Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I think the book is getting a little out of date as of mid 2008 (although not as much as I feared it would be considering it was published a few years ago). It's a good reference guide to start off with but don't expect it to be comprehensive. Part of it is just because it is a few years old (so it doesn't register that the closest Babies R Us to San Francisco is in Daly City for many people and there are places like Safari Run in San Mateo that didn't exist in 2005). However, part of it is also omissions in information that I think the book missed. It is pretty skimpy between San Francisco and Burlingame (as one reviewer said below). It misses My Gym and Music Together classes for activities (pretty popular choices from my experience). It misses Chloe's Closet, which is one of the better places in my opinion to buy and sell used baby clothes in San Francisco (a little chaotic but lots of inventory). Overall, a good start if you're looking for information but not as complete as I would like.

I got this book soon after relocating to San Francisco and it's been a lifesaver. Much of the beginning of the book isn't relevant to me since I gave birth elsewhere, but the rest has been extremely helpful - I've found classes, activities, facilities, resources, even an amazing sitter service that helped us avoid the dreaded search for a new sitter in a new city. It ONLY covers things that are highly recommended (it doesn't have a comprehensive list of every gymnastics program in the city, for example) and families in the South Bay or Peninsula will be disappointed (the title is a bit misleading - content is scant for those areas) but it's great resource for parents in SF or Marin.

Overall, this book is very informative. Especially for first time parents, I would highly recommend it. However, many (and perhaps all) of the highly rated items, agencies, people are also very expensive. It is not very helpful if you are looking for information on raising a baby in the bay area on any sort of budget. However, if money is no object, this book is for you.

This late 2005 edition is a rich resource of all things mothers and fathers need to know for bringing up baby. A very helpful maternity insert for new gifts for Bay Area babies.

Expertly co-authored by Michelle L. Keene (Executive with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) and Stephanie S. Lamarre (Active member in various North Bay parenting groups) Babies By The Bay: The Insiders Guide To Everything From Doctors And Diapers To Playgrounds And Preschools In The San Francisco Bay Area is a thoroughly "user friendly" reference to everything necessary to know for San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, and Alameda with additional information on the counties Napa, Sonoma and Santa Cruz. A "must-have" for any parent of the Bay area, Babies By The Bay really covers every given ground for having a child and taking proper care with cost efficient and intelligible techniques and reference to every imaginable necessity. Babies By The Bay is very strongly recommended to all mothers of the Bay area.