Babyworld on the Castlereagh Road used to be called Toytown and was the one stop shop for toys for…read morechildren and babies. The Babyworld showroom pack an impressive range of prams, buggies, cribs, car seats, cuddly toys and everything else needed to welcome your baby into your home. One advantage of the large store is that you can take the prams for a little test run round the store before you buy. The store also offers a top discount for penny pinching yummy mummys, in that if you pay up front for stuff (which is the same as buying online, an option which many expectant mothers prefer) they give you 15% off the main price. Babyworld's prices are the same on average as most of the other leading baby shops like Mothercare, so they won't sneakily up the price before they knock 15% off. Another advantage of this store is that they can store everything for you so you don't need to worry about taking it with you either and cluttering up your home just yet.

This is a really sweet shop which specialises in children's bedrooms and nursery's. The shop is…read morekinda small inside and a bit cramped so certainly not good for manoeuvring a pram around. In fact when I was in someone had to leave their pram and child at the door. However, looking past that wee glitch, the stuff in here is really great! It's full of beautiful unusual things that you wouldn't find in Mothercare or Mamas and Papas. The decorations are really nice and they cover things like thermometers, coat hangers, boarders, cushions, pictures, linen, and furniture and everything in between! They also stock prams and the more practical things you'd need. The prices are quite high, as seems to be custom with these independent stores. But if you're looking for something different and don't mind paying for it, it's certainly worth a visit!

Now I am going to sound like a muppet who has nothing much to worry about in life, but when I…read moreredecorated my son's bedroom with a cowboy theme, I really struggled to get little bits and pieces to accessorise his room with. Until I found Funky Bedrooms. Funky Bedrooms is located rather awkwardly right on the bend where the Holywood Road meets the Newtownards Road. Luckily you can sneak into the car park behind it which I think is really for the health centre. It's filled with all manner of cute and lovely things for babies and younger children's bedrooms. Think gingham, boats and dinosaurs for boys and butterflies, flowers and hearts for girls. And cowboys for boys too. I scored a fab cowboy storage bag and bean bag which look just perfect. Not the cheapest at £40 ish each but well made and, as the sign says, funky. They also do loads of practical stuff like prams, cots, maternity clothes, changing bags and potties. Eeeww, I'm so glad we're past that stage.

Having 4 nephews and soon to be 3 nieces it's sometimes tough to find an original present or…read moresomething I haven't got another one of them in the past. This year I thought I would wander off the well-worn High Street and in to St Georges Market to see if I could find something quirky and cool that would not only impress the little ones but also make my sisters smile. When I came across the Tee and Toast stall I immediately knew I had found what I was looking for, they have a range on kiddies clothes and accessories with locally inspired images and phrases (see my bib pic). The lady manning the stall was as bright and bubbly as the clothes on display and she helped me choose the 'Bout Ye Belfast' bib that's sure to get a chuckle form the latest member of my ever expanding family. They are based at St Georges Market on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday but also have an online store that I will be definitely be visiting for Christmas presents for the big and small members of the family. It's refreshing to see our local culture and landmarks being displayed in such a positive and humorous way.

On an extremely wet, miserable and despondent day in Bangor, Innovation gift shop was a glaringly…read morebright beacon of light, shining brilliantly in my direction. The selection, for such a small shop, really is vast. There were a lovely array of cute, well-priced pillows - the kind with proverbs and messages written on them, complete with a beaded hanger for attaching to your wall / door etc. £5.99, if my memory serves me correctly. A lovely collection of bridal accessories, including head bands and tiaras for half price, as well as wedding favours and other relevant bits and bobs were all available for purchase. A wide range of gorgeous ornaments, unusual jewellery collections, incense sticks, candles, baby gifts, to name but a few filled the shop to the brim. I had never seen such unique and special gifts all in the one place. An older lady was also browsing round 'Innovation' when I was in, and her excitement at the overwhelming gifts and brilliant bargains was very evident. She had purchased something a matter of moments before her eyes lit up, having spotted yet another alluring object. "Oh, I'm never going to get out of here!" she laughed. The shop assistant laughed along with her and was most helpful in referring the lady to another shop in Newtownards where she would be able to buy something they did not have. I settled upon a black cherry Yankee candle melt for the decent price of £1.05, and was served by the shop assistant's son, who was still learning the ropes. Both were extremely pleasant, and topic of conversation turned to the horrendous weather before I left, quietly satisfied that I found yet another fantastic gift shop to add to my list of birthday-present-purchasing-places. Innovative indeed.

Like a very similar shop in Holywood, Urban Orchard, this is a bit of a middle class woman's…read moreparadise and doesn't really have much for anyone else other than their target demographic. That i unless someone else is buying a gift for the woman in their life. Like Urban Orchard, this is a lovely place to go into in to shop. There is all sorts of stuff such as pillows, knick nacks, candles and bridal accessories on sale and there seems to be quite a large amount of stock for what is quite a small shop. You can basically pick up anything you would need to furnish a new house or to buy a housewarming or engagement gift for a friend. The prices are pretty standard for this sort of stuff, which is to say that it seems quite expensive. More for girls than for boys, but I guess there is nothing really wrong with that. There is handy parking near by which is always a bonus.

This is a pretty well known wee homewares and knick-knack shop with an excellent location right in…read morethe middle of town. Now, I'm not a big fan of this kind of place, my sister used to drag me to Habitat all the time and it fostered nothing but resentment in my soul for scented candles and picture frames. That is not to say that this place is not bad at what it does. It seems to be quite cheap to me but that being said I don't buy this kinda stuff all that often. There were an awful lot of signs up that said the likes of '50% off' or 'Sale' so I think this the kind of place you could go to get a bargain. Also, the staff were dead on enough when I called in here. They were friendly and polite without being too pushy or in your face.

This branch of the popular Au Naturele brand is one of two of the stores in the city centre…read more They sell homewares and random little things that you probably don't need but are nice anyway. Au Naturele certainly won't burn a hole in your pocket and you may even come away with a bargain or two. A nice place to pick up some fancy soaps or candles for your mum or aunt.

Having no children myself, and not having any nieces or nephews that I have to purchase things for…read moreI have very little call to go into this place. But for my Yelping duties I called in last time I was up in Belfast. It is a kinda groovy, funky, cool, bespoke childrens furniture shop. You can get beds, cabinets, cupboards, wardrobes and everything like that. The prices are pretty ok from what I can tell and the staff were all lovely. If you don't wanna go to Ikea then this is probably the place for you.

This place is a really cute little boutiquey shop situated upstairs in the Castlecourt centre. I…read morehad a wee browse for nosiness last time I was in town shopping and found the shop to be charming. They sell really cool and imaginative furniture for kids along with cute accessories like bunting for your bed. They offer loads of different ranges of bunk beds at good prices, good for families low on space. They seems to be a Danish company and I've never seen any other stores in Belfast. If your kids demands something a bit more individual than Ikea, this may be the place for you!

Exquisite is in the "I wish" category of gift shops. "I wish" I could afford these beautiful gifts,…read more"I wish" I had someone to buy that scented paperweight for, "I wish" I knew why I never thought of going to Exquisite for so and so...and the list goes on. One "I wish" that has been a possibility, and indeed a reality, is "I wish" I could have a peep in Exquisite sometime. This came to be a couple of months back, and again two days ago. Oooh goody. Exquisite really could not have a more appropriate name. The shop oozes style and glamour, its stunning gift and jewellery range exuding charm. With names such as Couer de Lion, Shira, Pilgrim and Jackie Brazil jewellery all featuring in the jewellery section, you know this is going to be snazzy stuff. I love the fancy belts and buckles - cowhides, gems, embellishments galore. The kids clothing range is absolutely gorgeous, and would make a really special gift for a little 'un. Exquisite also stocks incredibly diverse gifts, from Lilly Flame candles to Dora designs scented paper weights, from East of India ribbon to umbrellas and lampshades. There is certainly plenty to choose from. One final "I wish". I wish I could buy the whole shop...

I really do like this shop. It's lovely for a browse or to pick up some small item like a nice…read moredesigner piece of wrapping paper or a funky little card. The only problem I have with Exquisite is that it is too expensive. They sell the most darling little outfits for babies and toddlers as well as gorgeous little unique books and toys but be prepared to pay through the nose for the bits and bobs baby will grow out of very fast. I recently picked up a cool little outfit in the sales for a new born baby and was chuffed that it was reduced way way down to £5.00. I also bought my nephew a little wooden trike designed like a cow. it is totally beautiful but completely impractical as the wheels are so spinning the wee man nearly crashes every time he gets on - obviously not the shops fault but it is being sold for aged one!? anyways, they also sell Pilgrim jewelry and lovely hair pieces for that special occasion - just be prepared to dig deep into the old wallet.

I really like The Works, you can pick up all sorts of interesting books here for a bargain price,…read morethey are arranged out by category like they would in a library, children's section, thriller, local history, cookery, reference books etc. They also stock a wide range of craft goods, such as easels, all types of paint and paintbrushes, scrapbooks, stickers, wool, needles, you name it! The Works is a good shop for giftware too, for example if you have secret Santa, there are loads of fun items, themes such as Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Hello Kitty, and more. This is actually one of the nicer The Works stores I've been in, it's not too crammed as some others are, and is easy to navigate without knocking things over!

This is a great wee shop inside connswater shopping centre. There are a vast selection of books…read morethere are every book you can imagine in this shop, I like the cookbooks as I like to bake at home , most of my cookbooks are from here and theres lots to choose from and the prices are decent too. The works also sell children's books and children's toys and sweeties at the till. Theres a small craft selection which has a good selection of boxes ec to keep your crafting supplies in. If your an artist theres a brilliant selection of canvas's and paints and brushes even charcoals and pastels. Theres a great selection here for anyone into painting. Also a selection of DVDs, calendars and diarys. Theres gift sets and gadgets in store. Shop is always crammed and well filled with stock!