Baby and Children's Brands in the UK and Poland

In some of the interviews and conversations I have had with Polish parents, informants have compared popular baby brands in Poland to Britain.

Here’s a useful list of babycare manufacturers, brands and websites popular in Poland:

For buggies and car safety
Implast: www.implast.com.pl/
Deltim: www.deltim.com.pl/
Aro Karon: http://www.aro.pl/
Wampol http://www.wampol.com.pl/

For babycare products
Canpol: http://canpolbabies.com/pl/

For children’s toys
Smyk: http://smyk.com/

For children’s clothes
Reserved: http://www.reserved.com/pl/kids
5.10.15: http://www.51015kids.eu/pl
Wójcik: http://www.wojcik.com.pl/
Takko: http://www.takko-fashion.com/pl/kids/index.php
Coccodrillo: http://www.coccodrillo.pl/

Children’s shoes
Bartek: http://www.bartek.com.pl/

And popular in the UK...

For buggies and car safety
Silver Cross: http://www.silvercross.co.uk/
Phil and Teds: http://philandteds.com/
Bugaboo: http://www.bugaboo.com/home
Quinny: http://www.quinny.com/gb-en
* useful buggy and pram price comparision site: http://www.kelkoo.co.uk/*

For babycare products
Mothercare: http://www.mothercare.com/
Boots: http://www.boots.com/en/Mother-Baby
Mamas and Papas: http://www.mamasandpapas.com/

For children’s toys
Early Learning Centre: http://www.elc.co.uk/

For children’s clothes
H&M: http://www.hm.com/gb/department/KIDS
John Lewis: http://www.johnlewis.com/Baby+and+Child
Marks and Spencer: http://www.marksandspencer.com/Kids/
Next: http://www.next.co.uk/

TKMaxx: http://www.tkmaxx.com/kids-baby

Children’s shoes
Clarks: http://www.clarks.co.uk/kids

Try these supermarkets for a good range of cheaper children and baby clothes:
Asda: http://direct.asda.com/asda-babyshop
Tesco: http://direct.tesco.com/homepage/babytoddler
Sainsburys: http://www.sainsburys-tu-clothing.co.uk/

Buying and Selling Children's Wear and Toys

Here are some useful websites to help you buy and sell children’s wear and toys in and around Newcastle.

http://www.gumtree.com/newcastle - (especially good for finding cheap accommodation to rent (in my experience) and for sourcing cheap furniture)

http://www.netmums.com/boards/nearlynew/newcastle - (especially good for finding cheap baby equipment in your immediate location, particularly prams and buggies)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/ - (I’m not such a fan of ebay as I’ve been out-bidded too many times! Prices can get quite high so be careful, and always check the pick-up location or delivery charges for items you’re interested in)

http://groups.freecycle.org/toon/posts/all - (good for passing on furniture and electrical equipment, but you have to sign up for an account and be 'accepted' as a user)

http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/2000icbargains/freeads - (if you’re selling an expensive or specialist item you may wish to consider paying for an advert in the local newspaper. Follow the link here if so.)

Also, there’s a shop in Whitley Bay, ‘Cherished Toys’, who will sell your good quality children’s clothes and toys on your behalf. I’ve heard that the shop is very popular with mums-to-be looking to buy second hand baby and nursery equipment: http://www.cherishedtoys.co.uk/default.html

Lastly, I thoroughly recommend the British parenting institution of the ‘nearly new sale’. Here, huge amounts of clothes and toys are donated or sold to the sale organisers who hold a morning or afternoon event selling off all the goods, usually in a sports hall, village hall or church hall. These events are usually well attended and a good way to find very cheap clothes and toys. Baby cardigans can sell for as little as 10p for example.

The National Childbirth Trust organise the best quality events. Here’s how to find an NCT nearly new sale event near you: www.nct.org.uk/branches/events/nearly-new-sales

*Finally, help raise funds for the North East’s neonatal baby care service by supporting the Tiny Lives Fund Nearly New Sale from 10am-1pm on Saturday 9th July 2011, to be held at Trinity Church, Gosforth High Street, Newcastle. Go to the website for more details: www.tinylivesnearlynewsales.org.uk *