lilaki

hi fodorites,

i'll be in paris in a few weeks (yay!) and am hoping to purchase a special baby gift (or two) for a very good friend who is due with her first baby in november (a boy).

i've combed through some threads and have seen a few stores mentioned - au bon point, DPAM, petit bateau, tartine et chocolat, jacadi, etc. plus, i've also added printemps/lafayette to my list as well.

however, i'm also thinking about non-clothing type of gifts ... toys, books, even special baby supplies.

my friend is financially very comfortable and her baby will be very well stocked. i'd like to purchase something that is a little unique/different/special that she hopefully won't buy herself!

can you please tell me where else i can look for these kinds of gifts?

thanks!

lilaki

ramekin4

I would suggest monoprix as well- inexpensive yes but they do have some cute stuff as well as books, toys, etc. Also, there are tons of toy shops around where you will find stuff for the littlest to the oldest. They have a lot of soft toys that are unique like lambs, etc. You can find mnay of these things in BHV. Galeries lafayette also had unique stuff. Jacadi also has a baby perfume that is kind of a unique gift.

Randy

I would also recommend BHV (Bazaar de Hotel de Ville) Across the street from the Hotel de Ville

grandmere

Au Nain Bleu is one of the most famous and most wonderful toy stores in the world. In the 8th arr.
aunainbleu.com

sandi

>>au bon point, DPAM, petit bateau, tartine et chocolat, jacadi, etc.<<

Many of these have stores here in the States and I can guarantee the prices will be less than in France. Unless, of course, you catch a sale.

A silver spoon from Tiffany's is always a great gift!

lilaki

<<Many of these have stores here in the States and I can guarantee the prices will be less than in France. Unless, of course, you catch a sale. >>

i'm from canada so we don't have any of these stores (except jacadi) here ...

i've got BHV on my list of stores for myself - good to know that they have baby stuff there too!

thanks for all the recos!!

avalon

Look along rue Jacob and the intersecting streets. There are wonderful baby stores there

surfmom

What about FNAC Jr. ? It is a bookstore/toy store and has wonderful toys for kids.

If you want to do something different... buy some classic books there in French, then when you get home, buy the English version of the same book!

There is also a sweet toy store on Ile St. Louis called L'Arche de Noel. I've gotten some very cute things there for the kids. It is across from Pylones ... if you are walking from Notre Dame across the bridge and down the main street, it is on your left in the block before Berthillon.

BKP

Here is one more store for you to check out.
http://www.natalys.com/

However, I LOVE surfmom's idea of French and English copies of the same book. I believe I've seen Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar) books outside of the US. For what it's worth, you could probably order the French version on Amazon, just in case you like the idea but don't want to lug the book in your suitcase.

Sally30

If you buy clothes be sure to get them big enough. I received some 3-6month size baby clothes from France for my daughter and they were too small for her from the time she was born! I wouldn't get anything smaller than 6 mos unless your friend may have her baby very early.

And this is surely a matter of taste, but any gifts that I received along the lines of the Tiffany silver spoon are sitting somewhere I no longer remember in a box collecting dust.

surfmom

thanks BKP. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is exactly what I was thinking. Others that we've gotten while there are 'Where the Wild Things Are', 'Goodnight Moon', and 'Going on a Bear Hunt'. I think we also have Madeleine books, too.

At L'Arche de Noel, I know they had a lot of Barbapappa (sp?) things - we actually have the cups and plates that my kids use now. It is a very sweet line of books about the Barbapappa family (which stands for cotton candy, I think). It is their adventures and various things. Even if you couldn't find the English equivalents, the pictures are so wonderful that you can make up the story as you go.

BKP's idea of ordering them from Amazon isn't a bad one... do it now, have them shipped to you at home, and then you don't have to actually carry them!

Can you tell I just love books ?

smacknmo

I am leaving for Paris on Thursday and will be there with DH, son, and daughter-in-law who is expecting. Since I missed BHV and Galleries Lafayette on our first trip there we will for sure make time this trip. I will be looking out for some unique items for our first grandbaby so I will make sure that I pass on anything I think might interest you. Since you don't go for a few more weeks that should work out well for you. I have bookmarked this thread so that I can post what I find. Can't wait!! I get back on the 27th, so check for the thread after that.

lilaki

hi all,

thanks so much for all the suggestions! i'm so glad i posted for this one!! i was just going to wing it at one of the department stores ... but you guys have way better ideas (and more experience with babies!) than i do!!

lilaki

smacknmo - thank you SO much for the effort! i really appreciate it. we arrive in paris on oct 1 ...

ddena

This is my most favorite of all French childrens' things:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babar_the_Elephant

cigalechanta

definately, au naim bleu.
I have no children but loved that shop as I found it by
just wandering along.

Jean

If it's not too late, I just read an article on shopping in Paris for children's clothes, etc., in the AMEX magazine "Departures" (Oct. 2009 is all about France).

In addition to the shops already mentioned, here are a few more:

C de C (for Cordelia de Castellane, formerly of Ungaro)
"Fresh, pretty, wallet-friendly clothes combine old-fashioned elegance with modern simplicity."
93 Rue du Bac
www.cdec.be

L'Oiseau de Paradis
"...for traditional toys."
211 Bd. St.-Germain
www.loiseaudeparadis.fr

Marie Laure
"...for hand-embroidered christening gowns."
62 Rue du Bac

Molli
"... for beautiful hand-knitted baby outfits."
252 Bd. St.-Germain
www.molli.com

lilaki

nope - not too late ... i'm in paris in about a week!

thank you!!

smacknmo

Lilaki, Hope you haven't left yet. Did quite a bit of shopping last week and am reporting back as promised. I was looking for things not gender specific since my daughter-in-law and son do not want to know what they are having. Finding things that are not gender specific is very difficult so right there you have the advantage of knowing that you are shopping for a boy. That being said, the girl stuff was, as usual, much more fun to look at.

There have been a lot of good suggestion by previous posters. G. Lafayette and Printemps have a tremendous selection of baby clothes and toys. The stores are divided into the different labels such as Dior, Burberry, etc. I checked a glass 8oz baby bottle by Dior and it was 45 euros. Yikes! I was looking at the one with the taupe writing and nipple cover. It did come with a cute white cloth bottle holder. The pink and blue ones came with different holders.

Printemps had a nice sale and I did buy a few things there but they were not designer label clothes. My grandchild is due late February so I bought a neutral winter one piece outerwear for only 17 Euros. It is really as nice as anything I have seen at home for a lot more money. It was 60% off. They quite a few things 60% off in this one section of the bebe floor. I guess last years stuff. My daughter in law was thrilled because the baby won't spend too much time in it, so why pay a lot. I also got a cute outfit at Petit Bateau.

There were a few nice childrens stores on Rue St. Dominique where our apt was. Our apt was 83. When we left our apt and made a left as if going to the Eiffel Tower there was a small toy store that had a lot of very nice things, and a couple clothing stores. The toy store had some riding toys that were old fashioned looking and I really thought that they were adorable. They started at around 90 euros and who knows how to get it home. I didn't have very much luck in Monoprix but I think the one I was in was a lot smaller than some of them.

Good luck with your search. Try to time your trip to Printemps so that you are there for sunset and go up to the 9th floor which has a rooftop bar and observation deck. The sunset was stunning because the sun dropped right behind the Arc de Triomphe.

Have a great trip!

lilaki

hi smacknmo,

thank you SO much for writing about your findings!

we leave tomorrow morning for paris! can´t wait!

lilaki