Great Starts™ - Classes & Registration

Classes

To learn about schedule and locations, or to register, call (206) 789-0883

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Pregnancy & Birth

Preparing for Baby

Caring for Baby

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Newborn Care

Note: This class is included in the Great Starts Birth & Parenting Preparation Series. If you are taking the series, you do not need to register separately for Newborn Care.

This 2 hour class covers the basics of baby care in the first weeks of life:

What newborn babies are like

Appearance, Senses, Capabilities, Temperament

What babies need, and how they communicate it:

Infant Cues
Parent’s role in brain development
Crying and calming

Daily care

Sleeping and sleep safety
Bathing and diapering
Feeding
Playing
Health and Safety

This class is offered frequently at locations throughout Seattle, in Edmonds, Redmond, and on Bainbridge Island. It is included in the Great Starts series, or can be taken as a stand-alone class. We also offer a special Baby Care class for adoptive couples.

To register, call (206)789-0883.

This class is usually taken before baby is born, but some parents have come to the class with their newborn to get a quick boost to their parenting skills.

Resources:

You may also be interested in our Babysafe class, Infant & Child CPR, or our class on Vaccinations.

Community Resources for New Parents

Book recommendations for Newborn Care:

Our books each include comprehensive chapters on newborn care and feeding, and we recommend those for all your basic needs. If you're looking for more details, try any of these books. If you want to read some stories about what life with baby is really like, check here.

What expectant parents have said about newborn care classes:

"Best parts were the information about what is normal for new babies, and what are the signs that you should call a doctor."

"I loved the video! It was great to see newborn babies interacting with their parents."

"One of the couples in our birth class had their baby early, and brought it to class to visit. We loved seeing a three day old baby, and it was great to see our instructor use simple steps to calm down the crying baby one week, and then the next week, teach those steps to all of us so we can use them with our babies!"