With new tariffs upon us on both sides of the Canadian border, it is time to consider where your money is being spent while making purchases for pregnancy, raising your newborn, and for postpartum recovery. First things first, reduce your need for new products at all. Examine what are your essential items, and stay the course! There are a lot of extra bells and whistles to distract consumers and expectant parents are not immune!
Here is a breakdown for ideas on reducing consumption and making your purchases from Canadian based companies.
Baby Wraps
Consider renting first, a “try before you buy” so that you are not wasting money and creating more waste buying a product you may not end up using at all.
If you must buy – Mira’s fav is Maman Kangaroo: https://www.mamankangourou.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoo1i8jz7hA9tubedzcNaWAVXo0PvGnhQ82lRkeAn6UHVSCTp6ko
Vera likes woven wraps like Chimparoo: https://chimparoo.ca/en/collections/baby-wrap-carrier?srsltid=AfmBOopncw35BOwj4clOHnZ_Oa_IniasVE00iO1ZE-l1NHQUns9lC5C5
Toys and baby gear
Second hand is first! Try places like Jill & The Beanstalk for consignment items in great condition (and remember this place for selling back your better quality pre-loved items!)
Join new parent groups in real life and local online as this is a great place to get and share your usable used items.
Rental exists for this too, particularly great for big ticket items that babies outgrow after only a couple of months: https://weetravel.ca/product/toys/
Diapers
Rental of cloth diapers is the easiest way to manage your baby’s output – and it is the safest for that fresh little butt: https://www.comfycotton.ca/about
If you are thinking about owning your own cloth diapers, there is a try-before you buy Cloth Diaper Library for that too! You can try out buttons versus velcro, 2 in ones, 3 in ones, prefolds – figure out what you like before you make the investment to buy: https://www.clothdiaperlibrary.ca/
Buy a stash of preloved *aka used* cloth diapers, from marketplaces apps or local market sites for buying and selling with your neighbours. Hey, let’s get away from Meta while we’re at it!
Disposable Diapers
Believe it or not, the only disposable baby diaper I can find made in Canada is one of the newest to the baby bum scene – Royal just announced their baby diaper line in 2024, and I bet they have been getting BUSY! https://www.royale.ca/diapers
Baby Formula
Niuriss, a powdered cows milk formula: https://niuriss.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoox0RbUWBEZ6i-_AlM-ksWCkgO_dBNh32eollazjRWGpBWo4q5K
As you navigate this sometimes overwhelming journey of buying baby stuff, remember to be simple. What would you great-great-grandmother have done? By choosing to renew items or share, you’ll find these are also the eco-friendly options. You’re not only reducing your environmental footprint but also saving money for more important things – like making memories with your little one!
Still want places to spend? Check out our services!!