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Welcome to Peninsulamoms.com, the resource for parents in the San Francisco Peninsula
| It all started in December 2005 when our son came into our lives. Like most other new parents, we struggled to learn the ins and outs of parenting and to figure out all the stuff to buy, things to do and places to go to ensure our child was raised properly.
As we went through this process, researching on our own and getting advice from other parents (as well as learning the hard way through trial and error), we began to compile a geat deal of information about how to raise kids in the Bay Area- especially on the Peninsula where we currently live.
The culmination of all this research and learning is our web site, which we hope will simplify the journey of child rearing for other new Bay Area parents. Enjoy!
Laura and Jorge |
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| San Francisco Cinco de Mayo Celebration at Dolores Park |
 Saturday, May 5
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
San Francisco's annual Cinco De Mayo celebration is one of the City's most spectacular traditions! Cinco de Mayo San Francisco Festival showcases the very best of Mexican, Latin American and Chicano cultures with a diverse array of music, dance and artistry for the entire family to enjoy.
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Mommy and Me (and Daddies Too) on Santana Row in San Jose
Tuesday, May 8
, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Visit Santana Row one Tuesday of every month, May through December, for Mommy and Me on the Row. Mommy and Me on the Row is an interactive FREE kid's club that invites parents and children to Santana Row for educational and fun activities for children ages 2-8. Activities include face painting, puppet shows, art and craft classes and a special guest apperanece from a Bay Area local organization.
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Support is a very necessary piece of being a successful parent, either through friends and family or other groups of parents that are in similar situations. Below is a list of really good groups in the Bay area that we've found useful in developing a support network as well as a link to some really good blogs.
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Must haves and other essential gear
| Buying stuff for your baby can be a daunting task. We've compiled a list of our favorites to help you navigate the sea of products out there.
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| Cribs and Baby Furniture |
After doing a ton of research on cribs, we settled on a crib and dresser from Ragazzi. The crib is made of extremely solid wood with  a great working sliding mechanism. Some of the other cribs we saw had very poor sliders that were difficult to use and were very flimsy. The Ragazzi crib, while a bit more expensive, was the most solid by far.
We bought ours at Baby Super in San Jose (see the "resources" tab for more information), and were able to get the crib no problem into a mid sized SUV. Putting it together took about an hour, but if you don't want to do it yourself the folks at Baby Super can deliver and assemble the crib for you. There is, of course, a nominal fee.
The dresser was also a good buy and was just as solid as the crib.  We decided to use a changing table topper on the dresser rather than get a dedicated changing table to maximize space given our nursery configuration. We bought our topper from pottery barnand were able to match the snowdrift white of the crib perfectly.
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| Other |
 
There are a few other must haves for the nursery that we've found indespensible. One of the first things our friends bought for us was the Diaper Champ. This revolutionary diaper pail keeps your baby's room smelling good. In addition to limiting diaper smell, the Diaper Champ also takes regular trash bags so you don't have to keep buying refills like the Diaper Genie. We've found that using scented kitchen trash bag in the Diaper Champ eliminates all but the worst dirty diapers.
Another key purchase for the nursery is a good monitor. While there are many audio monitors out there from Sony and other manufacturers that work great, if you want to keep a close eye on the little one a video monitor from Summer Infant is the thing to get. This is one of the only video monitors we've seen that is not the size of an actual television, so you can easily carry it around with you around the house.
 
Something that may or may not fit in your nursery but is essential for naps in the early days is a swing. There are hundreds of swings out there, but the one we bought was the ocean wonders swing by Fisher-Price. This swing has two rocking positions, a number of different songs and nature sounds as well as lights and other things for your baby to rock to sleep to. We have some friends that would put their baby in their for hours (not recommended) because they slept so well in there. A definite must have for the first few months.
 
Another item that we never initially thought to buy but has been really helpful is a wipes warmer. Our child is very sensitive to temperature changes, and having wipes at a regulated temperature during diaper changes (especially late at night) was a life saver.
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| Strollers |
For a stroller we looked at a number of brands including Graco and Peg Perego. These brands had strollers that were really good for easy folding and had plenty of storage space, but did not have the versatility we were looking for. We ended up going with the Bugaboo Frog after a great deal of debate about spending north of $600 for a stroller. Even though it was really expensive, the Frog was totally worth it. The Frog is a mid range model, not as expensive as the Chameleon (high end model) but more than the Gecko (low end model).
The Frog came with not only a stroller seat, but also a bassinet attachment that we used when our child was very young. In addition to this, our Bugaboo stroller came with a rain cover, mosquito net (we unfortunately haven't been strolling in the jungle yet), foot muff (for cold days) and a maintenance kit. Part of our decision to buy the Bugaboo was based on its ability to hold a car seat. 
Though we had to buy the car seat adapter separately, having all this functionality in one stroller was perfect for the early days. There are no cup holders, but there is an afermarket cup holder, Babu, that works perfectly. This stroller is even good for light jogging, which is about as much as we get to these days. The transport case was also a good pickup, as it is essential for flights and other long hauls.
While we chose the Bugaboo, there are a number of other good strollers and car seat carriers for more reasonable prices. From what we've heard from other parents, there are a few clear cut favorites including the Inglesina Zippy and the Maclaren Techno XT. Both of these are a good mixture of price, functionality and ease of use.
If we had gone for a stroller other than the Bugaboo, the car seat carrier we would have gone with would be the Colcraft car seat carrier. This is by far the sturdiest of all the car seat carriers we saw and the price isn't bad either.
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| Car Seat |
The Graco Snugride has been rated one of the safest infant seats, which is crucial. We chose the central park pattern, partly because it came with special foam padding and a cold weather boot, and partly just because we liked the pattern. Graco has many different patterns, which are each carried at different stores, exclusively. For exmple, our pattern, Central Park, was only found at Lullaby lane.
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| Other |
The clean shopper is a great way to make sure you baby doesn't use the gross germy cart handle as a teether. For our son, nothing is as tasty as the handle of a cart, which, of course, has the germs of tons of people all over it. It gives me piece of mind knowing that my son won't be exposed to the large amounts of germs found here.
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| High Chairs |
 
While there are many types of high chairs to choose from, we were looking for something with good function that was easy to use and clean up. The chair we decided on was the Ocean Wonders Aquarium high chair by Fisher Price. This chair is light but sturdy and has some cool features. The one hand removal of the tray is big when you are corralling your youngster, and a removable dishwasher safe insert makes it easy to clean up big messes. There is even a detachable set of toys that can be used when feeding time is over. All in all, this is a very good chair for the price.
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| Breast Feeding |
One of the lessons we learned really early was that you should really spend money to get a good breast pump. The Medela Pump in Style is a close as you can get to a hospital grade pump without spending serious money. While the Pump in Style was a bit more expensive than some of the others, but it was totally worth it after hearing about experiences our friends had with other pumps.
Picking a good nursing bra is really important for any mom who will be breastfeeding. When picking the nusring bras that I own, I first decided on bras with no underwire, as they can put pressure on milk ducts, causing blocked ducts. They also tend to be more comfortable,especially since I wore mine not only all day, but at night as well. Another factor in choosinig a good bra is the clasp. It is incredibly important that the clasp be easily attached and detached with one hand, and the other arm is holding the baby. One of my favorite bras was one I purchased at Mimi maternity. It is really comfortable, and it's padded just enough. I also like the Bravado bras. It is one of the only nursing bras that I've seen that actually look like normal bras. I also found the Glamour moms nursing camisoles really useful, especially right after my son was born, and I wanted to make sure my not so tight tummy was covered up. They're great for situations that you want to be extra discreet.
Another great buy was the Hooter Hider nursing cover. 
I originally purchased this partly because I thought the name was so amusing, but I used it everyday for months! It's great because it goes around your neck, with a plastic part that holds the cover out slightly, such that the cover isn't completely smooshed on your baby, and the baby can look up and see you. The fact that it's attached to your neck is great for when your baby decides to try to pull it off. It also can double as a blanket...often I'd nurse my son, and then leave the cover over him while he slept.
Other good breast feeding accessories to get are Lansinoh Milk Bags and Avent steam sterilizer bags. The bags have ounce measurements on the side you you always know how much milk you have in each bag. The sterilizer bags are very good for sterilizing breast pump parts and anything else that needs cleaning. All you have to do is pour in a bit of water, set the microwave for around a minute, and you are good to go. You can also reuse the bags up to 20 times, so just a few go a long way.
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| 0 to 6 Months |
One of the frst developmental toys we bought for our son was the Tiny Love jungle play mat. We found that this was the key for our son to gain early coordination, and he had a blast kicking, rolling over and grabbing the animals that came with the mat. It was also a good place to begin tummy time, as there was plenty to distract our son. The whole thing is also collapsable, so you can stow it when it is not in use.
The Bumbo seat was another must have developmental toy. In addition to teaching your child to sit up and strengthen their neck muscles, they look really cute when they are in the seat!
 
The Lamaze firefly was another of our son's favorite toys from the beginning. There are a number of different textures, sounds and colors that even the youngest baby will be amused. We clipped the firefly onto the Tiny Love mat and he had a blast touching, kicking and looking at it.
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| 6-12 Months |
When our child began to get active, there was no stopping him. At around 6-12 months, the best toys were ones that he could get all his energy out with. The Graco jumper (which we swear is still his favorite of all time) was a great investment. Not only was our son having the time of his life every time he got in the thing, bt it also freed up us parents to do other things like clean and work on the computer. I can't say if this is normal for other kids, but he could spend up to 1/2 hour in that thing and not be bored.
The Evenflo Exersaucer is another item that was worth its weight in gold. With so many toys and other cool things, your child will spend hours playing on this toy. The Exersaucer is also good for when you want to make a quick bite to eat or go to the bathroom without having to chase your little one around.
 
The Little Tikes walker is one of those things we wish we bought sooner, as it has been really helpful in teaching our child how to walk. We started at round 11 months with the walker, but some of our friends have gone as early as 8 months with great results. Now I am not sure whether a fully walking baby at 10 months is what you really want, seeing that you will have to be chasing them around the house, but if you are ready start early with this great toy.
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| 12 Months and Over |
Fridge Phonics by Leap Frog is a great way to teach your child hand eye coordination as well as their letters. Our child can play with this thing for a good long period of time, switching in different letters and hearing the song that goes with each one. This is also good if you are making some food or cleaning the kitchen, as he or she will be glued to the fridge making new sounds with Fridge Phonics.
 
We've gotten a kick out of watching our son play the Fisher Price piano we bought him for Christmas. He really looks like he is rocking out on it, using not only the keyboard but also the other gadgets like a metronome, hi/lo switch and a sheet music "book" whose pages you can turn.
 
When our child sees the Little Tikes climber in the back yard, he continues to point and make noise until we go outside. Sturdy enough to handle a number of kids beating up on it, the Little Tikes climber has steps and a slide that your little one can go on all day long. Assembly is pretty easy and the finished product is light enough that you can move it around your yard occasionally to ensure the grass doesn't die.
For anyone that has a large patio or lives in a flat area, the Little Tikes Cozy Push and Ride Car is a must have. Every kid I know that has it loves it, and it is perfect for taking a stroll or travelling to the park. The car has a real horn, steering wheel and ignition switch with an attached key so your child feels like they are in a real car. Our little one just sits back and enjoys the ride, which is also good. Assembly is a bit painful, but it is totally worth it when you see the look on your kids face.
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| Gates |
  Once our child bacame mobile, we needed to get some protection for our stairs. After some consideration, we bought the KidCo Center Gateway because of its security and ease of implementation. The Center Gateway mounts easily on stairs with no permanent damage to your walls or railings. This gate works using a pressure mount system and is extremely sturdy if installed properly.
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| Other Child Proofing |
 
Another safety item that we picked up was the SuperYard XT by North States Industries. We put ours by the kitchen so our son can watch as we clean or cook dinner, and he actually loves hanging out in this safe environment. Because we have hardwood floors, we use this in conjunction with a foam play mat to ensure that he is safe at all times.
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Things to do and places to go
| The Bay Area is one of the greatest places in the world to live, with a wealth of activities and diversions for you and your baby. Below is a list of a few of the places we like to go with our little one. |
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| There are a ton of great parks to visit on the Peninsula. Here are a few of our favorite "go to" parks. |
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BURLINGAME PARKS |
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Ray Park
1525 Balboa Avenue
Open all week 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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Nice shady park with big grass area. The park in a great neighborhood, so it's also a great area to take a stroll.
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"J" Lot Playground
Primrose Street, just south of Burlingame Ave.
Open all week 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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Small park in downtown Burlingame with great people watching. For its size, it is usually busy so your little one will have plenty of friends to play with.
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Pershing Park
138 Crescent Avenue
Open all week 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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Another nice neighborhood park that has been recently renovated. A short stoll to Burlingame Ave if you want to make an afternoon out of it. |
Washington Park
850 Burlingame Avenue
Open all week 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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Burlingame's largest park, plenty of activities including two large play areas with squishy synthetic padding. |
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SAN MATEO PARKS |
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Central Park
50 East 5th Avenue
Reservations: (650) 522-7434
Mon through Fri 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Sat and Sun 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Japanese Tea Garden |
Great place for picnics and barbeques. Big grass area and full playground with train rides on the weekends.
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Coyote Point Park
1961 Coyote Point Drive
(650)573-2592
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This park, which includes a number of picnic areas, reopened their playground in June 2006. The new 39,000 square foot playground has 6 slides 13 swings, a three story castle, 2 dragons, and much more.
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Indian Springs Park
313 West 39th Avenue |
Nice shady park with good views. Modern play areas for little and big kids. Beware the wood chips which are plentiful at this park!
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Laurelwood/Sugarloaf Park
3471 Glendora Drive |
Laurelwood is a nice, secluded place for picnics and parties. Full sand playground. |
Parkside Aquatic Park
1097 Seal Court
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Cool place by the water in Shoreview. Squishy synthetic playground padding, picnic area and boat launch
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Ryder Park
1801 J. Hart Clinton Drive
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Nice place to go on warm days. Ryder park has a cool water feature and modern play equipment. Squishy synthetic padding for the payground (no eating sand or wood chips!) and neat trail for strollers/walking/jogging.
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OTHER PENINSULA PARKS |
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Millbrae Central Park
477 Lincoln Circle
Millbrae
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Not many people know about this hidden gem, but this expansive park is great for children.
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Stafford Park
King Street at Hopkins Avenue
Redwood City
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Our favorite "destination" park. With modern structures, a spacious play area and water feature, it is a great way to spend a warm (late) summer day.
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Vista Park
Vista Road between Culebra and Chiltern
Hillsborough
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One of the nicest parks in the area. Recently remodeled, this park has everything you are looking for in a park including squishy synthetic padding in the play areas, strutures for little and big kids as well as a mini rock climbing area.
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COYOTE POINT MUSEUM - Great place to take your kids. The museum has a number of interesting exhibits and also has an attached zoo with native birds and other animals.
SAN FRANCISCO ZOO - Following some recent renovations, the San Francisco Zoo is better than ever. Don't miss the Meerkats or the petting zoo, your kids will love them! Also make sure to dress warm, as the zoo is near the ocean.
PALO ALTO JUNIOR MUSEUM AND ZOO - Free exhibits and small zoo in Palo Alto. Great place for rainy days.
HAPPY HOLLOW PARK AND ZOO - Located in Kelley park in San Jose, Happy Hollow has rides, play areas as well as a theater with puppet shows. There's also petting zoo featuring goats, miniature horses, and other animals.
EXPLORATORIUM - Hands on science exhibits for all ages. Kids under 3 are free, adults get in free the first Wedensday of each month.
BAY AREA DISCOVERY MUSEUM - Indoor/outdoor museum just north of San Francisco featuring hands-on art, science and environmental exhibits
OAKLAND ZOO - Located in Knowland Park in Oakland. Great children's zoo and special holiday events.
STEINHART AQUARIUM - In the process of being renovated (scheduled to be complete in 2008), but it is still one of our favorites. Be sure to catch the penguin feedings at 11:00 and 3:30 every day. |
GYMBOREE PLAY AND MUSIC - Located in San Mateo at the Laurelwood Shopping Center, Gymboree has great classes for members as well as open gym for non-members (Wed and Fri from 2:30 to 5:00) for only $10
JUNIOR GYM - Located in downtown San Mateo, this is another great way for your child to get their energy out. Open gym from 12:30 to 1:30 and 2:30 to 3:30 ($5 per hour), classes also available for both members and guests.
LITTLE GYM - Located in Belmont and has classes similar to Gymboree and Junior Gym. No open gym times, but a number of classes are available with membership.
TALBOT'S TOYLAND - Talbot's has a great set up where kids can explore and play with many of the toys they have for sale, including a brio train table and fully assembled climbers and playhouses.
TANFORAN MALL PLAY YARD - A mall play pen? Yes! It's definitely better than other mall play areas, and becuse of Tanforan's recent renovation everything is new (and horse racing themed).
SAN MATEO LIBRARY - There is a great little section in the newly renovated library to crawl and toddle around in with board books, puzzles and stuffed animals. The story time amphitheater is also good for daily activities put on by library staff or for just climbing around in. |
SAWYER CAMP TRAIL - Our favorite stroller/walking/jogging trail on the peninsula. Fully paved but surrounded by nature, this trail is perfect for taking your little one out.
FITZGERALD MARINE RESERVE - Really good place for older kids, but even toddlers can have fun at this coastside park. Tidepools, walking trails and a nearby airport (our son loves planes) make this a great place to go on a sunny day.
AÑO NUEVO STATE PARK - Another coastside park, Año Nuevo has cool trails and famous elephant seals that make Año Nuevo their home.
GOLDEN GATE PARK - Open spaces, picnic areas, a Swan Lake and a Japanese Tea Garden make this park worth the parking hassles on the weekends.
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| Capturing those special moments with your child is nothing you want to leave to chance. We've compiled some resources, services and recommendations on products (which we've all used or purchased) that we've found helpful in documenting our child's growth.
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| Costco Photo Center |
 | Costco is our "go-to" place for getting quick prints from our digital camera. While Shutterfly has some similar services at lower prices, Costco is perfect when you don't want to wait for prints to be shipped to you. All you need to do is to upload the photos on the Costco web site and pick them up from any Costco in about an hour. If you have families in other parts of the state/country, you can even send photos to other stores. Having convenient locations in South City (x2), Foster City, Redwood City, Mountain View and others is another plus.
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| Flickr |
| In our opinion, Flickr is the best photo posting and sharing site out there. It's very easy to get set up, tag and sort the thousands of photos that you are sure to take during the first few years.
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| Cafe Press |
| What do you do once you've taken, printed, stored and shared your photos? Print them on a t-shirt or mug! Cafe Press has hundreds of special gifts for all kinds of occasions. You can choose from set designs or make your own t-shirts, bibs, hats and mugs.
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| Picture People |
| Picture People is your typical mall photographer, but they actually can be pretty good if you know what you want up front and tell them. We pulled our own props from their collection and gave the photographer ideas for shots when we went, which came out quite well when all was said and done. For the price, they can't be beat. Make sure to set up an appointment ahead of time, as it gets really busy on the weekends. Locations at Hillsdale, Stonestown and Serramonte.
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| Starr Photo |
| Starr Photo is pretty expensive (over $500 for the session and photos), but when you add the convenience of "house call" photo sessions and really good creative shots it makes up for the high price. We had Sherial come to our house on a day when our son was in a terrible mood, and she was able to come up with some great photos that are some of our all time favorites.
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Keeping your child healthy and happy
| Finding doctors and other health professionals is an extremely important task. We've had some great experiences with the people and institutions listed below.
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Hospitals and Doctor's Offices
UCSF CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL - This is where we had our baby, and there couldn't have been a better place for us to go. Great ICN and labor/delivery area (the birthing rooms have great views of the city) and really good clinic and specialists across the street for checkups and ongoing medcal treatment.
CALIFORNIA PACIFIC MEDICAL CENTER - Another excellent hospital, many of our friends have given birth there and still go for pediatric medical care.
STANFORD CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL - Another great hospital in the area, excellent staff and specialists.
ABC PEDIATRICS - This is where we take our son for check ups. Located in downtown San Mateo, the doctors there are knowledgable, kind and helpful. We've used Drs. Chapman, Soong and Chow and all of them are excellent.
AFTER HOURS PEDIATRICS - This office is in downtown San Mateo and handles medical issues until 10:00 pm.
PALO ALTO MEDICAL FOUNDATION - We've only heard good things about this ugent care office in Palo Alto. |
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Where to get additional parenting information
| There are a ton of great parenting resources that folks have recommended to us and that we've found since the birth of our child. Below are some of the books and web sites that we've found extremely helpful and full of great advice.
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Nowadays there are all kinds of cool diaper bags and child gear carriers out there. We went for the Petunia Pickle Bottom not only for their cool, funky styles but also for their functionality. Most styles come with a built in changing pad and plenty of pockets and other space to keep everything for your baby while remaining fashionable. Petunia Picklebottom bags are also great because they can be worn over the shoulder or as a backpack. This function is especially useful when carrying the baby in a front carrier-it evens out the weight so it's less awkward.
OIOI, Skip Hop and others also have really nice diaper bags, each focusing equally on fashion and function.
