Best of Philly 2005: Home

Place to get your Kid Coiffed: Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids
This new Chestnut Hill hair cuttery is more than any kid could hope for. The front is devoted to impulse buys like penny candy, small toys and hair accessories. The back room has six different styling stations, each with a fun barber chair; kids can watch dvds while they have their locks trimmed (7932 Germantown avenue, chestnut hill; 215-248-5437).

Reliable Nanny Service: Philadelphia Nanny Network For a $50 annual fee, you can tap into this Main Line nanny service’s temp pool and have an experienced kid-watcher at a moment’s notice. They provide references and do all the background checks for you; for part-time help, all you do is pony up the $15-a-day agency fee and pay your nanny’s hourly rate of $12 to $15. (Full-time prices are higher.) (10 East Athens Avenue, suite 214, Ardmore; 610-645-6550)

New Toy Store: Lucky Duck This new specialty toy shop fills the void left by the closing of Zany Brainy, striking a nice balance between trendy and educational (106 East Lancaster Avenue, Wayne; 610-254-0054).

Furniture fit for a Princess: Painted Cottage Excels at the feminine, highly decorated pieces that make little girls’ eyes light up. With reasonably priced painted headboards and coordinating dressers, you can put together a bedroom for your young royal for less than a king’s ransom (719 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood; 856-854-0534).

Place to dine with your kids: Le Bus Manager Christian Halvorsen greets pint-size diners as if they’re old friends, personally escorting them to the toy bins stashed under benches in the front entryway. Families equal the number of unencumbered diners, so no one seems to notice — or care — if your daughters run in circles. The best part? Monday through Friday, between 5 and 7 p.m., kids eat for $1 (4266 Main Street, Manayunk; 215-487-2663).

Kids’ Boutiques

City: Born Yesterday Since taking over the space next door and doubling in size last year, this Rittenhouse Square boutique has reconfirmed its status as the place to go in town for cool clothes for kids. It carries all the favorites—Petit Bateau, Cozy Toes, Baby Lulu, Catimini—as well as the funky and chic: Tea, Sister Sam, Lili Gaufrette, Jean Bourget, not to mention great accessories and toys, including the “it” line Ugly Dolls, pictured at left (1901 Walnut Street; 215-
568-6556).

’Burbs: Down 2 Earth Kids Comparisons to L.A.’s Kitson Boutique or the kids’ department at Barneys New York are well deserved This eclectic, cool Lafayette Hill shop has it all, from designer clothing like Da-Nang cargo pants and tunic tops, Juicy sweatsuits and Terry dresses, to Charlie Rocket skateboard and surfer tees, to vintage photo albums with rhinestone embellishments, Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bags, and plush animal stools for toddlers. The vintage, one-of-a-kind concert
t-shirts (from the Grateful Dead to AC/DC) could bring out the rock star in any child (422 Germantown Pike, Lafayette Hill; 610-941-3336).