Best places for buying baby and child products Best shops for buying baby and child products
We've polled more than 11,000 UK shoppers to find out which stores are the best and worst for buying toys and baby products.
Our results table below includes big high street chains such as Argos, Boots, Early Learning Centre and Mothercare alongside smaller chains. It reveals the best and worst places to shop for those vital baby essentials, such as pushchairs, child car seats and high chairs.
Which? members can log in to unlock the results table below. If you're not already a member, you can get instant access by taking a £1 trial to Which?.
| Baby and child equipment shops reviewed | |||||||||
| Shop | Product range | Product quality | Service | Store environment | Pricing | After-sales and returns | Customer Score | ||
| 99 p Store |  | | | | | | | ||
| Argos | | | | | | | | ||
| Asda | | | | | | | | ||
| BHS | | | | | | | | ||
| Boots | | | | | | | | ||
| Debenhams | | | | | | | | ||
| Disney Store | | | | | | | | ||
| Early Learning Centre | | | | | | | | ||
| Independent baby and child shops | | | | | | | | ||
| Independent department stores | | | | | | | | ||
| John Lewis | | | | | | | | ||
| Marks and Spencer | | | | | | | | ||
| Mamas & Papas | | | | | | | | ||
| Mothercare | | | | | | | | ||
| Poundland | | | | | | | | ||
| Poundstretcher | | | | | | | | ||
| Sainsbury's | | | | | | | | ||
| Tesco | | | | | | | | ||
| The Entertainer Toy Shop | | | | | | | | ||
| Toys R Us / Babies R Us | | | | | | | | ||
Using the table
Sample sizes: 99 p Store 106, Argos 105, Asda 105, BHS 104, Boots 105, Debenhams 106, Disney Store 105, Early Learning Centre 106, Independent baby and child shops 109, Independent department stores 105, John Lewis 104, M&S 105, Mamas & Papas 105, Mothercare 105, Poundland 106, Poundstretcher 105, Sainsbury's 105, Tesco 105, The Entertainer Toy Shop 105, Toys R Us / Babies R Us 105
Customer score: This is based on a combination of overall satisfaction and how likely people are to recommend the store to a friend
| Baby and child equipment shops reviewed | |||||||||
| Shop | Product range | Product quality | Service | Store environment | Pricing | After-sales and returns | Customer Score | ||
| Disney Store |  |  | | |  | | 80 | ||
| John Lewis |  | | | | | | 79 | ||
| Early Learning Centre | | | | | | | 75 | ||
| Toys R Us / Babies R Us | | | | | | | 73 | ||
| Argos | | | | | | | 71 | ||
| Asda | | | | | | | 71 | ||
| The Entertainer Toy Shop | | | | | | | 71 | ||
| Debenhams | | | | | | | 70 | ||
| Marks and Spencer | | | | | | | 70 | ||
| Mamas & Papas | | | | | | | 70 | ||
| Independent baby and child shops | | | | | | | 68 | ||
| Independent department stores | | | | | | | 65 | ||
| Sainsbury's | | | | | | | 65 | ||
| Mothercare | | | | | | | 65 | ||
| Boots | | | | | | | 65 | ||
| BHS | | | | | | | 65 | ||
| Tesco | | | | | | | 63 | ||
| Poundland | | | | | | | 60 | ||
| 99 p Store | | | | | | | 56 | ||
| Poundstretcher | | | | | | | 51 | ||
Using the table
Sample sizes: Disney Store 105, John Lewis 104, Early Learning Centre 106, Toys R Us / Babies R Us 105, Argos 105, Asda 105, The Entertainer Toy Shop 105, Debenhams 106, M&S 105, Mamas & Papas 105, Independent baby and child shops 109, Independent department stores 105, Sainsbury's 105, Mothercare 105, Boots 105, BHS 104, Tesco 105, Poundland 106, 99 p Store 106, Poundstretcher 105
Star ratings: These range from one to five - the more stars the better
Customer score: This is based on a combination of overall satisfaction and how likely people are to recommend the store to a friend
How Which? rates baby equipment and toy shops
The baby and child category, which covers baby equipment and toys, is part of the Which? shops survey - the biggest of its kind in the UK.
For the survey Which? surveyed 11,784 members of the general public online between February and March 2013 about the shops they had visited in the past six months. Shoppers were asked how satisfied they were with the shops they'd bought baby equipment and toys from and how likely they were to recommend those shops. These factors make up the Which? customer score.
Our survey respondents also rated baby equipment and toy shops on 15 factors covering price, service, store environment, product quality, product range and after sales service. These are shown as star ratings in our table of baby equipment and toy shops and are made up of the factors below:
- Service – staff knowledge about products, staff helpfulness and staff availability
- Store environment – ease of finding products, tidiness of store, store environment, queuing time and child friendliness
- Price – price, sales and special offers
- Product quality – product quality and how well products last
- Product range – range of products and products being in stock
- After sales and returns
- Discover the best high-street shops for buying baby clothes
- Check out the best online shops for buying baby equipment
- See which baby and child shops made our overall top 100 high street shops
