Knutsel Frutsel

Hoofddorpweg 21
1059 CT Amsterdam
Tel 020-6153994

Open:
Mon 13:00-18:00
Tue to Fri 10:00-18:00
Sat 10:00-17:00

CONTACT DETAILS:

Toyshop Imagine
Amstelveenseweg 131
1075 VX Amsterdam
Tel: 020 6708899

Email info@imagine.biz

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Open: Mon 13.00 to 18.00
Tue to Fri 10.00 to 18.00
Sat 10.00 to 17.00

Oh, if your kid needs a hair-cut, you have to make an appointment beforehand!

My kiddie shoe shop of choice here in Amsterdam is Meys & Co. I’m picky with shoes for my children– they need to be strong, durable, cute (but plain), and slightly old-fashioned. I always find something to my taste at Meys & Co!
There’s a good selection of classic styles mixed with more fashionable footwear, and they also have a good range of hip sneakers and colourful wellies. The ladies in the shop are helpful and patient, and don’t mind kids climbing in the window display at all…

Meys&Co
Scheldestraat 44
1078 GM Amsterdam
Tel: 020 6763508
Email info@meysenco.nl

*Map*

Open: Mon 13.00 to 18.00
Tue to Fri 10.00 to 18.00
Sat 10.00 to 17.00

If you’re visiting Amsterdam and have little kids, you should definitely step into the Miffy store on the Scheldestraat. Miffy (‘Nijntje’ in Dutch) is the sweet little bunny designed by Dick Bruna in 1955 who quickly became a world famous character.
The wonderful collection of Miffy books, which discuss a large number of topics (amongst which art, school, childbirth, and death), have been translated to more than 50 languages. There’s a good selection available at the Miffy shop as well as other Miffy merchandise, like clothes, toys, cards and accessories — all great for presents.
Worth a visit!

De Winkel van Nijntje
Scheldestraat 61
1078 GH Amsterdam
tel: 020 6648054
email: winkel@dewinkelvannijntje.nl

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Open: Mon 13.00 – 18.00
Tue to Fri 10.00 – 18.00
Sat 10.00 to 17.00

These (and other) fun wall decals are available through Dutch webshop Zuuz. (BTW, I love the combination of these wall decals and the pendant lampshade I wrote about earlier!)

xxx Esther

xxx Esther

If you’re interested in a pair of Shabbies of Amsterdam, make your way over to one of the three Fred de la Bretoniere shops. There’s one on the St. Luciensteeg 20; one on the Van Baerlestraat 34 or one on the Utrechtsestraat 77.

If you happen to be in Amsterdam and have a few hours to spare for some coffee and shopping, Utrechtsestraat is a good place to go.
The Koffiesalon, a lovely coffee-shop (in the true meaning of the word), has good seating, great espresso, yummy cakes and sandwiches and you can help yourself to as much water as you like. I brought my daughter here for some mummy and daughter time before and we both greatly enjoyed it. It’s also a good place to meet friends or even have an informal meeting.
Not far up the road, at number 74, you’ll find one of my favourite shops in Amsterdam, Jan. The shop owner, Janna, who obviously has great taste, has gathered a fantastic selection of products. Lamps, cushions, dinnerware and cutlery are amongst the stock, but the shop also features fashion accessories such as bags, belts, jewelery and watches, and some lovely toys and kiddie books. If you need a present or want to treat your own family (= yourself), don’t miss it.
Next door you’ll find Bellerose (they have good kids’ clothes). Funky ladies fashion can be found at Jan Lensen, beautiful French and Italian ceramics at Kom, great interior pieces at Mobilia, and there are many, many more great shops and restaurants. Maybe you’ll need more than a few hours!

Utrechtsestraat
Amsterdam

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HEMA is one of those shops (or concepts really), that is almost impossible to describe. If you’ve ever set foot in a HEMA, you understand. In fact, you get the concept immediately, and you’re a fan instantly – no denial possible! And you just understand why we, Dutchmen, are all raving about it, and why this chain of shops is what we miss most when we move abroad…
So, what is HEMA?
HEMA is a Dutch chain of shops that only sells HEMA-brand products. No luxury products, but products that are meant for daily use and that are functional yet fun. The assortment is wide and prices are low (we like that in the Netherlands), designs are trendy and fresh, simple and colourful. The quality is good, and overall the products are seriously so much fun that you can’t help bringing home yet another cool tea-towel, notebook or cute cookie-cutter set for the kids!

The baby and kid’s products of HEMA are seriously adorable. Great onesies, lovely toys, fun towels, wonderful sheets and pajamas (with matching pajama for the doll), perfect party products (from garlands to cakes), great craft projects… I can go on and on, and I didn’t even start about the Jip and Janneke range yet!

If you happen to travel to the Netherlands, MAKE SURE to step into a HEMA. You will like it, I am sure! Just ask a random person on the streets for the nearest HEMA and he/she will direct you…

P.S. This un-official online HEMA shop is as cool as everything else HEMA!

I love soap. And, much to my husband’s chagrin, I love soap shops! A beautiful soap shop here in Amsterdam is La Savonnerie, where soap is being made by hand, the traditional way — all with natural ingredients and all hand-stamped!

Many, many, many beautiful bars of soap can be found here, in the most gorgeous shapes, colours and scents. And, if you are you looking for a cute give-away for a birthday or other festive occasion — La Savonnerie can stamp any soap with your own special text!

A visit to this lovely shop is totally worth it (and it is very close to one of my favourite shopping areas in Amsterdam, the Nine Streets). Next to the soaps they also carry a nice selection of lovely bathroom articles and… they have a small collection of the cutest toys imaginable!

xxx Esther

La Savonnerie
Prinsengracht 294
1016 HJ Amsterdam
Nederland
Telephone 020-4281139

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Opening hours
Mon – Sat 10:00 -18:00

KNSM island used to be quite a rough and industrial part of the Amsterdam harbor before it was transformed into a very cool residential island, and nowadays, this is where you can find one of the finest kid’s lifestyle shops of Amsterdam: Keet in Huis.
Keet in Huis (‘Mess in the House’), sells everything from furniture, bed linen, interior accessories, baby buggies, toys and books, which, you might think, by itself is not so extra-ordinary at all, but if you consider the amazing taste levels of the owners, you would be sold like every other mother who has ever set foot in this shop. Wonderful!

I can spend hours in ‘Keet in Huis’, and have an especially hard time staying away of the downstairs bedding area. My kids don’t mind, because there is a lovely little play area where they can meet little friends whose mums are in a similar situation (stuck with the choice: which duvet cover to pick?).
Courtney, who has been a few times (it’s always on her list of things to do in Amsterdam), finds the bedding to be extremely Dutch. This means, according to her, that there are loads of very bright colours, and tons of gingham. This is probably true, as there are loads of bright colours in our kids’ bedroom – and loads of gingham!

Making your way to KNSM island (not that far from Amsterdam Central Station) is certainly worth it, not only for a visit to ‘Keet in Huis’, but also to find some other fantastic design shops in the area (and a little playground at the other site of the street). Make sure to check Sissy Boy Homeland out too – they have great houseware, and a cute little café!

xxx Esther

Keet in Huis
Knsmlaan 297
1019 LE Amsterdam
Telephone 020-419 59 58

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Open:
Tue – Fir 10.00 – 18.00
Sat 10.00 – 18.00
Sun 12.00 – 17.00
Closed on Mondays

Children are sometimes very naughty (Imp)… sometimes very sweet (Elf)… but mostly (unfortunately for us, poor parents) both at the same time: Imps & Elfs!
Imps & Elfs — one of the coolest kid’s clothing brands around, and it happens to be Dutch, like so many other cool things!
The philosophy behind the brand is ‘a child should be a child’. And this philosophy is present in every aspect of the clothing line.
I think what is so cool about Imps & Elfs is that their clothing is designed to be fitted, concentrating on the shape of the child’s body. That hollow back, that big belly with those tiny shoulders and that short neck… – isn’t that just what makes little children so adorable?
All clothes are no-nonsense, with no frills and fancies – nothing should take away from the emphasis on the child: hello, you’re looking at a KID – not an outfit!
If you’re in the neighbourhood, you just HAVE to stop by the flagship store here in Amsterdam. It is just as cool as the clothes (although they also sell shoes, toys and room accessories).

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Imps & Elfs Flagship Head Office & Store
Sloterkade 41-44
1058 HE  Amsterdam
+31 (0)20 346 0180
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We got this wooden toy warehouse for my son’s first birthday and it’s a huge hit!  When he was little he loved opening and closing the doors and peeping through the windows, and his his big sister liked climbing into it very much (we went for the more expensive sturdy version with a bottom plate for this reason!).  And it’s still being played with on a daily basis, as a doll’s house, a shelter for the Schleich animals, or as part of a city.   And my husband and I like the fact that it looks really cool in our living room.  Very Amsterdam!
We got our warehouse at Sherwood on the Elandsgracht, but online it is sold at Spelmaterialen.nl.  Unfortunately they only ship to the NL, Belgium and Germany, but I also found a similar (and cheaper) warehouse at Toypost in the UK, and they will ship internationally.  Because I don’t think it will fit in your suitcase easily!

xxx Esther

Monday:
Go out for breakfast in the Bakkerswinkel. A basket of different sorts of bread, muffins, scones and croissants makes way to your table accompanied by a much needed coffee and orange juice. Fancy jams can be found on the table. Open from 7AM – what a wonderful way to start the week!
After, take your children to the Amstelpark, where there is a lovely playground and a little city farm. A ‘real train’ can take you around the park – a sure hit with your little ones.
Had enough of the park? Go to the Scheldestraat where you can find the great kids’ shoe store Meys&Co (open from 1PM onwards), with Koter&Co across the street where they sell a big selection of the cool Dutch kiddie brand Imps&Elfs (and more).
Before going back home, don’t forget to visit Italian delicatessen Feduzzi for a cappuccino and one of their mouth-watering Panini. And don’t forget the babyccino for your little angel! You can pick up something for dinner here too – I promise you, the food is great and prices are reasonable.
Tuesday:
TunFun is an indoor playground that your children will LOVE. There are different soft play areas for different age groups, and there are also benches and a lounge area for the grown ups. A good place to start the day with a cup of coffee (and a great place to go if it’s raining)!
Artis, the Zoo of Amsterdam, is not far from here. Because of the mix of historic buildings, huge amounts of green and great variety of animals, this is truly a magnificent place to spend half a day.
In the unfortunate but not unthinkable case of bad weather, Artis provides many indoor activities for your children and yourself to enjoy: the aquarium, the greenhouses, reptile house, Planetarium and the new butterfly-garden.
The playgrounds and restaurants are very good, but if you feel like having lunch in a different environment, you can go to restaurant Plancius across the street from Artis. It’s a good place to go with children (high-chairs are available).

Wednesday:
Make your way to the Central Station because right next to it is NEMO: the science centre. Great for kids! There only rule here is: forbidden NOT to touch!
From the sloping roof-piazza, the view over Amsterdam is magnificent. In summer, this roof-piazza transforms to a city beach (sand, bean bags, stunning harbour views and tapas-style snacks)!
If the weather is not good enough to enjoy lunch on the roof (it happens often in Amsterdam, this is why I keep mentioning it), you better go to the new Public Library next door. On the top floor is a self-service restaurant with a wonderful selection of fresh food, sandwiches and fruit juices (yes, cakes too), with again a great panorama over Amsterdam and plenty of high-chairs. After lunch, you can visit the VOC ship in front of NEMO to have a taste of life on a ship in the Golden Age (18th century).

Thursday:
Go shopping in the Nine Streets where boutique after boutique makes you wish you came with a truck instead of a pushchair (to load all the goodies in)!

After, take your little ones for lunch in restaurant Pancakes! where you’ll find high chairs, toys, kids’ menu and a friendly staff! Or, get ‘friet’ with mayonnaise at the ‘Vlaams Friteshuis’ in the Voetboogsteeg; arguably the best Belgian French Fries in Amsterdam.

Friday:
Grab your bakfiets (or rent one) and make your way to the Amsterdamse Bos. Go for a long stroll, let your children run around for a bit, and then visit the macrobiotic goat farm. There are chickens, pigs, cows, and, of course, goats. Kids can help feed the baby goats and are allowed to cuddle. The cheese factory can be visited and there is a cheese shop – so don’t worry too much about dinner; goat cheese will do just fine. The playground is made from all natural materials and there is a maze!
You can have lunch here, or at ‘Boerderij Meerzicht’, with chickens and peacocks roaming around the farmyard.
In summertime there are wading pools, and an adventure island (with footbridges and a little ferry) to be explored in the Amsterdamse Bos; building huts is allowed here!
After the journey back home, put your children to bed early as they will be exhausted, and enjoy a quiet evening with your man (or find a babysitter and hit the streets of Amsterdam)! Cheers to the weekend!