Is MelonHeads worth it???

I have taken my two year old for many haircuts--he has thick beautiful hair that grows super fast (If I had a girl I am sure that she would have thin stringy hair that wouldn't grow). I have taken my son to CUTE KIDS CUTS on Eglinton in Toronto (mixed reviews--I have had good and bad cuts and experiences) and I have taken him to First Choice (after someone had told me that going to the kids places isn't worth it, but the haircut was terrible and completely uneven) and then today we went to Melonheads at the Promenade Mall.

I have to say, it was totally worth it. Yes, you pay a little more, but I had 2 people working with my son. One person blew bubbles and sang songs to him while the other person cut his hair. My son is not the ideal client since he screams his head off but tries to wiggle away...but this was a really good experience for us.

Overall, I would say if I were to rate the different places I would say:
1) MELONHEADS (great atmosphere and the people I had today really GOT kids and were so patient and great)
2) CUTE KIDS CUTS (good atmosphere but not as much "fun" as they don't have someone to distract the kids)
3) FIRST CHOICE (had to wait...even though we had an appointment so that was bad and then the cut was terrible--completely uneven).

I think with haircuts it all depends on the hairdresser but I would say that it's worth the extra bit of money for a good cut and a positive experience if your kid is a little fussy when it comes to people touching their hair or if your kid is a little spirited.

Baby Store Review: Baby Proofing Plus by Safety Superstore

I hate writing bad reviews but I have now given this store numerous chances to redeem itself and I just haven't had a good experience. So here is the low-down. If anyone has had a better experience, please comment.

The Safety Superstore has some really good stuff in stock and often at good prices so I was obviously interested in shopping there. However, their customer service at the CONCORD location (the store at Steeles and Dufferin) has been terrible each time that I have been--I can only hope that this is due to some disgruntled employees and that the other stores have better customer service.

My major complaints?
1. Asking for help in locating a product apparently annoys the workers

2. There are things that are hard to reach (too high) and when I asked for help getting the product down I was told "well you are taller than me." then "are you sure you are going to buy it?". I stood there, with my baby in my arms and just stared at the worker in disbelief.

3. The workers are busy chatting or doing their own thing to help a client and don't even seem remotely interested that you are there when you get to the cash to checkout. Again--poor customer service.

So although their products are good, and they have a good variety, the layout of the store is not conducive to shopping with baby and the customer service is poor. Perhaps the online shopping would be a better option.

Store Review--Caterpillar Baby

I really feel for selection and price--this is the best store in the Toronto area for cloth diapers and cloth diaper accessories currently.


Pros:
It's an on-line store so everyone can use them.

Their website is user-friendly

The people who run it are courteous

The service is quick and efficient

Great selection of products including swimmers

They price-match

Pick-up or delivery

Cons:
Because they are are an on-line store they don't have a diaper trial program so test the types of diapers before you buy (they do however sell smaller packs which is nice so you can get the experience without paying the big bucks)

They don't sell Bummis liners separately--which are my faves. :(

BEST ITEMS OTHER THAN CLOTH DIAPERS:

Great selection of WET BAGS (LOVE WET BAGS)

Imse Vimse Swim Diaper with matching tankini tops--too cute!

Here's the link:
http://www.caterpillarbaby.com/

And for later on it is always available on the side of my blog.

Good Service! (in Toronto!!!)

I have had some very positive encounters at baby stores lately that I feel like I should share.

Yesterday, I had truly exceptional service from Sharon at Moms to be and More. She was so helpful and went out of her way to provide good service for me--running to the storeroom and searching for exactly what I wanted. She was great. Love the store.

Pretty busy day yesterday--I also had a little car seat issue--and so I went to the Canadian Car Seat Installation Centre because they do free inspections. http://www.carseatinstallationexperts.com/index.html Turned out I needed more than an inspection and they were able to help me out. They were extremely knowledgeable and really took their time with me. The great thing was that this big technician Mike has a great way with babies--and has mastered the art of entertaining a baby while explaining car seat safety. I highly recommend going there for your inspection (free) or if you need it installed--book an apt early as they are really busy. I have heard that Saturdays are insanely busy there--so try to make it during the week. All the info is on the website.

When you are at the Installation Centre you obviously have to pop into Moms to Be and More As Is store. You never know what you might find. Whenever I am in that area, I go to the store because my hubby and I found the bedroom set there for our baby last year when I was pregnant and it is great quality and the price was right. The service there is really great as well. Very laid-back and not busy but the staff there are fantastic.

At Lil' Nibletshttp://www.lilniblets.com/ I received exceptional service from Peter. I was extremely impressed by him. However, I have to admit, even though people LOVE Lil' Niblets--I am not in love with the store. The person who was helping me prior to Peter was pushy and it seemed like I was annoying him because I was taking my time with stroller shopping. At one point I just said "you know, it is going to take me awhile to decide if you want to go help someone else, that's great." Didn't love that. It was on my second visit to Lil' Niblets that I had the pleasure of being helped by Peter and it did make my experience more enjoyable. The store is super nice and they have some great products however the website is lacking and although the staff are quite knowledgeable about the products most of them have never tried the actual product out, which can be frustrating. Free parking is available on the side streets.

Happy shopping and if you ever want to share a review--please do!

Store Review--Belly Laughs

Belly Laughs is an adorable name for a store--and the owner of the store is just as adorable. Her name is Sandra but probably should be referred to as Super-Mom Sandra. She is young, passionate about her store (and all that is baby) and tries to hire knowledgeable employees. The employees chat about all that is Mom & Baby and if one of them doesn`t have the answer--they will get it for you from someone else. Recently I was having a passionate conversation with an employee about disposable inserts on cloth diapers and I was asking her about some of the products. She was very familiar with the features of the products but told that she would consult with other people about a new product and get back to me. She got back to me with a full review from her fellow colleagues. It was great. Really awesome customer service from REAL MOMS.

The actual store is in Kanata (near Ottawa) so for many of you this is not a convenient location--a little far from Toronto :)--but I am mentioning it because you can order online from the website. The website is easy to navigate and the shipping information is as follows:
*2-5 business days of receiving your order
*ship by courier for faster delivery
*standard shipping fee of $9.95 applies to all orders
*Orders placed with a value over $150 qualify for FREE SHIPPING!

If you do live in the Ottawa are--stop in because they have consignment products as well as all the neat stuff you see online. So you can participate in their consignment program because we all know that a lot of baby and maternity stuff does not get used for long.
Another HUGE bonus for those who live in the Ottawa area--they have a cloth diaper trial program called BOTTOMS UP! so that you can try out different brands before you invest.

Overall, Belly Laughs has a wide range of products that have been tested and approved by Moms and so you know that the quality is good.

The website link is on the side of my blog under the category BEST STORES or you can type in: www.bellylaughs.ca.

Happy shopping!

Great Service... in TORONTO!

Yeah, I know... everyone thinks it's impossible to get great service at stores in busy Toronto...but I am here to tell you that there is hope for Moms in Toronto as I have had some wonderful encounters that I want to rave about! (and no, I am not getting paid to say this... because I don't know how to get paid to say things on blogs yet...)

First of all: LINDSEY from Peace of Mind Baby.
www.peaceofmindbabyproducts.com

So first of all, this store is awesome. Absolutely incredible. The prices on many items are great and the store sells good quality stuff.
Lindsey cares about what she sells and is friendly and offers great suggestions. The service is great and when you order something--it arrives quickly to your door.
I highly recommend this store.
Now--with Lindsey--we have never met--but she called me about my order and we DISCUSSED PRODUCTS and she helped me to choose exactly what I was looking for...and didn't choose something super expensive. She seems honest and works hard at keeping her clients happy. I love this store because of their products and because of her.

REALLY HANDS ON: Karen Judd
www.momstobeandmore.com

The staff at the store are great because they will sell you WHAT YOU NEED and not necessarily what is the most costly. AWESOME. Also, while shopping and making the BIG STROLLER DECISION--Karen recommended products and took her time to fully explain every single aspect of each stroller I was interested. I walked out of there a proud owner of the perfect stroller FOR ME--and that is what is so great. She listened to my needs and then found the product that worked best. Love that.

Organized and Wonderful: Allison
www.becomingmaternity.com

Allison is a pro at fitting people for baby carriers and slings and has excellent product knowledge. Because this is not just a store Allison is also extremely organized and helpful when it comes to the classes and services that are offered at the centre. The best part about Allison? She greets everyone with a smile and remembers you and your baby when you go to the centre. When exhausted and frustrated--there is nothing better than to be greeted with a nice hello.

Please feel free to rave about others too...in fact--tell me about them so that I have an excuse to go shopping!