A Doula's Guide to All Things Seattle

WHERE I WORK

People often ask what areas of Seattle I serve.  It's not so much about the hospital as it is about where you live.  Your prenatal and postpartum visits all take place in-home, so it's your neighborhood I take into consideration when I'm figuring out my schedule and which clients I'm able to work with.  Here's the scoop.  These are the neighborhoods I am most likely able to serve without a problem.

  • Ballard
  • Crown Hill
  • Wedgwood
  • University District
  • Renton
  • West Seattle
  • Delridge
  • White Center
  • Columbia City
  • Beacon Hill
  • SeaTac
  • Tukwila
  • Capitol Hill
  • First Hill
  • Interbay
  • Queen Anne
  • Magnolia
  • Fremont
  • Madrona
  • Mercer Island
  • Downtown Seattle
  • Belltown
  • Ravenna
  • Mt Baker
  • Green Lake
  • Greenwood

If you live elsewhere in Seattle, I decide based on where my other clients are located, how far my commute will be and what my family schedule looks like that month

 

WHERE TO GO IN SEATTLE

Need to get out with your little one?  Former clients are always asking me where I go with my kids in Seattle and what are the options for getting out of the house with a babe in arms.  Here's what I tell them... 

Parks

Click on this link to see a comprehensive list of parks in Seattle with play areas and/or wading pools (or spray grounds) for kids.  If you want to search for other features, you can check out this page and select the things you are looking for.

If you are in West Seattle, I particularly like the Tot Lot in the Puget Ridge Neighborhood.  It's a playground built specifically for toddlers and the small park is completely fenced so your kids can run free.

Coffee shops

There are several coffee shops located throughout Seattle with play areas for kids.  Here's a list of some of them.  And for a few more, including places beyond Seattle, check out this page.    

Another personal favorite not listed on either of the above sites is Q cafe in Interbay.  It's central for meeting up with friends, the cafe space is huge, and the parents room has a door so you can shut yourself in with your kids and relax.  I admit that I'm on the cafe's advisory board and I helped create the parents room so it's a little self-serving to list it here!  But I do think the space is cool.  We included an adult table, a comfortable chair for nursing and magazines for browsing, plus all the fun stuff for your kids (coloring, magna doodles, puppets, cars, books, you name it).  The space is cleaned everyday and there is hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial wipes on a high shelf for parents to use if needed.  

Indoor Play Areas

The rainy months make it tough to get outdoors with your little ones.  I am a weekly visitor to the Toddler Indoor Play Areas at the Seattle neighborhood community centers.  Check out this page to find one near you.  The community centers basically just open up their gymnasium and fill it with all manner of toys for infants-5 years.  Tricycles, cars, slides, bounce areas, you name it.  Your little one can run around, try new things, interact with other kids while you watch from the sidelines.  And most of them have mats where you can hang with your baby and entertain them with toys while your older one runs wild.   The cost is $2/visit.  You can buy a punch card for 12 visits for $20.  Here's a picture of Gryffin last week at one of the Toddler Gyms.  

Those are the rounds I make on a regular basis that are easy and cheap, if not free.  If you've got some money to spend, here are some other local options, depending on the age of your kids.   All of these prices might vary so be sure to check the actual sites for current prices.  Most offer discounts for grandparents, military, groups, etc.

  • Seattle Aquarium - Adults $17, Kids $11, 3 & under are free
  • Children's Museum - $7.50 for adults and kids, infants under 1 are free.  Yearly membership for the family an excellent deal.  
  • Woodland Park Zoo - prices vary depending on season
  • Museum of Flight - Kids 4 & under are free, Adults $15
  • Seattle YMCA - one of my favorites.  Monthly fee based on your family.  You get 1.5 hours of free childcare per day while you work out and/or relax in the steam room, hot tub, etc.  We are currently at the Y about 4-5 per week.