Living in Northern British Columbia can present challenges, lots of them, but we are a hardy bunch and we roll with the punches. When presented with a problem we can always come up with a work-around. Cloth diapering with out a local retailer is no exception. So today, let's talk about how so many mamas (and dada's too!) manage to cloth diaper in the North.
Many of us turn to online shopping. We would love to buy local but it doesn't really work in our case, so to Google we turn. We search and we search and we research till our brain is ready to explode. Repeat this process a few times because new babies make us forgetful, then realize you bookmarked the shop you liked best the first time. Now you are ready to purchase. Perhaps that is just me.
When online shopping pay attention to where your purchase will be shipped from, how it will be shipped and what that will add to the total price. You may find a ridiculously good deal but get dinged on shipping and find out it wasn't a savings after all. My rules for online shopping (regardless of what I am shopping for) are as follows:
- Shop only from Canada when possible, this is good for the economy but more importantly it guarantees you wont get any surprises added to your shipping expense.
- If you buy from other countries pay very close attention to their shipping policies and who is shipping the product. If I am not buying in Canada, more than likely my product is coming out of the US. If this is the case unless the cutsoms rate is charged in the shopping cart I only purchase when the item is shipped via USPS. The reason I only accept USPS for shipping is because thier packages are handed off to CanadaPost for delivery and CanadaPost is not allowed to charge more than $9.95 for Brokerage Fees. I have had experiences with other services charging Brokerage fees higher than the value of my package.
- Always take a look at the total cost before accepting. Now that all the taxes and shipping costs are added to the item totals, are the products still worth purchasing. The price tag on your diapers may have been just $15 a piece but what is it now? You may find yourself filling shopping carts in multiple stores before you know who really is offering the better deal.
Now major retailers aren't our only diaper source in the North, there are plenty crafty mama's sewing up their own fluff. Some will upcycle their linen closets, some buy microfiber cloths and make inserts of them, and some hunt down the softest organic fabrics they can find (back to Google). These mothers sometimes realize they have a marketable skill that can net them a few bucks and the WAHM is born.
We have two WAHMs in Terrace that I know of, myself (the Monkey's Bum), and Baby Hoots by Andrea Eastman.
A WAHM can be a great source for diapers because you not only get a diaper that is hand crafted and beautiful but a diaper that is customize-able to your needs. WAHM's all have their own way of doing things, some only take custom orders, some sew what they like and sell those, but most will do both. Don't be afraid to ask questions, these are people who want you to succeed and will gladly share their knowledge.
Other local moms are a great source as well. You can buy good quality used diapers from local moms, often found in buy/sell/trade pages on Facebook. There are sites online for this as well but as I haven't used them I will with hold comment.
Now it is time to give some sponsor love to those retailers that have stepped up to the plate and offered support with our cloth diapering workshop coming up in January. These retailers were selected as they are already loved by many of our members.
- Cozy Bums in Prince George - This is our closest to local retailer. Cozy Bums has a huge selection and great service right here in the North. Your purchase doesn't have far to travel so you wont find faster shipping with out paying extra.
- Baby Hoots - A WAHM business run by Andrea Eastman, offering great quality hand crafted diapers made right here in Terrace BC.
- gDiapers - I like to think of these diapers as the gateway drug of cloth diapering. They are the ones who got me hooked after all. They offer a cute hybrid diaper product that is both compostable or flushable and of course there is a cloth insert available. There is also a New Friend Bundle available until Dec 31stand if you use this code new2878glover you can get 40% off.
- The Monkey's Bum - That's me, I prefer to take custom diaper orders but always have a few ready made on hand.
- Green Line Diapers - Another almost local WAHM, these diapers are made in BC! They use cord and cord locks for leg adjustment instead of elastic and have a very loyal following.
Thanks for stopping by to learn about the local diapering community and I can't wait to meet you all in person next month.
-Megan Glover
