TWBP: Where To Shop Locally For Baby

From Leslie Jones. She writes about urban motherhood every two weeks in her column TWBP (There Will Be Poo). You can email her at leslie[AT]borderstan.com and follow her on Twitter @ThereWillBePoo.

Despite the fact that there seem to be more and more children in Borderstan lately, there are few places within walking distance to shop for kids’ clothing and toys. The stores that do have some inventory for baby and kids tend to have smaller selections than you would find at larger chains like Buy Buy Baby.

But, you can find some unique and adorable gifts close by if you look. I like to support our local business, so here is a quick overview of what is available.

Local Shopping Options

• Pulp (1803 14th Street NW) on 14th Street NW has a small selection of children’s toys and books. You can find classics like The Rainbow Fish, as well as art sticker books and stuffed animals by Manhattan Toy.
• Whole Foods (1440 P Street NW) has a few shelves of toys, mostly from Melissa & Doug, and some baby accessories like bottles, bibs and stacking cups from Green Sprouts. They have a few giant stuffed animals from Melissa & Doug that Baby is hoping Santa will bring her.
• Kramerbooks (1517 Connecticut Avenue NW) has a wide variety of children’s books.
• Books-A-Million (11 Dupont Circle NW) has children’s books, games and a few toys.
• Proper Topper (1350 Connecticut Avenue NW) has clothing and accessories for babies and kids toward the back of the store. Their selection is very cute, but very expensive. They have things like baby clothing sets from Tea for $66, and beautiful little silver cups for $65 each. Proper Topper also has books, stuffed animals and some fun little novelty toys.
• The Kid’s Closet (1226 Connecticut Avenue NW) has the largest selection of clothing and toys to be found in or around Borderstan. They have brands ranging from Carter’s and OshKosh to Me Too and Le Top. There were several racks of clothing marked down 30-50 percent, and a nice selection of toys, books, games and a variety of stuffed animals, such as Jellycat. Kid’s Closet offers gift wrapping for $2-10, depending on the size of the item.
• The store at the National Geographic Museum (1145 17th Street NW) has some books and toys suitable for kids, and you may be able to find some unique gifts not available at other stores.

If I’ve left any stores out, please let me know.  I’m always looking for cute local places to shop for Baby!

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