Seeking a Pediatrician in Richmond & North Bay Area

Parent Q&A

Select any title to view the full question and replies.

  • Pediatrician near Hercules

    Aug 16, 2023

    Hi BPN!

    I'm due in early November and looking for pediatrician recommendations. Ideally a stellar doctor located anywhere from Hercules to Berkeley. Has anyone had experience with Kiwi Pediatrics or New Day Pediatrics? We live in Hercules but I haven't seen a ton of great reviews for anyone around us. Thanks for any and all suggestions!

    We been going to Berkeley Pediatrics https://www.berkeleypediatrics.com/ since the moment she was born. (We contacted them while I was pregnant and the doctor that was on rotation at Alta Bates Hospital was notified and did her first check up at the hospital.) They have a cute converted house looking building with parking and separate entrances for sick patients and patients coming in for check ups. Easy street parking if the lot is full, but no bike parking though as far as I can tell -- we lock our bike(s) to a sign. She likes her primary care doctor a lot (Dr. Learned) and as a toddler, she used to point toward the building and say there's my doctor whenever we walked or drove near that part of Shattuck Ave. But we've seen other doctors and nurse practitioners there too and we've been happy with all of them.

    One thing that was important to me is that they only accept families who vaccinate their kids. I believe they're willing do a slightly alternate schedule but not no vaccines whatsoever. They run flu vaccine clinics and covid vaccine clinics in the parking lot at the height of the pandemic, which was nice. They will vaccinate adults with their kids for flu if you'd like -- this was super helpful for my daughter to see her dad get his shot no problem, then get her shot, then tell me it's my turn like it was all her idea. :) Then they give her a cartoony bandage (important?!) and an organic lollipop or something from the treasure box.

    I saw 2 different doctors at Kiwi Pediatrics and was not impressed. The first ignored my post-partum anxiety, like, literally ignored the fact that I was standing there with tears streaming down my face. The second had a student and was demonstrating how to check my son's testicles and he was *screaming*. When she couldn't feel them she said "I'm sure it's fine". So she either tortured my child solely for the benefit of her student, or ignored something that could be a problem (it ended up being a potential problem that thankfully resolved on its own, which I know because the pediatrician I switched to sent him to a specialist). I didn't stick around long enough to try a third.

    Recommended:

    I've been really happy with Dr Lauren Strelitz at Stanford Children's in Pinole. She seems to really care about my daughter and my concerns, and I just have no complaints about her! 

  • We recently moved to Richmond from out of state and need a pediatrician for our 12-month old son. We have HealthNet Blue and Gold insurance in case anyone has a similar policy and could recommend pediatricians in Richmond, El Cerrito or north Berkeley. Thanks very much!

    We've been going to Berkeley Pediatrics on Walnut St for 18 years and have Health Net Blue and Gold. My daughter will be sad when she ages out of pediatrics. They have been great. As she got older, it has been important to have a doctor of the same gender, so keep that in mind for later.

    We go to Berkeley Pediatrics and have Dr. Katrina Michel as our pediatrician.  I'm not sure if they accept your insurance, but they are a great clinic.  I've seen/spoke to a few of the doctors there (when my doctor wasn't available) and they have all been very courteous and informative.  I've only had positive experiences with them and would highly recommend their clinic. 

    I like Berkeley Pediatrics. I went there as a child and now my daughter goes there. Nothing but good experiences

    I highly recommend Dr Marcia Charles-Mo.  She was my children's pediatrician for 25+ years, and they liked going to her office.  She's kind, gentle, and is firm when she needs to be.  I wish there were more doctors, for adults, like her.  One of her offices is located at 2999 Regent St, at the Berkeley-Oakland border, across the street from Alta Bates Hospital.

    Recommended:

    We have been very happy with Kiwi Pediatrics for our three kids. They have been great about addressing the issues and questions we've had, stayed after hours for us to come in for an urgent issue, had us email pictures of bug bites/cuts/swollen eyes from vacation spots to tell us if it was something to worry about (no/yes/no), and just generally been fantastic, helpful, and engaging. They are a bit of a drive for us after we moved but I can't imagine taking our kids anywhere else. 510-652-1720 (Alcatraz) or 510-524-9400 (San Pablo). We particularly like Dr. Salsburg but everyone there is great.

    Recommended: