As you might be well aware by now because I have tendency to deluge you with travel photos and Instastories, I was in France for two weeks last month for my brother-in-law’s wedding. We planned our trip so we’d have a bit of exploration time, because you can’t just go to France and not soak in all the magic, right? At the time of our booking I wasn’t pregnant, but once we found out that the little guy is on his way, I thought it would be great fun to dedicate a couple of days to baby shopping in Paris. In fact, when I was there last year for a conference, my friend Anne of Pret a Voyager, took me to a number of beautiful baby shops, which at the time were so inspiring, but not relevant to my life.This time around, I put in hours of online research to identify the best ones and a number of Parisian friends stepped in to offer their advice. Thank goodness for an insider’s view! Paul and I ended up spending 2 1/2 days walking around the city exploring beautiful shops and feeling so lucky we got to be there during such a beautiful time of the year. I was 7 months pregnant and all of a sudden the aches and pains that everyone talked about of pregnancy became my reality, though I’m sure walking for 10-12 hours a day had something to do with it. We decided that we need to come back annually to repeat the process…and perhaps stay for a number of months 😉 
When we arrived in France, Lili Barbery-Coulon, a former beauty editor at Vogue Paris, M Magazine of Le Monde, and now works on her own site, Ma Recreation, contacted me and asked me if I’d be interested in hearing some of her recommendations. Uh duh! I’m no dummy! And she gave me SO many amazing recommendations, along with addresses and hyperlinks and other food and clothing recommendations. A good portion of this guide comes from her because I wasn’t able to get to all of them. Thank you, Lily for the insight! You guys are in for a treat, because this is the ultimate list! I left some of her notes below so you could read all about it.
I also have to thank Anne Ditmeyer of Pret a Voyager for the tour of Paris she gave me last year. Anne gives tours on Vayable and I strongly suggest hiring her, especially if you’re looking for a non-traditional take on the city. She knows everything about Paris and customizes your interests into a wonderful tour.
Thanks also goes to Elodie Love, Madame Love, who has wonderful taste and recommended so many of these lovely shops to me.
I’m dividing the tour into specific areas of Paris so you can focus your energy depending on how you’d like to spend your time.
6th and 7th arrondisement Saint Germain des Prés area
If I had a limited amount of time to spend baby shopping (I know not everyone will be crazy enough to spend 2.5 full days doing this), I would focus on the Saint Germain des Prés area in the 6th arrondisement. There are so many wonderful shops in just a small area. I think we spent nearly one full day here and we didn’t even get to it all.
This was our first stop on our tour and we were still cautious because we didn’t know just what our day was going to behold. I’d say it’s classic inspired but definitely current with its trends. –B
83 Rue du Cherche-Midi, 75006
Wonderful concept store. Very clever in its design. It’s more of a children’s/mama shop with a smaller selection for little baby. –B
81 Rue du Cherche-Midi, 75006
The colors are more subdued but beautiful. –B
68-70 Rue du Cherche-Midi, 75006
I LOVED this one and spend a lot of time in it even though it’s a rather tiny shop. I loved the colors and prints. We found some cute bloomers for our little guy. –B
60 Rue du Cherche-Midi, 75006
Note from Lili: If you go there, you need to have tea and cake at Mamie Gateaux on the same street. Paul and I did just that and it was adorable and delicious and made our feet very happy. 66 rue du Cherche Midi)
I happened upon this Spanish brand on my way from Marie Puce to Petit Bateau. They were having a great sale so we found a number of cute items. –B
24 Rue Saint-Placide, 75006
This is one French brand that is found at nearly every US boutique so I was familiar and didn’t spend too much time there because they have a US site as well but it’s such a classic that I had to go in. –B
53 bis Rue de Sèvres, 75006
Top floor dedicated to kids and babies. A must go and see. amazing lunch at Rose Bakery on second floor. –L
24 Rue de Sèvres, 75007
Paul and I stumbled on this little shop in Rouen on our way back to Paris. It was the first baby shop we encountered on our trip and we found some adorable newborn items. –B
Rue de Seine, 75006
10 Rue Vavin, 75006
I remember stumbling upon Bonpoint when I lived in Copenhagen and the shop is absolute perfection. It’s upscale and pricey and beautiful. We didn’t get a chance to go on this trip sadly. –B
6 Rue de Tournon, 75006
Note from Lili: (if you’re in the area go and check out the following:
- Marie Hélène de Taillac, an amazing jewelery designer 8 rue de Tournon
- Astier de Villatte a small ceramics shop but one of the most beautiful you’ll ever find 16 rue de Tournon (one of my all time favorite shops!–B)
- Cire Trudon 78 rue de Seine
4 Rue Vavin, 75006
We have Jacadi in the States so I wasn’t super eager to visit them in Paris, but looking back it would have been a good idea to see them in their natural environment. It’s always more charming. –B
256 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75007
This is by far my favorite brand ever for baby stitched knits–L
252 Boulevard Sain-Germain, 75007
Great for old fashioned toys. It used to be Sofia Coppola’s favorite place when she just had her daughter. –L
211 bd st germain 75007
Baby furniture
1 Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth, 75007
This is a department store in France, which I would liken until Target. They often do collaborations with rad designers, including one a few months ago with my favorite illustrator, Nathalie L’ete. I even tried to order some items from the US before I knew what I was having and thankfully my international order didn’t work out because all the items in my basket were for a baby girl. According to Lili, Monoprix is “super cheap, super cool, all Parisian girls go there to buy clothes to their kids.” I found some well-designed items for super cheap. –B
52 rue de Rennes 75006 (but they are all over Paris)
Furniture for children and babies. I didn’t get a chance to go to this one, but the website makes me want to book another trip STAT!–B
7, Rue de Solférino, 75007
Furniture for babies and children. I also didn’t get a chance to go to this one but it looks beautiful. –B
92 rue de Grenelle, 75007
266, boulevard Saint-Germain 75007
In the 1st and 2nd arrondisement (near the Louvre)
This one had three levels of beautiful French baby and children’s items. I was surprised at how many practical items they had as well. –B
Petit Bateau (if you didn’t check it out in the 6th)
The baby section of the cult Fashion designer
Pigalle
This shop going out of business when we were there so everything was 50% off (!!!) and I don’t know when it officially closes, so if you’re going soon, maybe you’ll have some luck!
There are a number of locations throughout Paris, but Anne first introduce me to the two located in this area and because I loved the area so much I loved going back to these locations. The aesthetic is bright and poppy. They sell fabric and notions and beautiful handmade rice paper sculptures. It’s where I bought my little Eiffel Tower last year (seen here).
36 Rue des Abbesses, 75018 AND
10 bis Rue Yvonne le Tac, 75018
Note from Lili: If you stay in the area, please go to the following:
- Kitsuné, check the vases by Philip Model Maison
- A bit further up go to the tiny store Curiosity it’s packed with interior design little gifts, quite cheap but absolutely lovely. It’s about a 5 minute walk from Lait de Coco.
- You can also have lunch at Otium Paris in the area
- or have a drink at Pigalle Hotel)
10th Arrondisement near Republique
Don’t let the generic name fool you, it’s a beautiful concept shop that sources ethically. –B
22 Rue Yves Toudic, 75000
A note from Lili: right next to it, you must go and try the best croissant ever at Du Pain et des Idees, which we did and she was true to her word. I had also tried it last year when my friend Anne brought me. Plus it’s so beautiful and you don’t even mind the wait.
A rad children’s concept store with a small baby section owned by the same people who do Merci. Make sure you go to all 3 levels and take a peek into the barber shop. (it’s two minutes walk from the famous concept shop, Merci ) –B
5 bd des filles du calvaire, 75003
6 rue d’Amboise, Paris, 75002
We stumbled on their pop-up shop where they were having a major sale. Tons of items for less than 15 Euros and we stocked up! The owner frequently travels to India to work on the fabrics. I love the mix of modern and Indian influences. There’s a mix of neutrals and bright colors.
59 rue Notre-Dame de Nazareth, 75003
Note from Lili: (if you stay in the area, please go to Kitsuné, check the vases by Philip Model Maison http://philippemodelmai
You may also like:
It’s a concept store with different designers, but it’s so far from my place that I never go in this area, which I find a bit too posh for me. –L
Online only
Oscar et Valentine (cashmere only, very classic)
Mama Owl (English company, but so stunning)
Once again, a huge thank you to Lili Barbery-Coulon, for providing me with such a wonderful foundation for our tour.
If you have any other suggestions or feedback from this tour, I’d love to hear it!
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