Whimsies Baby

Olivia of Whimsies Baby creates beautiful baby crocheted items such as hats, dolls, rattles as well as non-crocheted items such as framed embroidery and sewn items.  Olivia is from Brandon and her cute hats and other baby items can be found on Facebook and her Etsy shop.  Have a peak especially if you have a new little baby in your life.  There is nothing cuter than a baby with monkey ears.  ;)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Whimsies-Shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Whimsies1

Sweet Sparrow's Making Pocket Diapers Locally

Sweet Sparrow is a Mom and Daughter duo sewing diapers, wipes, and wet bags out of Morden.  They have perfected the pocket diaper with a combination of soft bamboo fleece that is naturally antibacterial and soft for sensitive skin, a laminated polyester outer layer to keep clothes dry, and a tri-fold insert that has one super soft layer of moisture-wicking bamboo fleece and one side absorbent microfiber.  The bamboo fleece is safe to put next to the babies skin and the microfibre locks the moisture inside and away from baby.  They also are using a one sized design that allows a snug fit regardless if you baby is a newborn, long, short, chubby, or lean with four rise and four waist settings.

Along with their diapers they sell large cloth wipes and wet bags made to store in your bag for diaper changes or other wet items.

I know there are many diaper companies out there but again it is very easy to shop local for the same or less money.  The diaper makers I know here have children.  They have tested them on their own kiddos and have found them the best design for baby's comfort. 

Sweet Sparrow
http://www.zibbet.com/sweetsparrowdesign

What Do You Choose For Your Baby's Bottom?

I am a mom so it was inevitable that there would be a baby bottom post. There is nothing more adorable than a baby's bottom and in order to keep that baby bottom as lovely as possible, the right diapers need to be used. This post is not for the faint of heart. I promise that the word waste will be used many many times in it. If it will make you feel a little bit better you can use this post as a fantastic drinking game. Every time I mention waste you take a sip. I am sure you will be VERY happy by the end of the read.

I am very much against the disgusting mess our landfills have become and would prefer to keep trees trees so this post is all about local cloth diaper makers and distributors. Some of these people sell diapers not manufactured here in the prairies but I am featuring them anyways because so many people buy online and I'd like Manitoban's getting your money instead! ;)

I titled this post What Do You CHOOSE For Your Baby's Bottom because it is a choice....I have heard all sorts of excuses why people do not use cloth diapers and they are all ridiculous. First off....price. When I got my diaper selection for my first child I bought 1/2 of the high priced first rate diapers and 1/2 cotton hand made ones from MCC. You can get diapers of all price ranges so that is a terrible excuse. At the low price point there are prefolds for a couple dollars each and cotton or fleece handmade diapers at all the second hand stores for maybe 25 cents. Then there are the mid range box store brands which typically are worst than the home made ones and then there are the diapers with the gold lining and all the bells and whistles. These diapers can be as much as $30 each. I know that may sound a little extravagant to wrap around a bottom but you often get what you pay for. I think I spent somewhere around $400 to get started and probably another $200-$300 after selling 1/2 of the ones I originally bought because I found new favorites. I ended up buying the high end, gold lined, bells and whistles diapers for around $700. I found some used and that helped. In the end, I am not buying thousands of disposables over and over for years so it has been a smart investment....and like I said....you could easily go with the 25 cent MCC specials and you would be in very good shape.

The second thing that bugs me about exclusive disposable diaper users is how they comment over and over about how much work cloth diapers are. Hmmmm. First off, it is worth the little bit of extra work to keep the waste heading to the water treatment centers rather then the landfills. Secondly, it is so much cleaner to me. Disposable diaper users typically just toss the dirty waste filled diapers into some kind of diaper gene thing and they sit there getting ripe until garbage day. They also throw them in other people's garbages & leave them in public washrooms. Cloth diaper users get in the habit of dumping the waste, i have a very handy sprayer on my toilet so I don't need to get anywhere near the smellies, and enclosing the diapers in a cloth wet bag that can be put right into the wash with the diapers. There are no diapers being left all over the place and everything is safely stowed away until wash day.

That is my WHY! Now that I have lectured and possibly grossed you out learning all about WASTE! Then I shouldn't WASTE anymore of your time and get to the WHERE.

There are fabulous diaper manufacturers and distributors here. Like I said above, skip the box stores for their brands. They typically leak and don't allow for proper air circulation...the days of plastic pants are over. Keep the vinyl on the turntables. ;) (Sorry...Old DJ joke). I would like to encourage you to take a peak at these websites and learn all about what is available here. I assure you that every good diaper brand is here. If you have any questions about them it would be a great idea to contact the distributor because all these people know their stuff. If I have missed anyone please post a comment or email me at handmadeinmanitoba@gmail.com and I will make the additions.

Mother2Mother: www.mother2mother.ca, info@mother2mother.ca, 204-228-3273 (Website Under Construction: http://www.fuzzibunzdiapers.ca)
- Fuzzibunz

A Tall Giraffe: http://atallgiraffe.blogspot.com
- Sustainablebabyish wool and cloth diapers, Winnipeg's AMP, Grobaby, Kissaluvs, Antibacterial pail liners, wipes, diaper sprayer, and more.

Blossom & Bean: http://www.blossomandbean.blogspot.com
- Fattycakes fitted, pocket, and all in one (AIO) cloth diapers, Motherese Diapers and covers

AMP Diapers: 1650 St James street, Winnipeg, www.ampdiaperstore.com
- Winnipeg manufactured AMP pocket, one size, all in two diapers, swimming diapers, flats, and inserts, Stay Dry AIO, Bummis, Hemp Fitted diapers, and more.

Baby Booty Cloth Diaper Shop: 187 8th Street South, Winkler, 204-325-9366, http://keithandstacey.blogspot.com
- Canadian made diapers such as Mother-ease diapers and covers, Bummis prefolds and covers, Snappis, Monkey Doodlez, & local made diaper wet bags

Bloomies Diapers: http://bloomiesdiapers.webs.com
- bamboo fitted, prefolds and doublers, pail liners, and travel wet bags

The Diaper Nest, http://thediapernest.com
- Rump.A.Rooz, Apple Cheeks, & Happy Heinys

Tiny Tree Hugger: http://www.tinytreehuggerdiapers.com
- Apple Cheeks, Baby Kangas, babyburrito, BerryPlush, DryBees, FuzziBunz, Happy Heinys, Jamtots, Knickernappies, & Thirsties

Cloth Diaper Mom: http://www.clothdiapermom.com
- BumGenius, GroBaby, Imse Vimse, Thirsties, Econobum, DryBees, Happy Heinys, Knickernappies, Baby Kangas, Rocky Mountain Diapers, and more

Baby Green Sprout: http://www.babygreensprout.com
- BumGenius, Dri-Stuff, Bamboozle, Bummis, Indisposables, swimmers,

Canada's Diaper Ladies: http://www.canadasdiaperladies.com
- Boobles Bottoms

Little Green Viking: www.hyenacart.com/LittleGreenViking
- wool soakers

Nursery Notions: http://www.nurserynotions.com/Diapers.htm
- Winnipeg made cloth diapers, liners, cloths, and inserts

Other Manitoba shops that sell cloth diapers:

Baby Bin: http://www.babybin.ca/

Child's Place: http://www.achildsplace.biz/servlet/StoreFront

Humbolts Legacy: 887 Westminster Ave Winnipeg

Splitz: http://www.splitz.ca/

Diaper Services:

Tender Touch Diaper Service: 1619 Henderson Highway, Winnipeg, (204) 338-8622

Humboldt's Legacy

Humboldt's Legacy is one of the originals on Westminster Ave in Wolseley's core. I have been shopping at Humboldt's for many years now and every time I head in there they have new things. I found an article on Humboldt's Legacy online at http://www.bsdglobal.com/viewcasestudy.asp?id=72 that says everything better than I can so here it is:

"While big-box retailers in the Canadian city of Winnipeg leave large, unsustainable footprints, 'Humboldt's Legacy' treads much more lightly. Located on a quiet, elm-lined street with an organic food co-operative and a wholegrain bakery for neighbours; Humboldt's is a sanctuary for green consumers.

Humboldt's Legacy was founded on the belief that consumers can influence the shift to a more sustainable society by changing their purchasing habits. It gives consumers access to products that support the shift towards an alternative, sustainable economy.

'This is a very democratic enterprise,' says Willi Kurtz, Humboldt's co-owner. 'Our whole concept of this store is that the consumer sets the tone for the economy. For instance, we constantly hear people demanding certain products, or an end to child labour and so forth. That's a very simple thing that would happen tomorrow if our shopping patterns would change. And that's what we've seen here every day for ten years.'

For over decade, Humboldt's Legacy has been providing environmentally friendly household products to Winnipeg consumers. According to Kurtz, the economy as it exists today seems to be intent on fostering social inequality and environmental degradation.

The Humboldt's Legacy product range is diverse, but designed for anyone wanting to live in a sustainable society. Customers can find recycled paper; soaps, shampoos and detergents in refillable containers; clothing and bedding made from organic cotton; seeds that support biodiversity and organic agriculture; books and magazines providing information on a plethora of green subjects; and many other items."

887 Westminster Ave, Winnipeg
(204) 772-1404

Baby Booty Cloth Diaper Shop & Glimpse Reviews

Winkler is located about an hour and a half from Winnipeg. There is a little in home shop that sells primarily Canadian made diapers and diaper accessories, specializing in organic and good quality diapers. I know this is Handmade in Manitoba not Canadian Diapers but she does sell locally made diaper wet bags and baby wipe wet bags. I have bought 2 large wet bags and I use them instead of a diaper pail. It is a way smarter idea than a diaper pail because it is pretty, hangs on the door, holds in odors, and can be thrown right in the wash with the diapers. I never have to bleach it or scrub it down to get out the odors and waste. No one even knows that it has a batch of smelly diapers in it because it is made out of nice modern fabric that goes with my washroom. I never get why people would want baby logos or animals on everything that contains baby stuff; like those terrible baby bags that moms all over used to carry around with teddy bear prints or little animals. You can still be a woman when you have a child. Ugh...but that is another story to save for another day when i find some awesome local baby bag maker to gush over. Hmmmm...doesn't Lily Pad make baby bags??...I seem to recall they do.

Back to Baby Booty. Stacey also has a blog with two other women here on blogger called Glimpse and they review Canadian products with giveaways and all that. If you are wondering what is new and cool for you and your baby keep up with their blog.

http://glimpse-reviews.blogspot.com/

So check Stacey out there and order some diaper bags for your next baby shower!

Shop is located:
187 8th Street South, Winkler
(204)325-9366