My husband and I are considering moving to beautiful Pasadena from Mar Vista. I don't know anyone there with children and am interested in getting information on things to do with my very active 16 month old boy. (music classes, swim lessons or just a play group) I also need recommendations for preschools and pediatricians who are vaccine friendly. Thank you and I look forward to reading your responses.
Hi there, I was blown away by the great responses I received from all of you. I am very touched. Thank you for all the wonderful information and support. I think we will plan to make a move hopefully by the end of the year. Meanwhile, we will continue to enjoy the West LA area and hit the beach every weekend this summer. I hope to be in touch with you again in the near future as it gets closer to the big move. My only concerns are the hot summers, air quality and most of all, the commute for my husband. Have a great rest of the weekend. xo
Check out momsclub.org to see if there is a moms club in pasadena. i'm pretty sure there is.
Hi! So glad you asked! I am staying at home with our son James who is 2, and we live in Pasadena. I don't have contact info for the referrals listed below, but you can find them on the internet easily.
Pediatrician:
We see Dr. Glen Schlundt at Rose City Pediatrics, and also like Dr. Holly Wang (in the same practice). I'm not sure what you mean by vaccine-friendly, but I'm sure Dr. Schlundt will be willing to work with you as you wish. They have a great practice, albeit very busy.
Preschools:
They run the gammet here, everything from play-based to more academic in nature. Pacific Oaks is a fabulous place, but tough to get in to. There are also a great number of Montessori schools, like Oak Knoll. Hastings Ranch, Cottage and Oneonta (South Pasadena) are three co-ops that people seem to like a lot too. There are several good ones in La Canada (right next to Pasadena), like Parents and Children. I've also heard good things about St. James in South Pasadena.
Activities:
There is a Moms Club chapter in Pasadena to which I belong, which is a great network of women with wonderful kids. The playgroups and member meetings are really helpful and informative. You MUST check out Kidspace in Pasadena - it is a superb kids' museum that everyone I know with kids visits on a regular basis. The Rose Bowl has an aquatic center that has an infant/toddler swimming class - great in those long, hot summer months. The YMCA in La Canada has a good swimming program too.
There is Gymboree (baby gym class) in South Pasadena we enjoyed for a long time - and we like Gynastikids in Pasadena for when they're a little older. Also, the Pasadena Conservatory of Music has a really fun music class for toddlers, and I've heard good things about Music Together.
I hope that helps! Good luck! Let me know if I can offer any more suggestions! L.
Hi C.. We lived on Avon Way in Mar Vista about 4 years ago. We now live in the South Pasadena area. Although, we miss the proximity of the ocean, we love it here. It's very family-friendly. We take our two toddler girls to Kidspace at the Rose Bowl, which also has many great parks and playgrounds. We have them both going to Celebration Kids (check them out at celebratiokids.net) which we love. We have a naturopathic pediatrician and his name is Dr.Simon Barker. His number is ###-###-####. We don't plan on getting our girls vaccinated until they're much older. They are now only 3.5 and 2 years old. Let me know if you have any other questions. My e-mail is ____@____.com. I think you will love the Pasadena are. Good luck!
Hi C.,
If you're interested in looking into a wonderful Jewish Community Preschool in the Pasadena area, I can help. Feel free to contact me anytime; the Concierge service is complimentary!
Best,
D.
D. Markovic
Concierge for Jewish Education
Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater LA
###-###-####
____@____.com
http://www.jkidla.org
Hi C.,
My daughter is not yet a toddler, but I do have a couple more suggestions for you. Lisa F. provided great references. I've been taking my 8 month old to the Rose Bowl Aquatics center and they have lessons for all ages.
The Huntington Gardens are a wonderful place to spend outside time. The desert garden and Japanese bonzai garden are interesting for kids and adults, and the childrens garden is a great place to play. Plus there are just wide open fields for playing, one of which has a grassy maze for kids.
The grounds at Caltech are also nice for weekend walks and there is a turtle pond kids love.
There are also some great, easy hikes starting in Altadena with woods, waterfalls, etc.
Re: pediatrician, I recommend the Huntington Medical Foundation practice at 55 E. California. We see Dr. Heller, but all of the Doctors in the practice are great.
K.
I used to live in W. LA but moved to Pasadena when I got married. The San Gabriel Valley is such a great place to raise children! I'm no expert on things to do, but I borrow ideas from my stay-at-home friends. Here are things that we do:
Pasadena City College (PCC) http://www.pasadena.edu/cec/programs/parent_ed.cfm, has a parent education/child observation class every semester. You'll meet lots of moms with children similar in age to your own. Various locations and days.
Kidspace Museum, Pasadena http://www.kidspacemuseum.org, lost of fun but every single one of my friends ends up with a sick child afterwards. Just bring lots of hand sanitizer!
Gymboree http://www.gymboreeclasses.com (Sorry, I've never been!)
Foothills Music Together http://www.foothillsmusictogether.com/, my son loves this class (the only one I have time for!) Free demo classes available.
My Gym, Pasadena http://www.my-gym.com/franchisee_schedule.aspx?id=28. I attended a free demo class and it was lots of fun. Unfortunately, the schedule doesn't fit mine!
Little Gym, La Canada http://www.thelittlegym.com/gym/about.aspx?gymid=145. Again, free demo classes are offered.
Farmer's Markets fun for families:
South Pasadena at Mission and Meridian, Thursdays, 4-8pm. Lots of little babies and kids meet here!
Pasadena at Pasadena High School, Saturday mornings, there's a huge park too!
Story time - Border's Bookstore on S. Lake Ave. Wed, 10am; Pasadena Public Library System (various times and locations, http://ci.pasadena.ca.us/librarykids/storytimes.asp).
Swim lessons - Rose Bowl Aquatic Center (http://www.rosebowlaquatics.org/SwimLessons/parent_infant...
Other places to go: Huntington Library (there's a children's garden, http://www.huntington.org/), The Arboreteum (http://www.arboretum.org/), Descanso Gardens (there's a train, http://www.descansogardens.org), LA Zoo (http://www.lazoo.org/).
Hope this helps!
