Babies by the Bay: The Insider's Guide to Everything from Doctors and Diapers to Playgrounds and Preschools in the San Francisco Bay Area [Paperback]

Michelle Keene (Author), Stephanie S. Lamarre (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2002

Babies by the Bay, based on extensive surveys of local parents, offers comprehensive up-to-date listings of the best doctors, hospitals, childcare, and preschools, as well as parents’ top picks of pre- and postnatal exercise facilities, parents’ groups, baby gear retailers, and kid-friendly restaurants. The authors not only help parents find resources but also list important factors to consider and questions to ask. Over 2,000 pregnancy and baby resources are covered.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Revised and updated to include the latest Bay Area resources. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Author

"Becoming a parent in the Bay Area catapults you into a new and mysterious world," write co-authors Michelle Keen and Stephanie Lamarre. "As we eagerly awaited our first children more than five years ago, we had so many questions about everything but didn’t know where to turn for answers. We hope this book will spare you some of the time and energy we spent finding great resources and let you enjoy more hours with your children!" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 460 pages
• Publisher: Wildcat Canyon Press (May 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885171781
• ISBN-13: 978-1885171788
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,663,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, October 13, 2002

By 

jerseymca "jerseymca" (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Babies by the Bay: The Insider's Guide to Everything from Doctors and Diapers to Playgrounds and Preschools in the San Francisco Bay Area (Paperback)

This book is up to date, relevant, and "rings true" when it provides opinions. It's of most help to people in SF, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, or Marin Counties. We picked it up at about 6 months pregnant, and were impressed at how closely the advice and listings matched what we had experienced ourselves or heard from others. The listings and descriptions of baby stores, for example, along with phone numbers, was worth the price. This book is about where to find products and services; couple it with Baby Bargains to help decide what you need.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Devoid of North Peninsula Info, September 11, 2006

By 

The Cranky Product Manager "The Cranky Produc... (Silicon Valley, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Babies by the Bay: The Insider's Guide to Everything from Doctors and Diapers to Playgrounds and Preschools in the San Francisco Bay Area (Paperback)

Overall, this is a good list of resources, but is probably most useful to the first-time parent or someone who is new to the area.

For most sections, they cover the criteria you should consider when making your selections and perhaps the process. Very useful information. I found it very good for explaining exactly how one hires a nanny in the bay area or how you get your kid into preschool.

Much of the listings for activities, museums, etc. can be found in a phone book. And the "ratings" don't really help for any of the activities because most of them are unrated, but the few that are nearly always rated 5 stars.

The books biggest failing is its dearth of information for the Peninsula and South Bay, two distinct areas which they merge together under the heading "South Bay". I guess they do that to disguise how thin the info is compared to that for San Francisco and the North Bay.

Note that if you live in the "north peninsula" (Milbrae, San Bruno, South San Francisco, Daly City) that for these 4 densely-populated towns the listings are ESPECIALLY thin, even compared to the lightly covered Burlingame, San Mateo, Redwood City, and Palo Alto. On the north peninsula, you will not find a single listing for any preschools or parks, and only 2 daycares are listed.

Sections are:
Ch 1: Obstetricians, Midwifes, Pediatricians, Hospitals, Birth Centers, Prenatal educators, labor doulas, cord blood banks, infertility treatment programs, adoption, help for kids with special needs, resources to protect your workplace rights.

Ch 2: Pre- and Postnatal aerobics, yoga, pilates, fitness classes, personal trainers, fitness facilities with childcare, walks/hikes and Moms groups that do walking/hiking, pregnancy and postnatal massage. (Note: This chapter seems the most thorough)

Ch 3: Maternity clothes, including national chains, local retailers, online outfits and resale shops.

Ch 4: Baby Equipment. national chains, local retailers, nursery designers and muralists(!), equipment rental, online/mailorder/used, baby clothes retailers, toys/books, resale shops, where to donate used goods/clothes, babyproofers and safety goods.

Ch 5: Postpartum help: Baby nurses and Doulas, breastfeeding resources, postpartum depression resources, parenting hotlines, meal prep & delivery.

Ch 6: Parenting classes, parenting clubs/groups,

Ch 7: Classes for Kids: recreation departments, gym/gymnastics, swimming, music, art, dance, drama, foreign language, sports, misc

Ch 8: Activities: parks & playgrounds, beaches & pools, zoo & wildlife, indoor playgrounds, museums, rainy day activities, libraries and storytelling, trains and boats, adventures (iceskating, Bonfante gardens, etc.), restaurants, special events for kids, resources for local traveling with kids, birthday parties (entertainers, caterers, planners(!) etc.)

Ch 9: Childcare: seminars on finding childcare, day care licensing offices, childcare referral networks, regular day care centers, drop-in/sick-child daycare. Resources to do independent searches for nannies, do background checks, handle the legalities, benefits and taxes, nanny placement agencies, au pair agencies, babysitting services & resources.

Ch 10: Preschool. Preschool education consultants(!), preschools.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat helpful, August 2, 2004

By 

Palo Alto mom (Palo Alto, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Babies by the Bay: The Insider's Guide to Everything from Doctors and Diapers to Playgrounds and Preschools in the San Francisco Bay Area (Paperback)

This book is pretty helpful, but not all that thorough when it comes to my neighborhood, which is on the peninsula. It leaves out a lot of the activities that I and my fellow parents participate in, and is not really accuate or thorough with respect to preschools.