Struggling FIrst time dad
Hi! I'm a stay at home first time dad with 1 boy at 18 months old.
Starting a couple months ago he has started to be interested in other babies when we see them in public. He also really wants to get the attention of kids slightly older than him. I think he is starting to want to socialize.
With socialization in mind I signed him up for daycare for 2 days a week. We took a tour (1.5 hours) and he got sick for 2 weeks. Then his official start date I left the room after 15 mins and watched him from the lobbies cameras for 1 hour. He cried the entire hour straight... no one was able to calm him down. It got to a point where his health was a concern so I took him home and decided to pull him out of daycare. Huge waste of money because we had to pay for the whole month regardless of how many days he went.
Since then I've been looking for online playdate groups and ideas on how to put him into a social environment where there are other kids.
So far I've been rejected from mom 3 groups because I'm a man... I can't find "dad" or "parent" groups in my area, literally moms only. Its 100 degrees F (Texas) so no kids are out on playgrounds or parks near me. There are very little things for toddlers under 2 in my area. Texas suburbs honestly feels like a curse sometimes. Most places I go with my son (mall, groceries, etc) are fill with moms and it would be really creepy if I just approach them and try to get their contact to get my son a playdate.
Its like trying to wingman for my on son so he can make some friends.
Can people share some ideas on how I can get my son some friends?