Barston’s Child’s Play

If I could give it 10 stars, I would! With an age and just a few adjectives, the stellar staff here suggested the perfect gifts for my 4 nieces! They know their inventory in and out. I will never try to pick out gifts alone again. Let the pros do it! I’ve never been more excited to give a gift. Best Aunt ever!

My favorite store period. Incredibly helpful staff. Excellent broad selection. Free gift wrap. I walk into this store and leave happy every single time. Also the best children’s book selection I’ve ever seen.

We came here to purchase toys for an angel tree child and found there to be a great selection and knowledgable staff. Someone helped us pick out a game and offered suggestions as to an age appropriate gift. There were a good number of people shopping in the store and I can see why.

Absolutely massive selection, but the staff are constantly harassing you. You will be asked if you need help, are finding everything, etc., literally every twenty seconds. And you feel like you’re constantly being followed, which is a shame, because it’s a BIG store and there’s so much to look at. So, it’s a great store, but I’ve been there a dozen times over as many years, and the staff always make you feel unwelcome. I guess they must have a real problem with theft, but they need to find another approach.
over in Montgomery Mall or
are much friendlier.

This place isn’t a cheap toy store. It has steady business. It offers a good variety of toys. Its staff is kid friendly it contributes to neighborhood events. It gets 4 stars

Hands down one of the BEST toy and game stores our family (two kids, ages 7 and almost 1 year, plus a mom and dad who are kids at heart) has been to in a long, long time. The range of toys, games, arts, crafts, books, puzzles, baby stuff, plush… it’s just incredible. Everything is well organized, and I especially appreciated that there was a nice range of brands, ranging from the more affordable to the «boutique-​y» brands, and I learned of a few new brands to look out for! The staff was friendly, helpful, and very patient, and struck a nice balance between being available without being «in your face”/intrusive. Finally – major points here – we were in the store for around 10 minutes after closing before a staff member even said anything – and was so polite about it that I was impressed. Overall, it was completely worth our trek from the the friendship heights metro stop… and we will definitely be back!

Another visit to Childs Play and another top notch experience. Had every toy my kids wanted – in stock! Took me right to them and even offered to gift wrap, which they did quickly. The service and selection is unbeatable. Forget the big box stores, you don’t need ‘em!

Excellent toy store, fantastic selection as well as wonderful staff that are great at helping you find the perfect item no matter what your price point is. Throw in the free gift wrapping and the convenience as well as free parking and this store is perfect. Love Child’s play.

By far the best toy store in the DMV that I’ve seen. If I’m wrong please steer me right. Wonderful selection of everything, especially since they expanded the store. Lots of higher end toys and other products for newborns to things that still interest me (ie Legos). I usually try to go here anytime I need something for my family or friends’ kids. Wonderful customer service too, they will wrap your holiday gifts quickly. Love this place!

I’m visiting MD from CA, and wanted a toy store where I could take my 6 and 8 year old grandsons, that wasn’t so ordinary. Having read the reviews on the internet that raved about the personal attention given, etc., I was anxious to join those customers who were so delighted with everything. I went to the Rockville, MD store with my grandsons, fully expecting to be greeted soon after entering the store, and was disappointed to discover that I was not acknowledged at all.
Upon being forced to approach the counter because I had a question, I was finally asked if I was finding everything and if I needed any help. I straightforwardly answered «no» to the first question and «yes» to the second. I also mentioned that up to these first 25 minutes in the store, no one had said one word to me, though I was plainly seen passing by the counter and my grandsons were not whispering either. I told the clerk that this was my first visit to the store and I would like to at least know where things can be found, and if possible, get some recommendations for toys that work well for 6 – 8 year old boys.
Once I made my complete disappointment known, I have to say the attention and service offered and given following my complaint was exceptional. She explained various toys to me and to my grandsons quite clearly and graciously. She even used“child speak” as needed and answered all of our questions, even explaining what «catapult» meant to my 6 year-​old grandson since it was a feature on a toy at which he was looking. We are African-​Americans, but I don’t believe that played any role at all in how we were at first treated. I will definitely go back there on my next visit and did prefer it to Toys R Us. I will post a comment then as to how my visit went. I hope I can give a 5 star rating then. We’ll see.
Daisy C.

I wanna be a kid again. I want my mommy to buy me everything in this store! It’s so bright and colorful! It’s very neat and tidy too. They have every kind of toy imaginable. Although they didn’t have the book I wanted, they ordered it for me, and it arrived a few days later.
They sure do have a lot of employees on the floor. I must have been asked if I needed any assistance by at least four people. It’s nice to have a place like this in DC. It makes me happy to shop at a small local business over the big box stores.

Absolutely the best place for children’s toys! The staff is amazing. Just give them the age and interests, if you know any, of the child and they always pick the best gifts. The shelves are more than full and the toys are great quality. Good educational ones. Good crafts. Books. Unique. OK, you can shop for some adults here, too!

After searching online for the Fairy Castle Playmobile set and researching prices, I called Barston’s to check if they carry the item and the price of the item. Not only did they have it (was difficult to find on-​line), it was less than on-​line prices (BEFORE SHIPPING). They have an extensive selection and wonderful staff. Upon purchase, they offered to wrap it complementarily. It’s a great store.

Does Dr. Who own this store because I swear that this place is like the TARDIS. I passed this place up hundreds of times because it looks so small on the outside. I figured that, at most, they had two teddy bears and a box of Legos. One day I finally decided to go in and thought, «What kind of enchanted tent is this, Harry Potter?»
They have a really nice selection of what I like to call «smart» toys – you know, blocks, puzzles, legos… the stuff without flashing lights and noises that supposedly Clockwork Oranges your baby. The prices are decent considering the neighborhood. I went looking for Melissa and Doug puzzles and they were only about two dollars more here than at Toys R Us. (I burned that in gas going all the way out there to compare prices.)
The people are really friendly and helpful. Good store.

This is an excellent, wide-​ranging toy store. It’s wonderfully cluttered with standard toys, board games, art supplies, books, costumes, party supplies, etc. None of this gets shortchanged because the store is surprisingly huge and stretches far back into the deep building, with another section opening up at every turn. The prices are excellent also, and the staff is great. Amusingly, because of the winding floor plan and joyous floor-​to-​ceiling and wall-​to-​wall clutter that potentially complicates easy access to the staff if they waiting in only one or two areas, the very helpful and knowledgeable staff constantly wanders the store asking if anyone in earshot needs help; unlike at other toy stores where the staff can keep station at the cash registers unless sought out, this makes for a more engaging visit.

Okay, to start, I should say, I’m a big supporter of small businesses and a big child at heart. So, I am biased.
This place looks like a P.O.S. from the outside. You could walk by it, see Potomac Video and the restaurant surrounding it, and never know it was there. That only adds to the charm.
The second you walk in, you realize how deceivingly awesome this place is. It looks long enough, with shelves of Legos and Playmobil on your left, and various baby and other toys on your right. But as you walk down, they have an amazing assortment of toys, from Schleich collectibles to board games to Nerf guns to just about anything you actually want because the back is a lot bigger than the front.
I almost want to warn parents to NOT bring their children because they’ll have too much fun. But that would be incredibly lame.
Instead, go there. Check out the Chevy Chase library & Community Center, play in the park and like 4 rounds of basketball to wear them out, then go.
But go. It’s a great place.

Child’s Play is an amazing toy store. A couple weeks ago, I visited with fellow Unilocaler Anna D. to purchase a few toys to donate to my buddy’s annual Christmas toy drive.
If I were 10 years old, this would be my Christmas wish list from my first visit to Child’s Play.
Star Destroyer LEGO kit
Playmobil Pirates with giant Squid
assorted dragons, demon warriors, and a three-​headed hell hound
remote control tarantulas and scorpions
Axis and Allies board game
giant NERF machine gun
NERF Voltron swords
Marvel comics action figures
blueprints for the Death Star
Monty Python card game
assorted spy gear including a fingertip laser glove
build-​it-​yourself robot kits
plastic dog poop
whoopee cushion
rubber chicken
Child’s Play is a total sensory overload. They carry an extraordinary mix of creative toys, books, games, and just straight up cool stuff. Plus, the staffers are super friendly and helpful. Even if you don’t have any children in your life, plan a trip to Child’s Play. You will not be disappointed.

This listing is technically for «Barston’s Child’s Play» and it is in the Chevy Chase neighborhood and the nearest Metro is Friendship Heights.
I thought maybe it was a different store, but they have the right phone number even if nothing else in this listing is correct.
Child’s Play is probably the BEST toy store on the planet. More fun than FAO even! From crazy little trinkets to every Playmobil or Lego imaginable to science and crafts and games and baby stuff and TONS of books and awesome dress up — this store has it all!
You don’t need to be shopping for a child to spend money here… There is plenty to entertain the grown child too.
But if you are shopping for a child and you are a novice at that, don’t worry, the staff are extremely helpful and knowledgeable. AND they have free gift wrapping! Can’t go wrong with that, especially during the holidays!
A note: It can be a TAD over stimulating on a Saturday morning… go during the week if you want to spend some time looking around – and you do – believe me!

A fantastic old school toy store. The selection is huge for such a small place, the prices are decent and the staff is always incredibly helpful.
There are lots of nooks and crannies in there and often if I am taking too long to choose my whiskey, beer and wine at Chevy Chase Liquors I just send the kids in here on their own and pick them up afterwards.
They get some toys, and I get some booze. We are a well balanced family.

Extremely helpful and knowledgeable staff.
We live in San Francisco and we do not have children of our own. We are not very in the know… what am I saying… we are not in the know at all… I was a little late in purchasing a newborn gift for my husbands best friends new baby boy, i decided to look up a local toy store with positive ratings on Unilocal.The reviews here were spot on! In addition to a newborn gift we of course would need to purchase a consolation gift for the 2yr big sister. Not having a clue at what to order, the women spent time recommending and describing fun toys. In the end I wanted to order them for myself.
I will definitely call again!