Manhattan is known for top-of-the-line retail stores and boutiques, even when it comes to toy stores and children’s clothing. So whether you’re window shopping for the day or going on a weekend-long shopping spree, you should arm yourself with this directory of places to visit for the city’s best in stores.
CLOTHING STORES & BOUTIQUES
Babesta
Trendsetters-in-training and the parents who shop for them stock up at these twin Tribeca spots (Babesta Cribz and Babesta Threads) for funky furniture, unique toys and hip clothes for babies. babesta.com
Berkley Girl
Your tween fashionista will say OMG! faster than she can text when you take to her this Upper West Side clothing and accessories boutique that’s spot on with what girls her age want, thanks to regular focus groups with their customers. berkleygirl.com
Bit’z Kids
The Upper West Side and Tribeca are the only U.S. outposts of this beloved Japanese baby and children’s clothing brand. Both locations have play areas so parents can efficiently browse. bitzkidsnyc.com
Blue Tree
This beloved Carnegie Hill store carries a carefully curated selection of gifts and accessories you won’t find anyplace else. bluetreenyc.com
Bonpoint
The Madison Avenue outpost of the famed French children’s wear couture line is exactly what you would expect: full of beautiful, elegant and upscale clothing for the younger set. bonpoint.com
Bu and the Duck
This Tribeca store is filled with the owner/designer’s vintage-inspired clothing, shoes and accessories—all for kids. You’ll find well-crafted toys, puppets and furniture there, too. buandtheduck.com
Bundle
Stylish apparel and accessories for boys and girls ages newborn to six can be found at Soho’s Bundle. Make sure to check out their gender-neutral suggestions for “wait-and-see” babies. bundlenyc.com
Catimini
The Upper East Side flagship of this high-end designer children’s clothing line from France is chock-full of their signature colorful embroidery and appliques for infants and girls up to size 12 and boys up to size 10. catiminica.com
The Children’s Place
There’s a reason this national chain has ten Manhattan locations: they sell quality, well-priced clothing and accessories for newborns through kids’ size 14. childrensplace.com
Crew Cuts
The Upper East Side J.Crew store for your wanna-be mini-me carries teensy cashmere sweaters, weathered chinos and vintage-style tees just like Mom and Dad wear. jcrew.com/crewcuts
Egg
Exclusively using natural or organic materials, this boutique introduces super-soft fabrics and sprightly prints for baby and toddler—plus an adorable mix-and-match maternity line for expectant moms. egg-baby.com
Estella
Offering upscale and eponymous designer duds for little darlings, this Greenwich Village shop is a favorite of stylists and celebrities. estella-nyc.com
Granny-Made
Best known for their handmade sweaters and ABC wall hangings, the inviting Upper West Side haberdashery also carries kids’ clothing, furniture and toys. grannymade.com
Greenstones & Naturino
The wide selection of European branded basics, hats and accessories, plus Naturino children’s shoes next door to their uptown locations, have cemented this children’s clothing shop as a favorite among the preschool set. naturino.com
Harry’s Shoes For Kids
The offshoot of the popular Harry’s Shoes is a chip off the old block. This Upper West Side store has a huge selection of infant and children’s shoes to keep your tyke shod. harrys-shoes.com
Ibiza Kidz
Located in an area known for catering to the college crowd, this Union Square kids’ clothing, shoe and toy shop attracts a cult following via the knowledgeable salespeople who expertly fit children’s feet to the right-sized shoes. ibizakidz.com
Julian and Sara
Downtown parents go gaga for this Soho children’s store’s chic selection of pint-sized dresses and dress shirts. Stylish little shoes, gifts and items for Mom round out the selection. julianandsara.com
Lester’s
The Yorkville outpost of this tri-state area chainlet is where parents of infants through preteens shop the latest trends in apparel, accessories and footwear. A huge selection of seasonal summer camp merchandise will have your tween begging for an airbrushed BFF pillow. lesters.com
Magic Windows
Classic, traditional and formalwear for infants through teens, plus custom-made party dresses are a stand-out at this Upper East Side fixture. magicwindowskids.com
My Little Sunshine
Multitasking supermoms love that this Chelsea spot has kiddie clothes, toys and even offers haircuts in a little red airplane at the back of the store. mylittlesunshinenyc.com
Pink Chicken
This popular purveyor of breezy sundresses, tunics and knits for ladies ages zero to 100 recently hung a shingle on Upper Madison Avenue, delighting mini fashionistas and their moms. pinkchicken.com
Polarn O. Pyret
The Swedish clothing line for children has two Manhattan locations: Tribeca and the Upper West Side. Parents seeking clothing with European flair (think bright colors and stripes) snatch up their well-made basics. polarnopyretusa.com
Ralph Lauren Children’s
There’s no better place to dress your prepster-in-training than this Upper East Side store. Stock up on little oxfords, polo shirts and brightly colored threads for boys and girls of all ages. stores.ralphlauren.com
Shoofly
Shoofly specializes in quality European shoes and accessories for toddlers through teens. Unique clothing, toys and baby gifts make this Tribeca boutique a standout. shooflynyc.com
Sprout San Francisco
The Upper East Side outpost of this popular natural and organic children’s clothing, toy and furniture shop is more than just its wares. They offer weekly classes like post-partum fitness and music and an indoor play space. sproutsanfrancisco.com
Stella McCartney Kids
A location within the Stella McCartney women’s store in Soho means moms can do double duty shopping for high-end items for themselves and their au courant kids. stellamccartney.com/kids
Stoopher & Boots
Eclectic and seemingly all-encompassing, this Upper West Side boutique has everything from kids’ clothing and toys to unique finds for grown-ups. stoopher.bigcartel.com
Tip Top Shoes
The fit specialists here will help your little walker find his or her first pair while older kids will love the vast selection of comfort, dress and sport shoes. tiptopshoes.com
Torly Kid
The former Babylicious store has grown up to include trendy togs in sizes from tot to tween. In addition to toys and games, weekly story-times and other special events make this a favorite site of neighborhood parents. torlykid.com
Yoya
A super-modern boutique for kids ages four to fourteen on the edge of the MePa district, this shop is known for its futuristic clothing, nursery furniture and playthings. yoyanyc.com
TOY STORES
A Time For Children
Don’t let the size fool you—this Upper West Side store stocks a wide variety of merchandise from stuffed Paddington Bears to cards to vintage onesies, and gives 100% of the profits to The Children’s Aid Society. atimeforchildren.org
Dinosaur Hill
This charming East Village variety store stocks both classics and one-of-a-kind items like wooden blocks in 16 languages, batik crib quilts and a wide variety of handmade puppets and marionettes. dinosaurhill.com
Mary Arnold Toys
New York’s oldest continuously operating toy store has an expansive selection of costumes, educational toys, plush animals and traditional board games. Free delivery within its Upper East Side neighborhood. maryarnoldtoys.com
West Side Kids
Located on the Upper West Side, this neighborhood toy store carries a mix of classic and new toys and games for all ages. Parents of app-addicted kids will love their no electronic toys policy. westsidekidsnyc.com
BOOKSTORES
Bank Street Bookstore
Located on the upper reaches of the Upper West Side, this bookstore caters exclusively to young readers. If you can’t make the trip, their extensive website offers the same carefully chosen selection of books, games, toys and CDs as its bricks and mortar counterpart. bankstreetbooks.com
Books of Wonder
The oldest independent children’s bookstore in the city is well-known for its collection of both old and new tomes for tots. Twice a week, kids and their caregivers can enjoy story time at this iconic Chelsea spot. booksofwonder.com
BIG BOX DESTINATION STORES
American Girl Place
Spend an entire day with your doll lover at this giant concept store picking out a new doll, accessories, matching daughter and doll outfits, or simply enjoying the doll hair salon, doll hospital or having a meal at the café. americangirl.com
Disney Store
The revamped Times Square flagship store is almost as good as visiting the House of Mouse. Disney fans of any age will love the Magical Escalator Experience, the Pixie Dust Path and the Magic Trees. disneystore.com
FAO Schwarz
This iconic midtown toy emporium is home to a newborn nursery, stuffed animal extravaganza and a dozen other stores within its walls. All city kids need to dance on the famed giant piano keyboard at least once in their lifetime. fao.com
The LEGO Store
Kids will make a beeline for the Pick A Brick Wall and their parents will love the miniature versions of classic NYC cityscapes, including the store’sRockefellerCenter location. stores.lego.com
Toys “R” Us
Come for the toys, stay for the 60-foot Ferris wheel, the 4,000-square-foot Barbie dollhouse and the life-sized T-Rex. TheTimes Square flagship store is a toy heaven for all ages. toysrus.com
Continue reading — “Shop This City: Nursery and Kid Furnishings“
BIG TIP: Discount Shopping For Families
We all love a good sale, whether it comes in the form of short-term price reductions in online flash sales or discounted vouchers on group buying sites—but the countless scores of them that have cropped up in recent years have become entirely overwhelming. Never fear: we’ve curated a list of the biggest players with the best family offerings.
ONLINE FLASH SALES
These sites offer big discounts, often up to 50% or more, for as short as one day. Flash sales often feature a very limited stock for each product and can sell out very quickly.
Gilt Kids: Among the most upscale in this category, Gilt has a dedicated kids section with everything from apparel and shoes to books and toys. Sales can be sorted by gender and age and come out one to two times a day. gilt.com
Little Rue: Like Gilt Kids, Ruelala’s pint-sized boutique features high-end clothes, gear and accessories—collections that have only expanded since the group’s partnership with Toys“R”Us. A month-long shipping flat rate is great for frequent shoppers. ruelala.com
Ideeli Kids: The price points at this designer sale site are more mid-ranged (though it’s shipping fee is not). The paid membership program grants early access to all sales, giving you a better chance of snagging hot items. ideeli.com
Fab: It’s barely been around for a year, but the first flash sale site to focus on design has already been all the buzz. Expect to find hip clothing, modern décor and, well, fab-looking everything else. New Kids Wednesdays evenings sales launch weekly. fab.com
Zulily: With something for the kids as well as something for the mom, browsing Zulily is a joy. Sales are sorted by category, age and last-day, for the shoppers who exhibit a fear of missing out.
The Mini Social: If you aren’t satisfied with the run-of-the-mill kids stuff, it’s time to celebrate. The Mini Social is a healthy mix of tried-and-true brand names and alternative designers that lend that extra spark. theminisocial.com
HauteLook Kids: As the name might imply, the collections here cater to little fashionistas in the making. Thrice-weekly sales strictly focus on apparel, with the occasional toy and gear offering. hautelook.com
DEEP ONE-TIME VOUCHERS
Instead of delivering products right to your door, these sites release coupons or vouchers at discounted prices, often for a service or experience (like dining or theater).
Plum District: All deals on this mom favorite aims to be a parenting problem solver, whether that means vouchers for babysitting services, kids clothing boutiques or a spa treatment for a little personal R&R. plumdistrict.com
8moms: Each sale is personally endorsed by the site’s eight moms (saw that coming, didn’t you?), who introduce the service or product with individual perspectives. Groupon might have biting wit, but 8moms has an intimate, almost blog-like feel. 8moms.com
Mamabargains: Unlike sites that refresh deals on a regular schedule, Mamabargains starts a new deal when the previous one sells out. This could make checking back more of a hassle—or that much more exciting. mamabargains.com
MamaSource: For those who hate sorting through email clutter, MamaPedia delivers one carefully selected deal a day to your inbox. It also has a school fundraising program for putting your dollars toward a bigger purpose. mamasource.com
LivingSocial Families: Hit up this online voucher giant’s Family section for everything from chess lessons to fencing camp to education DVDs. Hint: the Adventures section offers thrilling active experiences like whitewater rafting great for the older kids. livingsocial.com
OTHERS
We’re not sure how these quite fit into the above two categories, but they’re too good to pass up!
Kids.Woot: Kids.Woot unveils one daily deal for gears and toys that it sells directly, but without imposing a quantity cap like most flash sale sites do. The site is powered by Woot, one of the first of these kinds of sites created. kids.woot.com
SquareSpot: Instead of snatching up one product or service at a time, buying a SquareCard makes you eligible for a host of discounts with SquareSpot’s partners. (Think: no expiration dates, no printing or pulling codes out from your phone.) squarespot.com
