This is a relatively new store, it's a good size and is well set out. The Mothercare entrance is on…read morethe ground floor and you can go upstairs inside to more Mothercare and a large Early Learning Centre concession. Downstairs is baby and kids clothing including multipacks of vests, bodysuits etc. and the maternity section. Upstairs has prams, cots, nappies, feeding stuff - all the stuff babies need! And the toys. I was looking for something in particular and when I couldn't find it a lovely staff member offered to check in the store room after she couldn't see it on the shop floor either. Unfortunately they didn't have any but she told me to use the click & collect service on the website which I already knew about but was helpful never the less. I was returning to clothes (bought as a present) that were too small and exchanging them for something else, this was done quickly and easily by the staff.

Lovely big and easy to navigate store. The ground floor is clothing and upstairs (there is a lift…read moreif you've brought your buggy!) is a big early learning center and all the none clothing gubbins small children might require. Think buggies, car seats, bath mats, mini nail clippers, 76 different varieties of cups, bibs, etc, etc. This visit I was looking for a winter coat and wellies for puff. They had a good selection of winter coats both water proof cagouley types and more dressy wool-type affairs. The other thing that I like about Mothercare is that the selection for little girls extents further than pale or dark pink! So puff got a lovely red puffy cagoule and matching red cat welly boots. She obviously quite likes them as the wellies go on after breakfast and if we try to remove them at any point screaming ensues! Of course, I had a wee look at the Little Bird range - designed by Jools Oliver it really is my favourite range of kids clothing. So there may have been a couple of wee extras taken up to the till - no surprises there then. Unfortunately, this Mothercare looses as star for the absence of staff on the floor. It took me ages to find someone to ask if they had a skirt in puff's size and then I was at the till for what seemed like eons before anyone appeared to take my money. Admittedly, the member of staff was lovely when she arrived. The new system they have to e-mail your receipt to you is brilliant, very handy when you are as useless with remembering to keep them as I am!

So I think I've reached the point in my life where it's perfectly reasonable for people to ask me…read morethe question: "Do you have any children?" which I answer with "HHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" and grimace. Don't get me wrong; I love babies. Scratch that... I love very well-behaved happy babies from loving families, but these hips ain't birthing any little people in the next 10 years (sorry mom and dad... got things to do, places to see!). So I'm perfectly content being super cool Auntie Lex who spoils chubster babies with amazing gifts! With the arrival of two of the most adorable baby boys on this side of the pond, I was on a mission for quality baby clothing that was quirky as well. I didn't want run-of-the-mill Next or babyGap, and I didn't want anything cheap that would irritate the babies' skin. JoJo Maman Bébé is a Welsh multi-channel retailer (brick and mortar, and online) that just so happens to have a Glasgow outlet in the bustling West End. The shop has everything you would ever want if you are a mother-to-be (I wouldn't really know though, but I assume?) to pre-school age. Since I have been here a few times shopping for baby boys, they offer great selections of adorable quirky outfits (nautical stripes and pirates, yes please!). If you go at the right time, they have some pretty amazing sales as well. Service is friendly and very helpful, never pushy... Sales girl: How are you getting on? Me: I'm trying to buy something for a baby boy who is turning 1, and he weighs about 25 pounds... quite... uh... chunky. Sales girl: You mean well-fed? ::giggle:: Looks like he would be about a 12-18 month old size. Me: Thank you! If you're a mum... or someone like me who likes to spoil your friends' children, and wants to buy those little people in your life something else other than the drab and typical High Street stuff, then definitely pop into JoJo Maman Bébé the next time you're in the West End. p.s. They carry Mama Mio products - if this means anything to you, it's pretty amazing (read: cult-like) skincare products you can use whether or not you've pushed out a little person from your punani, HA!

Saturday was baby shopping day and no baby shopping is complete without a visit to Jo-Jo. Having…read morediscovered Jo-Jo in Edinburgh, I was pleased when a friend informed me one had just opened in the West End, just off Byres Road. Jo-Jo is a small chain, predominately based in England, stocking own brand baby (and small kids) and maternity clothes, as well as known brands such as Avent and Tommy Tippee for baby accessories. They are also a stockist of the excellent Mama Mio maternity cosmetics ('boob tube' and stretch mark cream) which becomes an addiction that must be fed according to my sis-in-law. A great shop - good for gifts and baby products and reasonably priced if you want something that is a bit 'more' than Next/Baby Gap. I have friends who love this shop and having helped my pregnant friend shop for a maternity wardrobe, their clothes for 'mum to be' are great and if you time it right, you can grab a fab sale bargain as their clothes cover everything from casual to work staples.

Yes Pram Centre you will take my money, yes i will purchase a stroller for my small person type,…read moreyes it will probably be the best deal in town from a place that has a great selection of all things baby related, but GOD....service much??? Ok so i'm minus baby and wife (just now, not totally) and i'm dressed a bit shabbily with a two to three day stubble, but JEEZ, i'm actually rolling buggies up and down the isles testing them out, waving my wallet in the air and shouting...... " hmmmmm this one looks exactly like the one i want to buy!!!!!! hmmmmmmmmmm, maybe i should buy it now!"......nothing Anyway, despite the lack of forthcoming service or to be honest, even a n acknowledging nod in my direction (maybe that invisibility cream i bought from the guy at the market does actually work!!!),i will be back here to purchase said buggy, as its well priced and has a great range.

First, go to Pram Mart in Govan instead…read more Second, yes, this place does have a huge selection. But unless you know exactly what you are looking for it's an incredibly overwhelming place. Because... Third, the service is terrible. I am the ideal customer for a salesperson. I actually asked for help, saying I need a pram, I'm a first time mother, and I am overwhelmed. Duh! Easiest sale ever. Just give me a couple of choices and I will be so grateful I will buy them from you immediately. Instead the woman told me to look around and went back to gossiping with the two other saleswoman who also weren't helping the hoards of people walking around, looking helpless and lost. Last, I didn't think the prices were that great, but like I said this was my first foray into pram shopping so it might be that I ran away like a scaredy-cat and missed the good stuff. So I won't give them the one star as I am inclined.

After digging out the satnav in search of Petit Pomme, I wasn't sure what I'd find when I got there…read moreas baby 'boutiques' can be hit and miss. I was looking for an extra special baby gift and an Emile et Rose stockist and this was one of the stockists I was directed to by the Scotland Rep for Emile et Rose. This is a goregous shop - helpful, friendly staff (and not pushy despite a new auntie and gran preparing to go mad amongst the pink baby selection) with gorgeous baby clothes - designer brands (dior) and also known baby brands such as Emile et Rose, Sarah Louise, and Le Petit Bateau to name a few. Everything sold here from baby basics (sleep pods) to coats and christening robes. Well worth a visit if you are looking for a special baby gift for family or friends. Gift wrapping is £3 but is lovely with tissue paper, boxes and ribbons. Lots of choices for all ages (girls = babies to 16 I think! and boys = babies to 10yrs). I'll be returning at the end of the month to purchase more - a great find!

I am a massively excited 2nd time mum to be. Basically all of my cards and any access to cash…read moreshould be locked in a safe and I should be locked in a room a long long way away from the safe. So when I casually dropped it into a conversation that I would stop on the way home to go the Argos at Glasgow Fort I thought g might see through my dastardly plan to 'have a wee look' in Mamas and Papas. 13 and a half years of marriage have taught me many things but possibly the most valuable is that if you want to sneak something past him mention it while he is talking or thinking bike. This way I get to be all 'but I did tell you' without really having told him at all! So with no child or husband in tow I was looking forward to a leisurely browse and wondering how effectively I could slip the subject of bankruptcy into a bike conversation. The store is bright and busy with car seats and buggies on the left and clothing, maternity and small person on the right with the furniture, bedding, etc. at the back of the store. Unfortunately, even in the mists of excitement I was conscious that the prices were mental. For the same mamas and papas branded toy elephant that I could get in Tesco for £14 the store wanted to charge me £20. I was in the store for a good wee while. Erm, I might have been having one of those mad lady internal arguments over some very beautiful multi-coloured star covered sheets. They cost £32 for 2, the ikea ones cost £9 for 2. They are so very pretty, they will probably be pooed on. All the while picking them up and putting them down again, over and over again. I didn't see a member of staff floating around let alone get asked if I needed any help. Admittedly they could have been on the phone checking to see if any patients were missing from ward 25 at Monklands. Eventually having decided not to risk giving my husband a heart attack over £32 cot sheets I headed to the till with a magic sheep, seriously cool soundy lighty soft toy that will make my child sleep through the night without fail - grasps at straws manically! Don't worry before I parted with my cash I checked that the sheep wasn't any cheaper elsewhere - thank goodness for 3G. At the till I found the most illusive of mamas and papas things a member of staff. She was however, far too busy and important one fingered typing to serve customers. Obviously far too busy and important to even deign to make eye contact with a customer as she hollered for another member of staff to 'do the tull'. Unfortunately, the lassie who came to do the till must have been on the same customer service course. No eye contact, a grunt response to my futile attempts to make conversation and then part way through serving me turned around to initiate conversation with the one on the computer. I won't be going back to Mamas and Papas. I could forgive the mental prices if you were paying for the 'experience' of shopping in an amazing environment with fawning staff. But if I'm going to put up with service like this then I want a bargain, a big bargain.

This is a nice bright Mamas and Papas store selling maternity clothes and babies clothes which are…read morereally cute but quite expensive. They have a selection of prams and travel systems with plenty of room to have a push and get the feel of them. They have some highchairs and lovely bright toys and walkers. They also have seperate wee rooms to give you an idea of what your nursery can be like it gives inspiration. The furniture is very expensive but the bedding is so cute although they do have 10% days a couple of times a year and a couple of sales which make it a bit more reasonable.

From the outside this second-hand furniture shop doesn't look like much--but nosey your way though…read morethe raggedy entrance, past the offices, and you will find yourself in an enormous vault of housewares. The quality and range of furniture here is excellent, and the prices make each item a fantastic value. Not only that, but it's run largely by volunteers with profits going to help the homeless. Although it looks modest and homely, (especially with Ibrox looming over it across the street), this really is a treasure trove of used goods that will spruce up your home *and* help a worthy charity! Other details: Cash only / Delivery for £15 / Close to Ibrox, Govan and on the 121, 89 and 90 bus routes

From the owner: Second Opportunities is a Scottish registered charity, set up to tackle the effects of poverty by…read moreproviding services, which incorporate the concept of recycling.

A useful alternative to the big ol mother care conglomerate, however i feel its doomed to…read moreovershadowed by the larger and more comprehensive Pram Centre just up the road. Nice enough, pleasant ish staff and decent collection of gear at semi reasonable prices, ok, but not great.

Bought a twin red kite buggy just about a month ago from Tot spot wheel kept falling of with my 2…read moreboys in the buggy. Took the buggy back to the shop totally intimidated by 3 shop assistants they took the buggy away to be looked at they have left me with no buggy completely house bound with a 2 year old and a one year old . They basically accused me of abusing the buggy i walk every were with my boys so this buggy was obviously not up to standard I would never buy another thing from this shop CUSTOMER SERVICE STINKS PLEASE DONT SHOP THERE.

With a wide range of pretty household gifts and sugary sweet baby accessories, there are no prizes…read morefor guessing the clientele aimed at by Elements in Cresswell Lane. In many ways, the beautifully-presented shop is a microcosm of the lane in its current incarnation as a whole; quirky and alternative, chic and pricey. Given the amount of similar businesses in the city (Felix and Oscar, Papyrus etc...), a shop like this has to be good if it's going to survive, and thankfully this one is. Devoid of the David Brent-esque silliness prevalent in many of its competitors, Elements exudes a little more class and concentrates solely on stocking pretty items which actually have some sort of use as well. Again, like most of its Cresswell Lane buddies, it's not a shop for me, but nor is it trying to be.

Elements kinda sums up Creswell Lane shopping in DeCourcy's arcade - it's yummy mummy central,…read morewhich isn't necessarily a bad thing, however, it might be bad if you're on a budget. This shop has everything! I love just looking round it and in all the 'nooks and crannies' - absolutely everything you see is for sale! It's soooo cute! And it sells those really nice scented candles - you know, the Lily-Frame candles... they're amazing! It has loads of gift ideas, and homewares, from baby clothes to aprons, cake platters to diamantee picture frames and all the rest. It's all quirky, cute and retro. I can easily kill time in there... it's tiny and adorable. I might do a Verrucca Salt and just say: I want everything in it, and I want it now!