Babies by the Sea Boutique in Cardiff by the Sea, CA

On Sunday I braved the pre-Super Bowl traffic to travel to the northern part of San Diego county and check out the Babies by the Sea Boutique in Cardiff by the Sea, CA which only just opened in September 2009 and is already quite a popular place.  Located in a quaint sea-side shop Babies by the Sea is an eco-friendly retail store that sells eco-friendly products for Mamas and Babies located at 2007 San Elijo Ave, Cardiff by the Sea, CA 92007 (at the intersection of San Elijo Ave and Birmingham).

Babies by the Sea Boutique features a wide variety of clothing for Babies and Mamas.  As I walked around the store I took a peak at some of the labels on the onsies, tee shirts, bottom, maternity shirts, hoodies, etc. that I came across and spotted a lot of bamboo and organic cotton.

I also noticed that Babies by the Sea Boutique does not short you on cuteness or style, either!  I was eyeing a Bob Marley onsie that my husband would adore and the softest collared tee-shirt I've ever felt (made of bamboo, of course!).  It was hard to walk through the store and not start buying things for my baby that doesn't exist yet.  Haha!  Especially since they were having a sale while I was in the store that day.

In addition to the wonderful clothing they have available Babies by the Sea Boutique also carries all of the pregnancy and baby must-haves!  For the Mama's out there they have a varitey of strollers, high chairs, bibs, receiving blankets, G Diapers, bottles, and diaper bags.

For the my infant readers out there (or their parents) check out the amazing toy section featuring the Green Toys company that I reviewed back during my holiday gift guide!  Other eco-friendly toys sold in their shop include BlaBlaBaby stuffed animals and Sprig Toys dump trucks along with a great variety of wooden toys.

The baby in your life may also enjoy snuggling up next to you while you carry them around in an Ergo, Baby Hawk, or Baby K'Tan carrier, all of which are available at Babies by the Sea Boutique.

I also really appreciate their book store section.  "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" was in there, along with "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth", "Birthing from Within", "Your Best Birth", and "The Complete Idiots Guide to Natural Childbirth".  Those along with pretty much the entire Dr. Sears library!  One glance at their book shelf is like a looking at my "Must-Read" list for pregnancy.  They had a nice selection of parenting books as well featuring some new-to-me titles like "Green Babies, Sage Moms", "Raising Baby Green", and "Healthy Child, Healthy World", along with the book that should be on everyone's must-read list "The Happiest Baby on the Block".  Round it all out with a wide selection of wonderful children's books and I could EASILY spend hours in this store just glancing at the bookshelf!

But it's not just the items that are sold at Babies by the Sea Boutique that make this shop so unique.  It's everything used to create this beautiful store from the recycled beer bottle counter tops (I HAVE to get the name of that company and remember it for when we renovate the kitchen!) to bamboo display cases to tables made from fallen urban trees.  Everything an eco-friendly lady such as myself can spend an hour discovering (which I did, btw).

If you think that's all that Babies by the Sea Boutique has to offer, you're way off!  It's not just a boutique but a whole parenting one-stop shop.  They offer a wide variety of parenting and baby classes and events.  For instance if you want to head on over to Babies by the Sea on Thursday you can check out their "The Busy Mom's Way to Eat Well Without Willpower or Denial" class (this is a complimentary class but you need to RSVP).  Or if you're free on February 25th you can attend the "Environmental Toxins: Additives that Aren't on the Labels" class (again, this is a complimentary class but you must RSVP). 

They also offer Breastfeeding and Pumping classes, New Mommy Support Groups, and weekly play groups for infants.   In fact, while I was in the store today Amy from Beach Bums Cloth Diaper Service came by for a cloth diaper demonstration.  And if you think that she is earning only a brief mention in this post, you don't know me too well!  I WILL be featuring this wonderful service in it's own post soon.

I have really only scraped the surface of all of the activities and classes they offer, so please swing by the website and check out all of the classes and groups offered through Babies by the Sea Boutique.

Speaking of the website, for all of my non-San Diego readers out there if you would like to support this wonderful shop by buying some of their products I am told the online store will be up and running in about a month.  When that happens I will be sure to let you all know so you can pick up some wonderful eco-friendly items via the online store!

The boutique operates in conjunction with the Babies by the Sea Birth Center I mentioned a few weeks ago which will be opening up in May.  I hope to get the chance to learn more about this North County birth center and be able to tell you all more about it when it's opening date gets a bit closer.  In the meantime, swing by the boutique,  and introduce yourself to Dr. Robert Biter and Laura Ann Fairchild (the owners) and Andrea who will probably be behind the register and answering your questions Sunday-Tuesday.  I got the chance to meet all three of them today and was blown away by how friendly and open everyone is!  I really had a great time, it was well worth the 40 minutes drive on Super Bowl Sunday (and don't worry, I got home in time for the game!).

I took a ton of pictures, the boutique was seriously beautiful!  Click on an image in the article or below to see it larger.  Please note the images are property Jaye Reilly Photography, if used, please leave a credit and a link back to the website!  Thank you.