The best possible way to save money when preparing for your baby is to buy used! In Winnipeg we have lots of options for places to buy gently used baby clothing and gear, along with lots of options for buying new as well. Suggestions? Let me know!
If you are having trouble making ends meet, you might want to check out the organization You Can’t Spoil a Baby. They match families in need of baby clothes and items with families who can help. Learn how to apply for a gift here.
Gently Used/Second-Hand
- Once Upon a Child – consignment store that carries babies’ and kids’ wear, toys, furniture and other gear. Sells some new products.
- And don’t forget thrift stores such as MCC, Value Village, Salvation Army, etc. If you’re patient and persistent, you’ll find great stuff at even lower prices than the consignment shops around town.
- Childcycle – this local organization hosts huge sales every spring and fall.
- Garage sales, especially the community garage sales that happen throughout the spring & summer
- Kijiji – people sell baby clothes in “lots” – some great deals to be had here.
Local Businesses
- Tiny Tree Hugger Diapers
- AMP Diapers
- West Coast Kids (part of the small chain Westcoast Kids)
- Itty Bitty Baby – specialized in preemie clothing
- Humboldt’s Legacy
- Toad Hall Toys
- Generation Green
- Trendy Tots: a baby/toddler clothing store in Garden City Shopping Centre. phone: 204-801-5474 Instagram: @trendytotswpg Facebook: TrendyTotsWinnipeg
Local Online Businesses
- Small Potatoes
- AMP Diapers
- Colibri (formerly Sling Sisters) sells baby carrying wraps, wetbags, reusable snack pouches and other textile items.
- Peapod Creations
- Baby Butz
- Bean Family Wellness Online Store (local) sells gift items, pregnancy & postpartum supplies, lactation support teas and cookies, home birth supplies, baby loss and healing items, and more.
- Discovery Toys (via educational consultant Tanya Pilat) sells “high quality, hands on, kid powered learning toys that allow a child’s brain to be in charge of the play experience”
Books for Babies & Children
- McNally Robinson (mostly English but also carries French, Spanish, etc. titles)
- Chapters/Coles
- Librairie À la Page (for French books)
- Boutique du Livres (for French books)
The Usual Suspects (big box/chain stores)
- Babies R Us
- Carters/Oshkosh
- The Children’s Place
- Please Mum
- Gymboree
- Winners
- Sears
- Target
- The Bay
- Walmart
Miscellaneous Products & Services:
- Many folks recommend BioGaia probiotic drops for gassiness/fussiness in babies. You can buy these from larger pharmacies such as at Shoppers Drug Mart and Superstore. Call ahead to make sure they have them – they are usually kept behind the counter, but do not require a prescription. I have shopped around for BioGaia in Winnipeg and found the price varies greatly, even from different stores within the same chain. The best price I’ve found so far is at Costco ($22.39 as of October 2013).
- Does your little one need his or her first haircut? Angie from Sharkey’s Cuts for Kids wants to let readers know that her salon offers “a superior haircut with warm, experienced stylists in a meticulously clean place filled with fun!” and that parents are welcome to get their hair cut while they’re there as well. Check them out on facebook too.
- Majda Ficko owns Hair Do Zoo, Canada’s first ever specialty children’s hairstyling salon, started in Winnipeg in 1987. Majda notes that “Hair Do Zoo is now proudly serving a second generation! First haircuts are our specialty.” Two locations – Corydon and Dakota. Visit them on facebook too.
- En Route Hair Design will come to you and your kids for haircuts/styles at home!