2014: The Year of the Mommy Swap Groups

Ah, the wild wild west of 2014 — the mommy swap groups. Facebook swap groups reigned supreme, and moms became the ultimate digital hustlers.

Picture it: you post your item for the right price and you have a viral swap thread happening. It was a virtual flea market where the deals flowed like coffee at 7:00 a.m. after the baby wouldn’t sleep.

A woman logging onto Facebook to sell on swap groups.Back then, if you needed a baby swing or a barely-used breast pump, you didn’t hit the stores. No, no, no! You dove headfirst into the chaotic abyss of Facebook swap groups. It was a place where chaos and camaraderie collided in a beautiful mess of baby gear and bickering. If you were lucky enough to be the first to comment, the thrill was endless!

Imagine the scene: moms, armed with smartphones and determination, ready to wheel and deal like Wall Street wolves in yoga pants.

The rules were simple: post a pic, name your price, and brace yourself for the digital stampede.

A woman's hands shown on a keyboard, overlayed with speech bubbles, email icons, and men/women icons.But let’s be real — these swap groups weren’t just about snagging a bargain. They were social experiments in patience and perseverance. From the mom who ghosted you after agreeing to a meetup, to the bargain hunters who offered you half the asking price because “that’s all they had in their purse” — it was a jungle out there.

Yet, amid the chaos, there was a strange sense of solidarity. Moms bonded over the shared struggle of raising tiny humans and navigating the treacherous waters of online bartering. It was like Survivor, but with fewer bugs and more baby wipes.

And let’s not forget the drama — the glorious, melodramatic soap opera unfolding in the comment section. From passive-aggressive emojis to full-blown keyboard wars, every transaction came with its own subplot.

Who needs reality TV when you’ve got Facebook swap groups?

But alas, all good things must come to an end. As the digital landscape evolved, swap groups faded into the annals of internet history, replaced by sleeker, shinier platforms.

Farewell, old friend. You may be gone, but you’ll always hold a special place in our hearts — and our cluttered basements.

A box of kid stuff from swap groups.So here’s to the moms who dared to brave the wild frontier of Facebook swap groups. May your deals be sweet, your pick-ups be punctual, and your patience be as endless as the scroll of your newsfeed.

After all, in the grand circus of parenthood, a little sarcasm and a lot of cheekiness are the best survival tools we’ve got. Cheers to you, you digital daredevils!

Jen Blanton
Jen Blanton was born into a musical family between Baltimore and Annapolis, MD. She studied classical voice at two of the top conservatories in the world, performing on stages in front of 3,000+ people at a time. A career-ending injury to her sternum forced her to pivot and lean into her other passion. She owns FAME Performing Arts and Encore Music Hall in Mt. Pleasant. Jen is a breast cancer survivor and a very determined person, constantly striving to get the most out of life. She prioritizes spending time with family, traveling, and business continuing education.