Baby and maternity shopping in Palo Alto

Palo Alto welcomes a lot of babies. Young families move here for the schools, Stanford Medicine's hospitals deliver babies just up the road and grandparents fly in from around the world to help. Yet the city has no big baby superstore and no maternity boutique. Shopping for a new arrival means piecing it together from a handful of strong stores at Stanford Shopping Center, a toy shop in each neighboring town and the outlet centers farther out.

This guide sorts it by task: setting up the nursery, building a registry, dressing the baby, finding maternity clothes and buying gifts. We confirmed each store on its own website, its brand's store page or a verified listing in our directory in October 2026. For outings once the baby arrives, see our guide to baby-friendly Palo Alto.

Where to go for what

Setting up the nursery

Pottery Barn Kids at Stanford Shopping Center is the city's main nursery store. It sells nursery and kids' room furniture, bedding and decor, with free design appointments and registry help. Seeing a crib, dresser and glider in person helps with scale, finish and how sturdy pieces feel. Furniture often ships weeks after ordering, so start in the second trimester if you can.

Crate & Barrel's two-story store in the same center carries its Crate & Barrel Kids collection, which covers baby and kids' furniture, nursery items and toys. It offers free design help and registry consultations. The two stores are a short walk apart, so you can compare in one visit. Our home and design guide covers the center's other furniture stores if you are redoing more than one room.

Building a registry

In-store registry help is one of the best reasons to shop locally. Pottery Barn Kids lists registry help and design appointments. Crate & Barrel offers registry consultations. Macy's has a Wedding & Gift Registry desk on Floor 3. Book ahead on weekends, when staff are busiest. Bring your list of big-ticket items, the measurements of the nursery and a sense of your budget. Staff can also tell you which items ship from a warehouse and which you can carry out the same day.

Baby clothes

Stanford Shopping Center has the best selection in town for baby clothing:

• Janie and Jack: the San Francisco-founded brand's dressy children's clothing from baby sizes up, popular for holiday outfits and gifts.
• Gap: the center's Gap carries babyGap and GapKids alongside adult clothing, with in-store pickup.
• Macy's: its store page lists infants' clothing, children's shoes and toys on Floor 2, with more children's shoes and toys on Floor 1.
• Nordstrom: a kids' department plus a shoe department for first walkers.

Babies outgrow clothes in weeks, so buy the next size up for gifts. For value, the outlet centers in Gilroy and Livermore both list Carter's and OshKosh B'Gosh stores. Our outlet malls guide has their hours. For secondhand, see our thrift stores guide.

Maternity clothes

Palo Alto has no dedicated maternity store. The best in-store option is Macy's at Stanford Shopping Center, whose store page lists maternity among its women's departments on Floors 2 and 3. Selection is limited compared with online, so call ahead or check stock on the Macy's site before a special trip.

Many parents mix a few maternity pieces with stretchy basics in larger sizes. Activewear stores at the center and at Town & Country Village sell stretchy leggings and tops. Staff can help with fit. For a special event, an alterations shop can let out a dress you already own. Our dry cleaning and tailoring guide lists local tailors.

Baby toys, books and gifts

For a classic toy shop, Cheeky Monkey Toys has two stores close by: 640 Santa Cruz Avenue in downtown Menlo Park and 173 Main Street in Los Altos. Its website has sections for baby toys and gifts, board books and toddler toys. It also advertises free gift wrapping. In Palo Alto, Books Inc. at Town & Country Village sells children's books, toys and games. Our kids and toys guide covers both in more detail.

Paperwhirl, a stationery and gift boutique at 165 Main Street in Los Altos, lists baby gifts and custom invitations among its specialties. Its website gives hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Hand-me-downs and used gear

Palo Alto families pass baby gear around constantly through neighborhood email lists, school groups and parent clubs. Used clothing, books and toys are an easy win. Gear that keeps a baby safe deserves more care. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission publishes recalls and safety standards on its website, cpsc.gov. Check a used crib, high chair, stroller or play yard against its recall list before you use it. Federal crib standards changed in 2011 and drop-side cribs are no longer allowed, so pass on an old crib even if it looks sturdy. Car seats have expiration dates printed on them and should not be reused after a crash, so most parents buy those new.

For new gear at lower prices, compare online retailers with the outlet stores. For clothing, the thrift and resale shops listed in our thrift stores guide restock daily.

Gift ideas for new parents

If you are buying for someone else, a few rules help. Clothing in 6 to 12 month sizes lasts longer than newborn sizes, which babies outgrow quickly. Board books from Books Inc. or Cheeky Monkey Toys make lasting gifts. A registry item is always safest, since parents choose exactly what they need. For something personal, a framed print, a custom announcement from a stationery shop or a gift card for a meal delivery all get used. Stanford Shopping Center's food shops, including Sigona's Farmers Market, also make it easy to drop off groceries for tired new parents.

Practical tips for shopping with a baby

1. Use the family restrooms. Stanford Shopping Center lists family restrooms between Max Mara and David Yurman and on the second floor of the building with Alo and Vuori. Macy's has one on Floor 3.
2. Go on a weekday morning. Walkways are quiet and parking is easy.
3. Bring a layer. The center is open-air, so stroller rides between stores are outdoors.
4. Keep receipts. Gifts often duplicate. Store credit for a larger size later is useful.
5. Check car seat installation. Ask your pediatrician's office or hospital about local car seat checks before the due date.

After the shopping

Once you are home with a newborn, the shopping list shifts to outings and care. Our guide to stroller-friendly walks lists flat routes for the early weeks. Our preschools and childcare guide covers childcare options in town.

Frequently asked questions