Baby On the Hip

I visited Hip Baby on Queen for the time yesterday. They have a great selection of products that are nicely presented, which is why I am giving two stars. I purposely went in to look at shoes for my daughter. I had to ask to try on a pair (even though there were two people at the cash and another on the phone who seemed as they were not working on the floor). Not one person came by to ask how the shoes fit and if I needed another size or style (which I did). I felt like asking to try on another pair would have been too much trouble so I just left.

I went in here today. Now that I have a baby, my perspective on this store has changed. They have a really well-​curated assortment of goods. I love that they carry Eco-​friendly brands and designs. They carry Peppa sleep aid dolls/​security blankets for baby which is super helpful and in getting baby to sleep (and for that I’m more thankful than most). The staff are also friendly and helpful. They carry a wide assortment of girls clothes (not helpful to me, but super nice). They also carry plan toys which is a sustainable toy brand. Overall, worth the visit — they carry a lot of things that a toys r us or other large store wouldn’t.

Despite the pricey items I actually used to like and shop at this store. I say used to because I recently had an experience here that left me feeling like they don’t particularly care about the clientele that they cater to.
I went to the store because I needed to buy a part for my Medela pump. As anyone with a baby knows it can be difficult and nerve-​frazzling to get anywhere on time. Despite my best efforts to get to the store early, I ended up being at the mercy of the TTC and arrived minutes before the 6 PM store closing time (by my watch at least). The door was already locked but I could see two staffers inside chatting, so I knocked and explained I just needed to buy a specific part that I knew they stocked. They explained they had already shut down the cash so they wouldn’t be able to process the transaction. Desperate, I offered to pay cash (I had exact change) so they could ring up the sale the next day but they said no.
Now on the one hand I would get where they were coming from if I had been coming in to pick up a random item, but I needed a part for my pump that I use to feed my baby. What if that had been my only means of feeding my baby? It’s not like I was even 10 minutes late. Like I said it was just shy of closing time by my watch. I would hope that a store that caters to people with babies would have a little more compassion toward people with, well, babies.
I ended up getting the part I needed from the kind folks at Evymama, where they always go out of their way to make me feel welcomed and valued as a customer.

My friend is expecting her first child soon, and I’ve been accompanying her to various baby stores just to compare prices and products. Unlike some of the other places that we visited, Baby on the Hip definitely made an impression on both of us… albeit our reactions were more of the «this store is out of our price range» variety.
I can’t deny that many of the merchandise is attractive on an aesthetic level. This is definitely a store that packages itself very nicely, from the interior décor to the product selection. While I understand that a high standard of quality should be reflected in the cost, it’s just that a lot of the items offered here can be best described as impractically expensive. When we compare the prices among the local stores, there is a significant difference between Baby and the Hip and its competitors for what is essentially the same product.
Maybe this stylish and trendy store will appeal to a certain niche clientele, but it’s certainly not our taste.

I’ve only been to the College Street location and have found the staff to be pretty unhelpful. They are generally more interested in chatting to each other or listening to the music on their stereo system than assisting customers. I tried to phone to ask if they had some specific products (which are listed on their website) in stock. No one picked up the phone despite several attempts. My husband and I decided to go to the store anyway only to find out that the Leslieville location carries the products we were looking for, not the College St. location. How about you update your website ??? If you’re in the west end, go to Macklems instead. Their staff are friendly and knowledgable and they have a good selection of products.

organic is expensive and it’s not Baby on the Hip’s fault. it’s way easier to mass produce in places like China, India and Thailand… and it’s WAY cheaper. if you want cheap clothes, because babies grow out of them so quickly, then go to Babies R’ Us. i appreciate having an alternative. i like knowing what’s available that’s BPA free, organic, all-​natural, produced in small factories, etc. i like having options even if i decide to NOT spend $ 48 on a swadler. my point is; local businesses + products that are good for the environment + products that are good for baby = great places to have around.

I’m not really sure why this store is so popular …
Its a very beautiful store with a wonderful philosophy but the selection of products seems really limited to me. There just isn’t a lot of merchandise.
I bought a stroller here because I had a gift certificate and I am now regretting my decision because I’ve had a few issues with the stroller but have had to take it to another store to have it looked at since Baby on the Hip doesn’t deal with that kind of thing. So, if I had lost my receipt, I would be screwed since you need your receipt for warranty issues. But, had I purchased my stroller from one of the stores who are licensed to fix my brand of stroller, my purchase of the stroller would be on their account.
Learn from me — something to consider if you are going to purchase a stroller!
The online customer service is quite quick and friendly.

Maybe I’m just not that type of mom. You know, the type that only wraps her child in organic muslin diapers that have been hand bleached and dipped in hipster sweat or something.
Baby on the Hip is what it is — a baby store in the heart of Leslieville. A good baby store? Meh. A trendy baby store? Definitely. The staff can be friendly but are usually more invested in chatting to each other than really helping you. The last few times I was in there they chose to lazily point at the most expensive items when I asked what would be a good gift for a 4 month old.
A $ 40 finger puppet? Seriously? I don’t care if it is fair trade and locally grown wool, I’d rather pay $ 10 for something polyester that the kid is just gonna chew to death anyway.
What I can say is that if you’re looking to make a big purchase they’re more than willing to help you try out the latest gear, but don’t look for the most knowledgeable and attentive staff on the block. After asking multiple questions about a carrier, they soon lost interest in me and went back to talking about their ipod playlists.

i often find this place quite maddening. im not impressed with the no refund policy for the following reasons: though i can appreciate the notion that people might buy something and use it for a few days and return it, that doesnt apply here. no one is buying jewellery to use only for prom night if you catch my drift. so to be more specific, picture this scenario: i go in and buy an adapter for my stroller to put my infant car seat on it. i find out it doesnt fit with the stroller i have. if i need to return it, I GET A STORE CREDIT. aka THIEVERY. or picture a carrier: you wont know that something like that is good for you until you wear it for awhile. trying it out in the store for ten minutes doesnt cut it. so long as it is not damaged, a refund would be fair.
speaking to that notion, if the staff on the whole knew what they were talking about and were more than just googlie-​eyed and cooing at your baby then they could stand behind their no refund/​exchange only policy. my dads wife bought us a coffee holder for our stroller. she went there and told them what our stroller brand and model and they gave her a 30 dollar (rip off and offensive) cup holder which in turn didnt fit our model. if they had done their research before this would have never happened. now im stuck with a 30 dollar credit to a place id no longer like to frequent. this is one example of a few.
no matter what way you look at it, this store is a high-​end store, a store that could be on Bloor Street. The staff here should be pitch perfect in their knowledge of their products, otherwise it should be set up like a warehouse where i can find stuff myself and i am left to my own devices.
nutshell: products are solid, staff is wanting, policies are selfish and unrealistic.

Sense of entitlement, much?
I’m expecting my first baby (a little boy) in February 2011. While I did invest in the monthly profits of Baby on the Hip to gather a few items right in the early days of my pregnancy (the ones where you haven’t quite yet gathered just how expensive baby «things» are), I’ve since, after having created a nursery, had a baby shower, read umpteen books and blogs, developed the opinion that babies (especially in Toronto), are only as expensive as you make them.
This store has a great selection of organic clothing, locally made product and even high-​end stuff for the women who are entitled to strollers that cost more than my car, among other exorbitantly priced things.
My problem with the store is that while they take responsibility vis-​a-​vis carrying good, solid, organic and local products, they lack complete responsibility in terms of consumerism. They sell $ 48 sleepers for newborns. My understanding is that, provided it’s not vomited on the first time it’s worn and therefore maybe not good to wear again, newborns wear newborn clothes for about 7 minutes and then they move on to bigger and better sizing.
The staff themselves are quite helpful (maybe because their compensation is part commissions based?) but I just can’t get over the price of many of the goods in store. Simply, where they take responsibility for the environment, they undo it by lacking complete foresight and protection of first-​time moms who don’t know that babies grow exponentially once they’re born.
The store also gets crowded and busy (a la the «good» stores in Leslieville) and if you’re pregnant and uncomfortable and warm, it may keep you from staying long enough to run up a tab with them.
They do, however, offer the line of Rock-​A-​Bye Baby CD’s, which are crazy good. Check them out– all your favourite hits (Tool, Metallica, etc.) transcribed for the softer and more infant friendly glockenspiel.

unorganized. rude. many other places you could go.

Good urban baby shop. A lot of environmentally friendly product, but the overall select is limited. When my friends and family tried to order stuff on line for our baby shower, several items were out of stock, which made it a bit annoying for them. All and all, however, the staff is very friendly and knowledgeable and I enjoy my shopping experience when I go.

This is yet another beautifully appointed high-​end baby store filled with pretty things that’s nice to ooh and ahh over, touch, and buy as a shower-​gift for that girlfriend with discerning taste. It would also be a good place to go if you are expecting your first kid, want the very best for your little one, and have yet to learn how very quickly infants grow out of of everything.
You won’t find plasticky standard Fisher-​Price toys here and if the toy is plastic it is most likely partially made of recycled materials. Jimi S. covers this well in his review. I do love how wood toys are making a comeback, and even though they are often also made in China, they bear the price sticker and esthetic of the high-​end.
I did appreciate that they have demo floor models of the baby-​carriers that you can try with your babe to see if that style of carry agrees with her. The fancy carriers run well over $ 100 so it’s good to be able to try before committing to purchase. (Again, another old-​school practice made hip through tasteful fabric choices and appealing brand names).
There are quite a few stores of this ilk spread out throughout Toronto so if you really want to be eco-​friendly, strap your baby to you, support your local business owner and walk to the one that’s in your neighbourhood.

Both Baby On the Hip and Kids On the Hip (their sister store, just down the street) have some great products. We’ve spent hundreds of dollars in both stores over the past few months. However, the staff vary from indifferent and ignorant about their products, to outright rude and obnoxious. A case in point, we inquired about which potty was the best and the employee at the counter said «I don’t really know anything about them» before turning away. Many of the products are very overpriced, too, such as the Oeuf Crib toddler bed conversion kit, which they sell for more than $ 100 than it is available for elsewhere, online.
Worse still, we purchased some shoes from the store, only to return home to find they had put two right shoes, rather than a left /​right pair, in the box. We returned the shoes and the cashier wrote a note on the receipt showing we had a store credit. My wife subsequently visited the store to use the store credit only to be told that they did not believe she had a credit, and that she must have written the note on the receipt herself.
Because of this treatment, we will absolutely never shop at either store again. A message to the owners, if they are reading: parents are massively loyal to businesses that welcome them and deal in great products honestly. Having poorly trained staff who behave like spoiled teenagers means we’ll go elsewhere, no matter how great your products might be.

the clientele can be a little bit insufferable. if you’re seeking an incarnation of the word ‘entitled’, drop by on a weekend and observe expectant mothers harranging staff for hours on end… warning, not for the squeamish. however, that’s no reason to knock this store, which sells quality products and always has helpful staff on hand to assist. it’s pricy, but not unreasonable, given the quality of goods. in addition to really cute stuff for the wee ones, they have a lot of items to make lives easier for moms as well. definitely worth a visit if you have or are expecting a little one.