It's certainly up to you...

My 14mo son goes to occassional care 2-3 times a week (between 3-5 hours). He LOVES it. As we pull up in the car, he gets all excited. When we arrive inside, he runs straight in and starts playing with the other kids. He has never had any separation anxiety when I drop him off.

I think it helps him to be more sociable and independant.

I think play group is a great option - as it is only for an hour or so with lots of specific activities for kids and it's not too expensive. And the social aspect for the mums is also great. If my son didn't go to occassional care - I would definately check out playgroup. I think it also helps kids learn about sharing and stuff like that.

But your son is most likely happy, friendly and outgoing... and I don't think anyone needs to do social activities. But I don't think it will do any harm either. As shell suggests - you should check it out once or twice... and see if you & your son enjoy it.