assist parents of special-needs children and those who are very young mothers."

The site uses a postal-code data base. Users log on and indicate the distance they'll travel for a playdate.

Site users control the playdates and decide where to meet and how many attend. Playdates often have themes such as fingerpainting with pudding to pumpkin carving for Halloween. Some moms ask for groups for babies less that 12 months of age, while others request moms aged 20 to 25.

"I was kind of lost (after childbirth) because my high school friends either had older children or had no children," says Laurie, who has made four close friends through the site.

Laurie belonged to two moms' groups in Stoney Creek and Burlington before she hatched the idea for a national site.

As a first-time mother of a son who wanted constant mothering, playdates have helped her. "You get to see other babies and your worries are often groundless."

Conversation covers a wide range of topics from politics to diapers to books and sex after childbirth.

"Talking about this and allaying fears is a huge relief to many husbands," says Laurie.

Laurie says men's involvement is growing with a handful of fathers -- two are single, separated dads -- who have become members. Her husband, Robert Bruce, has been to four playdates with son Alex.

A section of the site allows members to rate products and services such as parks or restaurants, and Laurie is planning a new chat room.

"If you're having a bad day, you can find empathy, or if you're up at 3 a.m. with a baby who won't settle, you can connect to another parent."

sbourret@thespec.com.

905-526-3305