Support Beyond the Baby Blues.This program offers services to families experiencing emotional
difficulties while adjusting to parenthood. Includes evaluation,
consultation, individual and couple psychotherapy, mother-infant
psychotherapy, medication referral and free drop-in support groups.
Sponsored by Family Services in Bellevue. For more information, call
425-453-7890, ext. 268, or visit www.family-services.org.
Boot Camp for New Dads.
A national organization with local workshops through hospitals, Boot
Camp offers support and education for fathers. The program pairs
veteran dads with rookie fathers. In the Seattle area, workshops are
offered at Northwest Hospital. For information on the national
organization, go to www.newdads.com. For information on the local
workshop, call 206-368-1784 or go to www.nwhospital.org/services/classes_childbirth.asp.
Bringing Baby Home.
This workshop for expecting parents and parents of infants is based on
the research of Drs. John and Julie Gottman. Discover how to stay
connected with your partner, interact with your baby and keep both
parents involved. To register, call 425-450-0332 or visit www.family-services.org. Conscientious Fathering Program.
Designed to educate and prepare dads for fatherhood, classes are
available monthly at area hospitals. For more information or a
schedule, visit www.consciousfathering.org or call 206-824-8388.
The Holistic Moms Network.This national organization has local chapters in Seattle and South King
County. The nonprofit organization welcomes moms, dads, parents-to-be,
grandparents and partners as members. For more information, visit www.holisticmoms.org or email
.
The JCC Parenting Center. This center, open to the entire community, is
located at the Stroum Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island and
provides programs, classes and support services for expectant parents
and parents with young children. For membership information, call 206-232-7115, Ext. 304 or
go to www.sjcc.org.
Listening Mothers.Mothers of babies up to 1 year old meet in small groups with a trained
leader to identify and explore the emotional needs, concerns,
frustrations and joys of motherhood. The goal of Listening Mothers is
to enhance a healthy and secure relationship between mother and baby by
focusing on emotional interaction. For information, visit www.listeningmothers.org or call 206-275-0104. MOMS Club.
Local chapters of this international organization offer support for at-home mothers. For information, go to www.momsclub.org.
Mothers and More.
This national organization, with local chapters, offers support,
playgroups, social events and more for the stay-at-home mother. For
information on local chapters in Bellevue, North Seattle, West Seattle,
Redmond/Sammamish and Mill Creek, go to www.mothersandmore.org.
Northwest Association for Postpartum Support(NAPS). Based in Seattle, NAPS offers referrals for postpartum support
doulas. For more information, call 206-956-1955 or visit www.naps-doulas.org. Parent Trust for Washington Children.
This organization offers free, weekly, two-hour support groups for
parents throughout Washington state and a free Family Help Line, which
parents can call and talk directly to a trained volunteer about any
crisis they might be facing. For more information, go to www.parenttrust.org or call 800-932-HOPE. Postpartum Support International,
Washington chapter. Between 10 percent and 20 percent of mothers are
affected by postpartum mood disorder during their postpartum year.
Postpartum Support International offers a toll-free phone number,
1-888-404-PPMD (7763), for mothers or family members with questions
about symptoms of postpartum depression. All calls will be returned by
a trained volunteer within 24 hours. The Preeclampsia Foundation.
This nonprofit organization is dedicated to promoting safe pregnancy
and postpartum research, public education and patient support. For more
information, visit www.preeclampsia.org. Program for Early Parent Support
(PEPS). PEPS brings parents of young children together for discussion
and support. A PEPS-trained leader facilitates weekly meetings. There
are programs for parents of babies from birth to 4 months of age. For
information, call 206-547-8570 or go to www.pepsgroup.org.
Foster parent support groups. Visit www.parentmap.com/foster to find a support group in your area.
Parents Without Partners. Ongoing support and friendship for single-parent families. www.pwp55.org or 206-517-2700.
Postpartum support group. Free drop-in group held the second and fourth Monday of every month, 6:30-8 p.m. At Providence Hospital, Pavilion for Women and Children, 900 Pacific Ave., fifth floor, Everett.
or 206-604-0996.
Teen parent support group. Every Thursday 5-6:30 p.m. at the U District Youth Center, 4516 15th Ave. N.E., Seattle. Call Lauren at FamilyWorks, 206-694-6729.
Education
Bates Technical College.Bates Home and Family Life Department offers its Parent Infant/Toddler
Program at many Pierce County locations, including Puyallup and Bonney
Lake, Tacoma, University Place, Dash Point/Brown's Point and Gig
Harbor. One or both parents or caregivers are welcome, and scholarships
are available. To register, call 253-680-7500 or go to www.bates.ctc.edu.
Bates also offers a Mommy & Me Tea for moms with babies 0-6 months,
held on the first Thursday of each month, 1-2 p.m. For information,
call 253-680-7511. Community Birth and Family Center.
This birthing center offers a free First Weeks class where new parents
can discuss breastfeeding, sleeping patterns and other issues with a
lactation consultant and registered nurse. Meetings are from noon to 2
p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the center, 2200 24th Ave. E., Seattle.
For information on other programs and classes, call 206-720-0511 or go
to www.communitybirth.org. Great Starts Birth and Family Education.
This nonprofit educational agency offers a variety of classes on topics
such as childbirth and parenting preparation, sibling preparation,
newborn care, infant CPR and baby safety. Call 206-789-0883 for
information or go to www.greatstarts.org. Great Starts is located at 2517 Eastlake Ave. E., Seattle. Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Washington State
(HMHB). The coalition helps families in Washington access information
they need, from pre-pregnancy planning through childhood. For
information, call 206-284-2465, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Monday-Thursday, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. Or go to www.hmhb.org.
LaLeche League.This nonprofit international organization provides education,
information, support and encouragement to women who want to breastfeed.
Monthly meetings are held throughout the greater Seattle area; all
women interested in breastfeeding are welcome to attend. To find a
meeting location, go to www.lalecheleague.org/Web/Washington.html. LaLeche also offers a helpline for women with breastfeeding questions: 206-522-1336.
The March of Dimesoffers a Web-based, interactive educational tool for parents,
"Understanding Your Newborn," that provides information about how
newborns signal their feelings and needs. Topics are covered in six
different modules: States of Awareness, Infant Sleep, Senses, Reflexes
and Movements, Crying and Playing/Break Time. To view, visit www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/1808_19650.asp (Web site requires Flash version 7.0 or higher).
Puget Sound Midwives and Birth Center.
This Eastside birth center offers classes on topics ranging from
breastfeeding to vaccine awareness. Call 425-823-1919 for dates and
times, or visit www.birthcenter.com. The birth center is located at 13128 Totem Lake Blvd. N.E., Suite 101, Kirkland. Other Baby Boot Camp
offers indoor and outdoor strength training classes in Seattle and Port
Orchard, with Eastside classes coming soon to Bellevue, Kirkland,
Redmond and Sammamish. Designed for mom and baby, the classes focus on
building strength, improving posture and increasing core strength and
flexibility. Pregnant moms, dads and nannies are also welcome. For more
info: Seattle, Jacquelyn Morris 206-856-8892; Eastside, Stefanie
Harris, 425-281-1635; or Port Orchard, Robyn Quiett, 360-710-3083. Or
visit www.babybootcamp.com. Child Care Resources of King County.
Parents who need help finding child care for their new baby can turn to
this nonprofit agency for help. Along with providing valuable
information on topics such as choosing a child-care provider, the
agency offers a searchable database of more than 2,000 child-care
providers in King County. In Seattle/North King County, call
206-329-5544; on the Eastside, call 425-865-9350; in South King County,
call 253-852-3080. Or go to www.childcare.org.
Family support centers.
Located throughout Seattle, each of these centers is unique, but all
have a goal of promoting healthy development of families by providing
resources, information, parent/child playgroups, and a wide variety of
free or low-cost workshops on topics such as parenting, budgeting,
CPR/first aid, etc. For information or to be included on a mailing
list, call 206-694-6727. Contact information for individual centers is
as follows:
Gracewinds.
This Seattle organization offers a wide variety of pregnancy and
childbirth programs for women and families, including classes on
childbirth, infant CPR, nutrition and baby signing; support groups for
new mothers; fitness programs; massage and health services; workshops
and more. For information, go to www.gracewindsperinatal.com or call 206-781-9871.
Safety Restraint Coalition.
Washington's child passenger safety program offers information on car
seats, installation, recalls, resources for car seat/booster seat
check-ups, Washington's car seat law, and more. Call 800-BUCK-L-UP or
425-828-8975. Or go to www.800bucklup.org.
The Seattle Holistic Center.
The Seattle Holistic Center offers prenatal and postnatal yoga, various
workshops for expectant couples as well as parent-child workshops and
massage therapy. For more information, call 206-525-9035 or go to www.seattleholisticcenter.com.
Talaris Research Institute.
A nonprofit institute based in Seattle, Talaris is dedicated to
discovering how children think, feel and learn, focusing on the first
five years of childhood. The goal of the institute is to connect
research findings to practical applications. The institute's Web site
contains information on current research projects and findings and
offers a variety of resources for parents. Go to www.talaris.org or call 206-529-6898.
The Yoga Barn.
Located in Issaquah, the Yoga Barn offers prenatal and postnatal yoga
and infant massage classes. For more information, call 425-427-0038 or
visit www.yogabarn.com.
Birth Centers
Community Birth & Family Centeris
a full-service birth center offering large, comfortable suites with
birthing tubs and queen-size beds. Choose from 13 midwives, including
certified nurse midwives, licensed midwives and naturopaths. The center
also offers several popular parenting support groups and classes for
parents and infants. All classes are on a drop-in basis with no
preregistration required, and you don't have to be a birth center
client to participate. Visit www.communitybirth.org or call 206-720-0511 for a free consultation and tour or to inquire about groups and classes.
Hospitals
Most area hospitals offer classes on birth preparation, breastfeeding,
new baby care and a number of other topics for new and expectant
parents. What follows is a list of hospitals with contact information
for their education departments.
BabyMap 
