As an expectant mother for the first time, I have finally started paying attention to baby goods. Strollers that just rolled by without me batting a second glance are captivating my attention. I have been thorougly researching many baby goods and now try to avoid staring at what carrier or brand of stroller a passing mother and child are using.
Since we do not have a Babies R Us on Maui, found in many larger metropolitan areas, I had to figure out some of the places to shop for baby goods. This is a huge industry with gadgets for every baby’s need and things I could never even have imagined. Here are some of the places one should check out when you are going to have or have a baby and you live on Maui.
All of the stores below are located in Kahului. I’d be interested in knowing about other stores on the island worth exploring.
1) Keiki Time, located on Hana Hwy, is a boutique that carries a lot of the best brands in baby necesseties. They sell the coveted Bob strollers, Chicco and Graco car seats and strollers, and baby carriers such as Baby Bjorn. I found their prices to be a little steep, but they do have pretty much the best of what is out there. So, you can be pretty assured of a selection of high quality items if you shop there. The sales staff here is excellent and very helpful in demonstrating use of their products (such as folding a stroller).
2) Cute and Cuddly, located in the Maui Mall, is a competitor boutique to Keiki Time. Cute and Cuddly also seems to carry a lot of the “best” brands as well, but seems to offer different, competing brands such as Phil & Teds and Mountain Buggy strollers. They also have some of the Graco products, which seems to be a baby industry biggy.
3) Sears in Queen Kaahumanu Shopping Center has prices that seem a bit more reasonable. Some of their brands include Eddie Bauer strollers and Safety First. However, I was disappointed when recently they ran a huge ad in the Maui News for some sale/discontinued items, such as a Graco playyard, but on the first day the ad ran, it was already not in stock.
4) Walmart offers options that are again more affordable than the boutiques. However, it seems that the offering in our Maui store may not be as complete for certain things as others in the mainland or their website. I was interested in seeing Baby Trend strollers, which I read about on the internet in person, and which Baby Trend’s website says is sold at Walmart. However, none were in stock when I visited Walmart.
5) K-Mart also has options that are more affordable than the boutiques for baby gear. Frankly, I think getting in and out of K-Mart during busy times is somewhat better than going to Walmart, as long as you avoid driving on Dairy Road to get there.
6) Finally, there is the internet. I have spent hours and hours researching this and that and have found Amazon.com to be a huge resource with great pricing. However, I do feel that tug of guilt when perusing their site, where maybe I should give local businesses such as the boutiques, or at least the big stores that carry merchandise in person some of my business. It is a bit of a challenge when pricing on the internet is so competitive.
I would suggest that these are some of the resources to consider and decide for yourself what budget/products will be useful for you if you are in the market for baby goods.
