Back when I launched this blog last fall I had begun a popular “What Comes In Your Free Baby Registry Bag” series where I previously looked at the free baby registry bags from Target (click here for that post), Buy Buy Baby and Babies R’ Us – the latter of which has now officially announced all their stores are closing which also sadly means the end of the BRU registry program (but click here to see that post as well), and the free pregnancy box from Noobie Box (click here for that post). It is now spring 2018 but as I just received one of the last free registry boxes I was waiting for I wanted to continue the series and thus this post will focus on what came in my free welcome baby box from Walmart! There will still be one more post to follow where I include what came in my free Amazon box as well so stay tuned for that.
If you recall from my previous posts I signed up to receive the free welcome box from Walmart back in late August/early September, and what it is for those unaware is a box that you can sign up for on Walmart’s Baby Registry page which is 100% free (no extra shipping/handling charges and no prior purchase necessary). Below is a screenshot of the page and where you can find the link to click to sign up for the box.
Screenshot from the Walmart Welcome Box page
Once you click on the part I circled that says “Welcome Box,” it redirects you to this page where you fill out your email and address and then that’s it. The page clearly states boxes are only available while supplies last and that products will vary, but one thing I will say is that I wish the form sent some sort of confirmation email to you letting you know you were signed up for the box as I never received any sort of confirmation that they had received my info and it took about 6 months for me to receive this box! That’s right – while I signed up back in August 2017 my box arrived at the tail end of February 2018 and had I not emailed Walmart a few times to confirm I was at least on the waiting list, I would have had no indication this box was even arriving. From emailing them, I learned from one of the representatives that the boxes are “a free promotion and only available while supplies lasted” and that they were now “sold out of this free promotion” but would retain my info for when supplies became available again. So that let me know that while they couldn’t give me an exact estimate of when supplies would be back in stock, it might take a “few months” and I just had to be patient…or resign to the fact that I might never receive one. What is also interesting with this box is that you don’t even need to actually register at the store as the page simply puts you on a registration sign up list and I never actually created a baby registry at Walmart myself. So keep that in mind in case you want to try to receive this box.
So here it is March 2018 that I am writing this post and I created a video unboxing as well so if you’d like to be surprised at what came in this free box, feel free to click on the video below to watch along with me as I unbox this for the first time. Otherwise keep reading below for the full list and recap.
What Came in My Free Welcome Registry Box from Walmart:
Walmart Welcome Box
This is what the box looks like when it arrives – it says Welcome Registry Box on the front and on the side it has the label in big print that reads “FREE!” There is also a cute pattern of baby booties, pacifiers, ducks, hearts, onesies, teddy bears, bassinet strollers and little feet to let you know that the item is baby related. Very cute!
Front of Welcome Box from Walmart and How the Box Arrived in the Mail (slightly banged up)
The box itself does appear to be made of a slightly flimsy material as the edges arrived a little banged up but I did not mind, given that everything inside arrived in perfect condition.
Free Samples Inside Free Welcome Box from Walmart
Inside the box I received five free sample products as well as five coupons.
The samples included:
One newborn-ready bottle from Munchkin LATCH with an anti-colic valve to prevent air from being gulped down while sucking
1 pack of 8 wipes from Huggies good for sensitive skin
1 free newborn sized diaper from Huggies Little Snugglers (because the box took awhile to arrive my son who is now three months was unable to fit in this but it has the wetness indicator line to alert new parents to when your baby has a wet diaper and needs to be changed and the diaper itself is hypoallergenic and fragrance free)
1 free orthodontic pacifier from Nuk good for zero to 6 months old
1 sample pack of Village Naturals Therapy Aches + Pains Nighttime Relief Concentrated Mineral Bath Soak infused with epsom salt, menthol and lavender with the product claim of “fast relief that you can feel”
At the time of this writing I have used the Munchkin LATCH bottle and was a fan of how it works as well as the wipes and pacifier which my son loves! I still have yet to take a bath so haven’t tried out the bath soak but the product looks promising and I am eager to give it shot. All in all, I thought for a free welcome baby box sent to me in the mail for which I paid absolutely nothing that these were all extremely useful samples for a new mom to have so I was very excited to receive this box.
Inside the Walmart Box I received 5 coupons (photo of the Huggies coupon is missing)
The coupons inside are also very handy as they included one informational pamphlet on Village Naturals Therapy and a $1 off coupon toward a future purchase from their product line, one $3 off coupon toward Huggies Little Snugglers diapers, one pamphlet on Vick’s VapoRub for children along with a $1 off coupon inside, one informational pamphlet on Nuk’s products and one pamphlet on Bio Oil, which is a free product I received in other baby registry bags and is a lotion meant to improve the appearance of stretch marks and scars.
I really enjoyed everything in this box and the fact that it was 100% free. Leave a comment below if you have signed up for this box and are still waiting or have received completely different samples as I’d love to know what other people have received as well. Thanks everyone and stay tuned for when I close out this series and reveal what came in my Amazon box!
Hi everyone! This blog is looong overdue for an update it seems. I can’t believe, as I type, it’s been about a month since I last checked in with you all and for that I deeply apologize. This past month has been a busy one to say the least but mainly I have been busy keeping busy with all the last minute preparations for baby #2 to arrive, both mentally and physically.
Since I last wrote we packed a diaper bag for the hospital plus duffel, I purchased a new nursing pillow after discovering that our old one had several hard-to-remove drool stains embedded into the design, I re-cleaned our child’s nursery probably a few times (deep vacuuming and dusting, yes!!!) and reorganized our master bedroom closet for my own sanity, and put together a haul video of everything we had purchased or been gifted thus far for the baby.
Duffel bag, diaper bag, personal pillow and breastfeeding pillow – all ready to go to the hospital!
So as I plan to go to the hospital for the delivery of my second (literally leaving in a matter of hours as I have been experiencing contractions all day and my doctor insisted we check in tonight), I wanted to share some of the video posts I have recently recorded for my sister YouTube channel for Play Dates & Travels. As a reminder, the YouTube portion of this site serves mainly to cover my obsession with all things Disney so will focus on that type of content even more than this blog such as Disney mystery box unboxings and items purchased from the Disney Parks, but I also occasionally post items related to being a new mom/pregnant over there as well such as the various registry bags and gift boxes like the Noobie box I received (I promise to post my Amazon box soon!!!!) as well as my newborn baby items haul. Note: that haul features all the essentials we gathered for our second child up until 38 weeks pregnant (with our first child, we had already purchased some of the larger ticket items such as a single travel system stroller, changing table and crib; so this is mostly supplemental items to provide some new items for our baby boy).
Here are the most recent video uploads to my YouTube channel and next time I check in, I will hopefully have a beautiful little boy to brag about!!! Please wish me luck 🙂
EVERYTHING WE BOUGHT SO FAR FOR BABY #2!!
ITEMS I RECENTLY PURCHASED FROM DISNEY WORLD, MY TOKYO DISNEYLAND TRIP, SHOP DISNEY AND SHOP DISNEY PARKS
MY FAVORITE DISNEY MYSTERY BOX I RECEIVED SO FAR — A REVIEW OF GIFTS FROM MICKEY AND ALL THE FUN, HARD-TO-GET DISNEY WORLD ITEMS THEY SENT ME
What I loved about this subscription box company is that the curator actually goes into Walt Disney World for you and picks out items according to your preferences. So beyond the usual customization that other companies claim to do, such as personalizing your box based on gender (do you want items geared toward a female or male) and age (are you an adult or child or want items for both?), they go the extra mile and send you souvenirs and snacks that actually remind you of the parks and are tailored to your personal tastes. So if you send in notes with actual items you want to see in your box (let’s say you are into home decor items or Jim Shore collectibles or want a specific snack from a particular park), they will do all they can to make it happen. Despite being a first-time customer I requested a pair of Figment ears that I knew could only be purchased in person from Epcot during their annual Food & Wine Festival. It was the first time this item had ever been offered but it was not available to purchase through the Shop Disney Parks app nor the Disney Store or anywhere besides ebay for exorbitant markups (some were going for upwards of $40), and given I knew I wanted it, I specifically requested that she include it as one of the items in my box. The curator happily obliged, even alerting me to the fact that the Festival was closing that weekend so if I wanted her to pick me up the ears to get my order in that week. The level of communication was outstanding with prompt replies and feedback received back from her within minutes of my asking her questions on Facebook, almost like working with a personal shopper without the added fees, and the box I received was filled with items I might have purchased myself, had I had the chance. This month, she is even offering to buy special items from the gingerbread house that the Grand Floridian resort on Disney property does every Christmas season — another merchandise item you can normally only get if you are actually visiting the resort in person. Now that’s personal attention!
For more info on Gifts from Mickey and the various boxes they offer feel free to check out their website here!
MY LATEST DISNEY MYSTERY BOX – WATCH AS I TRY OUT THEMEPARK MONTHLY, A COMPANY I HAD BEEN EYEING FOR AWHILE (NEXT I’M THINKING OF TRYING OUT THEIR SNACKS BOX AS THEY WILL CUSTOMIZE THAT FOR YOU…VERY TEMPTING)
I was very impressed with the caliber of the items I received in my first box from Themepark Monthly. It had long been an item I was wishing to try and initially expected to wait until Christmas to try out my first box — but then couldn’t resist trying them out in the month of November as well. They are a company that specializes more in giving the type of quality items that I like from the Disney Parks including larger home items such as the cookie jar canisters that they were selling a few months back or the gourmet casserole dish in the shape of Mickey’s head which I had seen at Disneyland last year and wished I had purchased when I had the chance but never saw it again, or even pillows, towels and backpacks. So basically, fun larger items than you might find in some of the other Disney subscription boxes who simply send their recipients smaller items such as a notepad and one or two tsum tsum toys (a retail value of only $5.99 each versus upwards of $30 with the larger items). The boxes I noted from fellow bloggers or vloggers (in the case of video uploads) always seemed hefty and perfectly geared toward an adult vs. boxes that included mostly filler items or items that might be better suited for my three-year-old daughter, and this was the reason I tried them out…and was not disappointed. I even scored a fun holiday countdown calendar and Mickey trivet in the process! Watch the video link above to see what other fun goodies I received!!!
AN IN DEPTH LOOK AND COMPARISON VIDEO OF EVERY CURRENT DISNEY SUBSCRIPTION BOX OUT THERE – LATE 2017 EDITION
For an even more in depth look at all the various Disney subscription boxes out there, feel free to watch the video below which outlines the prices and worth of the boxes you would actually receive if you subscribed to any of these companies. Full disclosure: this is a lengthy review so feel free to open in YouTube and click directly on the actual start times for each company listed OR grab a drink and snack as you learn all about the Disney boxes – both officially from Disney and those unofficial boxes.
That’s it for recent posts. Hope you enjoyed this quick look at my latest video posts and if anyone has any comments on these videos in particular, feel free to leave a comment below! Until next time…talk soon after I become a second-time Mommy!!
I am 35 weeks pregnant as of today which means I have about 5 weeks left until baby #2 arrives. That simple fact is a bit terrifying but exciting all at the same time. Since I am hitting the home stretch (even funnier to use this term right now since we’re in the middle of the World Series), I wanted to reflect on my pregnancy so far and how this pregnancy has differed from the first time around. This post will include my reflections on how my pregnancy has fared so far, how it compares to the first time and a full recap on what labor was really like (I jotted it all down in a baby journal three years ago so I wouldn’t ever forget). Full disclosure: if you’re squeamish about talking about that “time of the month” or just don’t want to hear about my past pregnancy compared to this one or would prefer to not think about labor, this post may not be for you. You have been warned as I know some of my readers are male and I wanted to give you a chance to bail. 🙂 Okay…deep breath…reflection time!
LEARNING WHEN TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL
With my first pregnancy I measured four days ahead the entire time so my doctor was convinced I might go into labor slightly early. This made planning a tad difficult since my parents live across the country and my mother and sister were both trying to schedule a trip to coincide with my daughter’s birth so they could be present in the delivery room. Things worked out as my doctor stripped my membranes on my due date in an effort to expedite the process. She told me doing so sometimes caused moms to go into labor as early as the same day if not sometime later that week, and she was right. My sister, mother and I all went to lunch at a restaurant close to my doctor’s office where I ran into a famous Hollywood director…I’ll never forget the day I saw Rob Reiner in person was the day I went into labor. The contractions began around an hour or so after leaving my doctor’s office – while I was sitting next to said director – so all my weeks prior of trying to force the event into action (i.e. sipping on raspberry leaf tea, extra exercise, etc.) didn’t matter – the stripping of the membranes did the trick!
I remember I was slightly nervous my doctor would even be in town as she told me she was going out of town the weekend prior to my due date so she told me to wait ad not go into labor early – eeek!!! At that point she also told me the rules of when to go to the hospital and to not even bother calling her office first – she said when the contractions began (and I’d know once they started) and they lasted only 45 to 60 seconds and came on every three to five minutes in a two hour period, to just check myself into the hospital. For my local hospital to admit you, the patient must already be between three to four centimeters dilated. Any less, and they would just send you home – the only exception being, if your water has already broken as it then becomes a slight health risk to not admit you. I learned this was true the hard way….
HOW LABOR BEGAN – MY FIRST PREGNANCY
My doctor’s appointment was scheduled for around 3pm on the day of my due date. I began tracking my contractions around 5:24pm that same day. I remember at first feeling what felt like a slight cramping that just wouldn’t go away. I laid curled up on my left side, attempting to watch TV to distract me. With Braxton Hicks contractions (the fake contractions that your body experiences in the weeks leading up to giving birth where your stomach momentarily squeezes and hardens and then goes back to normal), they tended to stop once I changed my position but these did not and only came on more frequently. As the time went on I began to feel a dull pain in my lower back and so I started to time the contractions with an app on my phone. I was averaging contractions about 6 minutes apart for between 35-60 seconds each and the pain was gradually increasing. With each build, I would feel a squeezing and a tightening that would come in waves and I recall having to take deep breaths to get me through. Having never been pregnant before, I recall still doubting whether I was in actual labor yet so I just sat still and continued to monitor this activity for about a half hour more before I even thought to call my husband who was still at work. I told him he should maybe leave work early and to start packing the last minute items we wanted to take with us to the hospital – our hospital bag had already been packed for many weeks at this point but we still had last minute items such as phone chargers, a camera, toothbrush, shower sandals, the baby’s new car seat and some essential paperwork like insurance info (to register the new baby) and a to call list of close family that we wanted to take with us.
THE CHECK-IN PROCESS
At exactly two hours from the moment I felt the first contraction, my family drove to the hospital and after filling out some paperwork (one form indemnifying the hospital in case I required emergency medical care and another form with basic info such as my name, number and address), the nurses admitted me. I remember doubling over in pain, leaning against the counter at the Labor & Delivery check-in while the nurses checked to see which room to admit me to as the hospital was a bit packed. While waiting, a girl arrived calm as a cucumber with only a towel held between her legs to indicate that her water had broken. Due to risk of infection, the nurses attended to her first and she calmly walked off with her partner to one of the rooms to await her fate. A few minutes later, my family was ushered into a corner room where I could faintly hear another mom in labor screaming in pain, and I was given a paper robe and told to undress completely. Once changed, I laid on their hospital bed while the nurse placed two belts across my abdomen to measure the contractions and also see the baby’s heartbeat and how she was reacting to the distress of labor. It was at this point that the midwife arrived and probed me to see how dilated I was — I was only 2 centimeters, ugh! So they told me to walk around the labor and delivery floor for a bit and come back after. When I returned about an hour later, I was still only slightly past 2 centimeters so the nurses told me to go home, relax with a bath and maybe drink a glass of wine. I couldn’t believe it – I had declined from alcohol this long and was determined to see it through!
At home I continued the contraction dance – the up and down movement of pain while the pain in my lower back steadily increased, and after about another hour and a half of this, I could take it no more. We returned to the hospital, checked in all over again (including having to sign the same papers once more – such a hassle) and waited for the nurses to find us a room. This room was bigger than our first time around. By the way, we later learned that you are charged an admittance fee for EVERY time you come to the hospital, so even though my previous visit had only been under two hours, it counted and I paid the hospital entrance fee twice. This is why with my second pregnancy I plan to wait out the contractions a little longer before coming into the hospital as I want to make sure to only have to go through this process once!
THE SECOND TIME AROUND – BACK TO THE HOSPITAL
When we checked in the second time at the hospital, it was just after midnight. We waited about 40 minutes for a midwife to arrive and when she did I was thankfully over 3 centimeters. Hallelujah! That meant I could stay this time. An IV was inserted into my right arm (after an unsuccessful attempt by the nurse to insert it into my left arm) and we then waited another 45 minutes for the anesthesiologist to arrive as I told them I wanted an epidural. I don’t do pain very well!
My labor went on for a total of 21 hours. In that time we had 3 nurse shift changes. Our second nurse had a very soft demeanor and was exactly what I needed at that point. While waiting for the epidural she had me lay on my side and gave me back massages to ease the pain in my lower back. (Prior to that my sister had attempted to ease my pain by rolling a tennis ball along my back but that wasn’t as effective as the nurse’s trained, steady hands.) I was allowed to take sips of apple juice along with ice chips. The anesthesiologist then arrived and had everyone leave the room except my husband while he administered both my miracle drug as well as Ptocin to help speed along the contractions. While he was administering the epidural, I felt only a prick and slight increased pressure but the drug began working several minutes later, allowing me to relax. Every 45 minutes after that, the nurses had me change body positions side to side to keep up the movement and encourage the baby to descend lower in my birth canal. It had been about 9 hours of labor – from the moment the contractions first began to the moment I finally received my first epidural – and afterwards I recall still feeling the pressure of the contractions so I could tell when they were occurring, but I no longer felt the associated pain. We watched the heart monitor which showed two lines – one for my own contractions and one line for that of the baby’s heartbeat – and both remained strong throughout.
THE SECRET TO PUSHING
My last nurse, Nurse Irina, had a real no-nonsense attitude about her and had been helping to deliver babies for 18 years. While her rough personality did make me feel incompetent a few times, she also walked me through the delivery process and told me how to push, telling me to be confident before we practiced a few times. When I reached 8 centimeters I was told my water sac was very tight but had still not burst. The midwife came in to burst it manually, making me feel a slight trickle as it ran down my legs. Then Nurse Irina told me how giving birth was like dealing with the worst poop of your life, and how when you have to go our instinct as humans is to grunt and hold your breath while trying to get it out. Here she wanted me to draw a deep breath and let it out while making the push as if I had to let out a very large one. (Sorry for the graphic image but this is how it was described to me and how I finally learned how to give birth) After maybe six or seven more practice pushes, the top of my baby’s head crowned and the nurse called for my doctor to arrive who had still been at her office, dealing with patients and was now caught in traffic. I could feel the pain of contractions starting to return along with the pressure which meant my epidural was wearing out, so the nurses called for the anesthesiologist to return (another 45 minute wait or so) and then I was administered my second dose. While we stalled another hour waiting for my doctor to arrive, the nurse had me continue to do practice pushes, coaching me through it the whole time. She told me, “They call it labor for a reason; this is hard work.” We did about 12 or so more practice pushes before my doctor scrubbed in. Watching my progress she told me the baby’s birth was imminent and after four more big pushes, with the baby’s head easing out further, I was told the next push would be my daughter’s birth. She was right – I felt a slight pulling as my daughter moved the rest of the way out and then there she was!
WHAT I LEARNED THE FIRST PREGNANCY
PUSHING – was probably the easiest part of my first labor! Yes, it was arduous and difficult as it required strength and breath support, but both baby and I worked together to make it happen and it felt good to finally be doing something. The end result was just amazing and so worth it – as I finally got to meet my daughter who I had bonded with for 10 long months.
BE PREPARED TO WEAR ADULT PADS – After delivery there is bleeding so anticipate that, especially with it being the heaviest in the first four days or so after labor. You will be given a peri bottle in the hospital to help spritz and keep down there clean as you’re not allowed to wipe with toilet paper right away while your body recovers. The nurses also gave me some Lanolin cream to help ease nipple soreness while both I and baby learned to get more comfortable with breastfeeding.
Hospital supplies provided post-birth: adult diapers, mesh liners and pads
Hospital supplies provided post-birth: adult diapers, mesh liners and pads in addition to a peri bottle and Dermoplast pain relief spray
Hand and body lotion and other toiletries provided by our hospital staff
YOUR PACKED HOSPITAL BAG MAY BE LIGHTLY USED – We barely used anything in our hospital bag simply because our hospital gave us practically everything we would need. I didn’t want to get blood on my clothes so I spent most of the time in the hospital-supplied robe and comfy socks, and used their toiletries and pads as well as plenty of ice packs to ease soreness. What we did use from our own hospital bag was our own soap/shampoo as the hospital simply gave us small bottles of Johnson’s body wash – I decided to save those bottles and use them on our baby later on – as well as our own toothbrushes and toothpaste. I ended up not needing my shower slippers but spent a ton of time in their provided comfy socks to prevent from walking around in my bare feet.
YOU WILL NEED MEDS – After I returned home I was given extra strength Motrin and Norco (sort of like Vicodin, which I really didn’t use) to help ease the subsequent pain. I was also instructed to walk around as much as possible and keep moving.
YOU MAY SHED THE BABY WEIGHT PRETTY FAST – Two weeks after delivering my baby, my body had already shed 19 of the 35 pounds I had gained during my first pregnancy. The first 9 pounds were gone within the first few days after giving birth, and I continued to shed about 1-2 pounds per day for the next week. By the third week the weight loss slowed as I was only down 21 pounds and that’s when you have to really start to work to shed those remaining extra pounds – or at least, that was the case for me.
MAJOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE LAST PREGNANCY AND THIS ONE
THE EXTRA WEIGHT SHOWS EARLY – This time around, I feel like I began showing super early and have definitely gained more than I did the first time around. Everything feels like it comes on quicker and faster. I realized that every pregnancy is different and given this is my second, I have felt a little less anxious and “on top of things” than I did with my first. The first go, I took so many classes and read so many books and websites to really get ahead of my pregnancy – I even took a labor pain class to learn about the effects and advantages of different medications you can safely take while in labor as I wanted to know my options. I took copious notes on everything and still have them to browse should I choose – but honestly I have barely looked at them. I have yet to even pack my diaper bag! I felt like I was pregnant forever with the first but this time, it all sorta feels like a blur perhaps because I have had a young toddler to tend to and keep my mind distracted so I have not been as wholly fixated on this pregnancy as I was with my first.
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT – Even though it has been three years since baby #1 arrived, my body feels like it has maintained most of the most important memories and so you kinda enter a flow where you feel more at peace with your pregnancy. I have several mom friends who are all pregnant right now (we’re all just several weeks ahead or behind one another which I find so interesting) and they have echoed these same sentiments. It’s a bit of a been there, done that mentality.
FIRST TRIMESTER
In my first trimester of pregnancy #1, I woke up with splotches on my skin, I felt the need to burp a lot and experienced a gagging sensation primarily vs. full on nausea. My breasts became sore and I frequently felt tired, waking up at night with the need to pee. Sometimes when I sneezed that first trimester I even felt a slight dull pain on my left side as my muscles and ligaments began to stretch. This time around, I did not experience the joy of skin blotches until my second trimester, and while I only became nauseous at nighttime around 3am the first pregnancy, I felt nauseous pretty much from week 8 all the way through to my fourth month of pregnancy this time. It was brutal but also my first indication that maybe this time I was having a boy as the first trimester was so drastically different! I was tired a lot, but I didn’t really feel a need to go to the bathroom until my third trimester. Go figure!
SECOND TRIMESTER
In the second trimester of my first pregnancy, I experienced my first of many leg cramps at 6:30 in the morning and it was painful! After that I did stretching exercises every night before I went to bed and put my feet up while sitting down to allow the blood to circulate. This time around, I did not get my first leg cramp (only 2 so far this time, knock on wood) until my third trimester around my 32nd week maybe? I drank a lot of milk to build on the extra calcium and hopefully stave off future episodes which has seemed to help.
Also with the first baby I used to get kicked in the spleen – a lot – starting just after my 24th week of pregnancy. My daughter would sometimes sit on my liver it felt like and make me feel like I had to pee when I didn’t and gave me a few swift kicks to the ribs which were achingly painful. This pregnancy, I don’t know if it is the different temperament of my new baby or simply if he has more room to grow as the first baby already stretched me out, but I have barely felt any pain from kicks or movement. As I get closer to my due date my stomach sometimes performs gymnastics with him bobbing around but the jabs to my ribs are more tame and not as painful. I’ve only jumped in surprise maybe once or twice by the sheer force of movement, though at this point my stomach and extra weight do make me feel very heavy and I am clearly waddling when I walk – something I did NOT do with my first. It’s the heavy feeling that makes these final weeks of pregnancy kinda tough on the body – at least mentally.
THIRD TRIMESTER
Regarding the third trimester, by week 32 of my first pregnancy I started having difficulty sleeping through the night and I would say that feeling has been consistent this time too. The closer I get to my end date the more uncomfortable sleep becomes, despite wrapping my body around a sleep pillow every night. Sleeping on my left side is just not my preferred position and my baby wakes me up many times in the night with major heartburn or I end up feeling hot and uncomfortable or just have the need to kick off the heavy sheets. I also can’t stand for anything to touch my belly button which is once again protruding from my belly and has a darker tint to it than it normally does when I am not pregnant. I’m an innie but with each pregnancy I have seemingly developed an outie.
Week 35 was when I started to feel Braxton Hicks contractions the first go around, and I would say that has held true for both pregnancies (though mine started week 34 this time). While sightly uncomfortable they feel nothing like the real contractions so I know I have more pain to come! In my first pregnancy I didn’t begin to have my feet swell until about 38 weeks but I have already been swelling on and off since week 33 but perhaps that is due to the unusually hot heat wave we have been having these past few weeks (high temps in the 80’s to 100 degrees!).
So there you have it…a full recap of what it was like to be pregnant the first time versus what it is like with your second pregnancy (and I imagine this is the same for the third and so on). I’ll report back once I have my second child to account for any major changes between the hospital process and this time but the biggest takeaway is you never fully feel prepared for any pregnancy and labor but you learn to just go with your gut. That’s what I am following for the next several weeks until baby arrives so wish me luck! Hopefully by my sharing my experience this can help other expectant moms out there wanting to know what to expect. If anyone wants to report on their own pregnancies and how they compare/differ feel free to leave a comment below. Until next time!!!!
Me and my daughter after the birth process together
And now for Part 3 of 4 in my free registry bag series!!! I previously covered what came in my free registry bags that you pick up in-store after creating a baby registry at Target, Babies “R” Us and Buy Buy Baby so if you missed those two posts feel free to check them out here for Part One (all about the Target bag) and here for Part Two.
In this post I would like to cover what came in my free pregnancy gift box from a baby company called Noobie Box. This is actually a new(ish) company – formed around 2015 or so I believe – and was actually my FAVORITE box to receive of all the free baby items I have picked up so far this pregnancy, as it appears to be highly curated and came in probably the cutest packaging of all the boxes and/or bags I received (in my humble opinion). I received the free box back in September.
I first learned about the Noobie Box browsing through YouTube pregnancy videos and one mom had posted what contents came in her free pregnancy box. The video was posted probably six or seven months ago but the mom seemed thrilled with the items inside and I decided to look into it. Plus I saw the magic word – FREE!!!
Lo and behold, I visited their website and saw that their home page advertises their free pregnancy box upfront, suggesting that each box is filled with “high quality products, valuable coupons and important health information for both you and your baby.” The one-time box boasts a cute design and as the sample image on their website showed products I had yet to receive in any of my other registry bags, I wanted to give them a try. However, while their website suggests only one box will be sent per pregnancy, it also clearly states that this box can only be shipped to 12 states located in the Northeast. Oh no – I learned it’s a Northeast United States-only box!!!
I was bummed! I used to be a Northeast girl but have since moved out of their delivery area, and to receive this box in the mail, you have to live in either Connecticut, Washington DC, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island or Vermont. My free box hopes definitely plummeted.
UPDATE AS OF JANUARY 2018: The company recently announced that they have gone national so now boxes are being shipped throughout the U.S. This is no longer a Northeast U.S. only-box. However at the time I wrote this post, it was still a Northeast only box so the following chronicles my experience and efforts in getting this free box shipped to me in a non-Northeast U.S. state.
The free pregnancy box from Noobie Box
What attracted me to the box, besides its cute packaging and the seemingly custom curated items included in the sample photo on their website, was the offer of fast and efficient shipping. Their website states the item ships within two business days, which is even faster than my Amazon box arrived – more on that in a future post. So if you’re like me, and like to receive items quickly in the mail, this box definitely sounded promising. [Note: I also signed up to receive a free pregnancy welcome box from Walmart back in early September, which is advertised on their baby registry home page, but have still yet to receive it and when I reached out to their customer service I was told that the Walmart Box is only available while supplies last and they are currently “sold out of this free promotion” for the next few months…why they keep the free Welcome Box offer advertised on their website is another story but at any point, with less than six weeks remaining before baby arrives, I don’t think I will be receiving the free Walmart Welcome Box anytime soon).
If you don’t live in Noobie Box’s delivery area, they still encourage moms to sign up for their email list to receive their newsletter and offers from brand partners. That wasn’t going to cut it for me though so I thought about what friends and family I had who still lived in one of the eligible states and reached out to my sister who actually loves going to the post office and arranged for her to receive my free box and then ship it right back to me! She probably thought I was a little nuts but did oblige. So while the box did ship out in 2 days as promised I received it in about five, allotting for the extra transit time for my sister to take it to her local post office and ship the box across the country.
I actually uploaded a video of my unboxing of the Noobie Box on YouTube so if you’d like to check that out first view the link below.
While the Noobie “Free Pregnancy Box” is free, you do still have to pay $6.95 for shipping. The company appears to have been founded by three European women who now live in New York City and wanted to create a mommy box in the style that is popular in Europe where new moms receive items in a specialized baby box to help transition them into motherhood. They also offer four other paid options, their “milestone boxes,” which come with five full-size products apiece that are targeted around a specific theme and stage of your newborn’s life including the Noobie Nest box for babies that are age 0 to 3 months and includes items designated to help you adjust to a sleepless schedule, the Noobie Eat box for babies 4 to 6 months with products included to help get your baby started on solid foods, the Noobie Play box for once your baby hits 7 months old and is most interested in engaging with his senses and finally the Noobie One box for ages 10 months and up, designed to help a baby prepare for important celebratory milestones such as first time rolling over, first steps, first tooth etc. as they approach the one year mark. Those boxes cost $24.95 each and ship within two weeks, though there is also an option to subscribe to a full year of boxes at once from Noobie Box for $99.75 and receive a free tote bag.
However, while they do offer these larger and more expensive boxes, the company allows you to make the decision whether to sign up for their other boxes or not so I simply stuck with their free pregnancy box. Since signing up and placing my order, I have only received one email offer to date so it is nice that they are considerate about spamming their customers (plus, the offer I received was actually useful with a 40% discount and additional 20% online discount toward clothing from Carter’s).
What Came in My Free Pregnancy Noobie Box:
Welcome card announcing Noobie’s other boxes as well as the welcome letter sent to moms-to-be
A welcome card describing the 4 other milestone boxes available from Noobie Box
A welcome letter that suggests the box’s contents were curated by the owners and each item was used with their own newborns (honestly I loved this personal touch as it showed a level of thought and consideration goes into each box)
Personalized prenatal vitamins from a company called Care/of
a sample pack of 10 chemical-free wipes from WaterWipes, a brand I had never tried but had seen before
Month milestone cards from Chatbooks, a photo book company, to document each month of your newborn’s life for the first 12 months
a sample pack from Lansinoh with 2 disposable nursing pads and 2 breast milk storage bags
one Mam anti-colic bottle
And a long-sleeve, warm and fuzzy footed onesie from Carter’s that included a cute gender neutral design with an owl, fox and elephant on the front with snaps along the baby’s legs and was good for 3 months and up — this was the reason I wanted this box so badly as I had seen another reviewer online specify that her box included a onesie (though her design was different for a warmer season) and I loved the idea of receiving a cute baby onesie in the mail as no other registry bag/free box does this!!! This was actually the first baby onesie I received or purchased for my newly anticipated baby so this was a real treat – who doesn’t like looking at small baby onesies?! They’re so cute.
Products received in my Noobie Box
The Noobie Box I received also included a number of curated offers and coupons including an ad to create a universal registry with Babylist.com (which also gives users a 10% completion discount as a perk of registering with them), a guide on how to breastfeed from Lansinoh complete with tips, an ad for a babymoov Dream Belt pregnancy pillow to assist mothers-to-be with sleeping more comfortably, a coupon for $1 off a future WaterWipes purchase good from now until the end of this year, a 20% coupon from Carter’s to go along with the free onesie included in the box, a pamphlet on newborn stem cell storage from Cord Blood Registry and a 20% coupon off maternity wear from Stowaway Collection, another Noobie Box partner.
Ads and coupons
VERDICT: Many of these brands, besides the more mainstream ones like Cord Blood Registry, Babylist.com and Lansinoh, I was unfamiliar with so it was nice to receive some new and different products in the mail that I may have previously been unaware of. I thoroughly enjoyed what came in the box and for any moms-to-be who are located in one of their 12 designated states – or are like me and love receiving baby products and have someone they know who lives in one of the specified areas who is willing to ship the box to you – I definitely recommend receiving this free pregnancy box as the shipping at just $6.95 is fairly nominal and you do receive a good bang for your buck given the onesie included alone. (Hopefully they don’t change that offer in the future as it brings such a nice touch to this expectant mother box.)
Let me know in the comments if you would have gone through hoops like I did to receive this box and/or if there are other companies that offer something similar. Also stay tuned for the final part of this free registry bag/free pregnancy box series that will conclude with the items I received in my Destination Maternity in-store bag as well as my free welcome box for Prime members from Amazon.
A few days ago I posted Part One to this series on what comes in your registry goody bag, and I wanted to pick up where I left off, showing the inside of the free baby registry gift bags I received from a few more stores. The stores that I am aware of where you can pick up a free in-store goody bag include Target (which was highlighted in Part One of this series), Babies “R” Us and Buy Buy Baby. I go into detail on the pros and cons of each baby registry program in another recent post titled “13 Reasons Why You Should Create a Baby Registry” – if you missed that post and want to view my helpful side-by-side comparison chart of all the registry program perks then click this link.
Free gift bags received during the month of September just for signing up for a baby registry – pictured are bags from Target, Buy Buy Baby, Babies “R” Us and Motherhood Maternity
I would have mentioned another national store known for giving a free in-store gift was Giggle (which gave a $50 gift card upon signing up in their store and registering for at least 25 items) but I just received a few emails last week that all of their retail stores are closing and upon checking out their website, it appears that the website has also been SHUT DOWN so they are no more! This news comes on the heels of Babies “R” Us filing for bankruptcy so hopefully that doesn’t mean too many changes are underway to their own in store registry program as Babies “R” Us’ program has always been one of my favorites, but of course time will tell.
All that said, I went ahead and filmed a video for each of my registry bags that I picked up in September so if you are interested feel free to watch those video links or view the images I will post below. Also note that with any registry program, the contents you will find in your bag can change from month to month so there is no guarantee anyone will receive all these same products — but this is just to give an idea of what generally comes in each store’s bag and what you can expect.
What Came in My Babies “R” Us Registry Bag
Inside of my Babies “R” Us free registry bag from early September
Of all the free registry bags I received last month, Babies “R” Us was by far the most informational in terms of providing additional resources for new parents. A typical bag from them includes a thank you card with a $5 off coupon on a purchase of $25 or more (with some restrictions including diapers and wipes), but in my registry bag I actually received two of those coupon cards along with a ton of fliers/guides meant to help a new mom and/or dad prepare for baby’s arrival such as a list of what to pack for the hospital, nursery bedding safety tips, steps to achieve breastfeeding success, what to stock in your diaper bag and baby bath time basics. I also received print-out announcement cards in a thick card stock that I could conceivably hand out to friends and family, letting them know I registered at Babies “R” Us – though I feel these days, people generally just include a link to their online registry and leave it at that as the “official announcement.” Aside from these guides and cards, a typical Babies “R” Us free registry gift bag also includes a number of coupons, advertisements, free sample products, baby registry guide book with checklists divided into must-haves and good-to-haves and a reminder card on the “top reasons to love” their registry with a brief mention of some of their registry perks including the chance to receive up to 10% back on all registry purchases through their endless earnings, access to their employees and other “expert” resources, an on-the-go app to keep abreast of your registry at all times, a price match guarantee where the store will match competitor’s prices as well as their own cheaper online prices and an extended one year return policy on all registry items.
Full view of everything in my bagA closer look at the products and main registry guide included inside
Products I received:
A $20 gift card from Shutterfly
One Kinde Twist Breastfeeding Starter Pack with a direct-pump breast milk collection, storage and feeding system for your baby included with instructions, a 25% off coupon toward a future Kinde system purchase at Babies “R” Us and information on how to register the product online to receive a 40-pack of twist pouches for free (with $6 paid shipping)
Kinde Twist breastfeeding starter pack box
A 4.5 ounce newborn baby bottle from Mam and pacifier (I mention in my YouTube video that the bottle is only 4 ounces but upon opening the sample product, I discovered it included a free pacifier inside along with a card indicating the bottle is actually 4.5 ounces)
A baby’s first photo magnet from Babies “R” Us with a message reminding registrants that most health insurance companies will pay for moms to receive a free breast pump
A Lansinoh breastfeeding sample pack with 2 breastmilk storage bags and 2 disposable nursing pads
One new Toys “R” Us Rewards card to join their free in-store rewards program
In addition to the above products my bag included a coupon toward a Babyganics Essentials gift set (an introduction to their product line including hand sanitizer, wipes, lotion, baby shampoo, bubble bath and bottle soap) to save $10, two additional coupons from Sprout to use toward their organic baby food pouches, a sign-up card for Enfamil Family Beginnings program to receive free formula discounts and join their email list as well as 11 ads for other products sold at Babies “R” Us stores ranging from Kinsa ear thermometers to Graco, Brica, Halo Bassinest, Aden + Anais and Philips Avent bottles and pacifiers.
UPDATE: I went back to my local store in mid-September requesting another thank you card with $5 coupon as the two I received in my first free registry bag expired 8/31/2017 before I even had a chance to use them (I picked up my bag the second week of September). The store gave me a new registry bag which unfortunately still had the expired coupon though they did tell me to come back later in the month when their thank you cards should be updated. However, I can tell you that the items I received in my new Babies “R” Us registry bag differed somewhat from my first bag in that I received more products (plus no informational guides in this one) and those new items are posted below:
Products included inside my duplicate Babies “R” Us bag including two different bottles, a pacifier, baby laundry detergent, scent booster, sunscreen and lotion samples
a Noodle & Boo sample kit with newborn 2-in-1 hair and body wash and super soft lotion
one sample load of Dapple baby laundry and coupon toward $1 off any full size Dapple product
an updated, larger-sizedPampers registry gift totewith striped design including the standard newborn diaper and six-pack of wipes found in their older kits but also a special $5 coupon when you buy a box of Pampers diapers with a value box of wipes (392 count or higher) and free book of five additional coupons including a $1.50 off coupon on one Pampers Swaddlers diapers, a $1 off Pampers wipes kit, $2 off Vicks VapoRub, $2 off one Dreft liquid laundry detergent and $1 off one Crest toothpaste
one 4 ounce Playtex Baby Nurser bottle together with 5 pre-sterilized DROP-INS liners
one 4.5 ounce Mam newborn anti-colic bottle with one starter newborn pacifier
one sample of Dreft Blissfuls in-wash scent booster for a long lasting baby fresh scent
one sample of Babyganics mineral-based sunscreen (50+ SPF) with a $1 off coupon
A look inside the updated Pampers registry gift tote with new striped design and more coupons
What Came in My Buy Buy Baby Registry Bag
As with Babies “R” Us I received two goody bags from Buy Buy Baby — I will go more into that later. I have found that in the past, their goody bags tended to give you a LOT of products to try but perhaps not as big of a sample as you might get with other companies (for instance, they give a lot of single-use lotion and detergent samples vs. individual travel size bottles you might find with other companies like Target). In 2014, I recall the one big-ticket item I received from them was a full sample can of baby formula but I noticed that none of the registries gave out formula to me this year, and when I called two formula companies inquiring about samples, they mentioned that they’ve done away with the frequency of giving out samples lately as there has been a recent promotional push toward breastfeeding in general. Interesting. However, this year each bag contained between 11 to 13 sample products and a good number of them were actually travel size bottles lending themselves to more than just a one-time use! They also have one of the most comprehensive free baby books included in their registry bags with various product suggestions on what to put on your registry, a registry checklist and even a section for you to draw in your nursery’s room dimensions to help plan and design your perfect nursery (I show this page in more detail in my duplicate registry bag video).
First registry bag received from Buy Buy Baby – first impression, heavy on the single-use itemsDuplicate registry bag received from Buy Buy Baby
Here’s a list of the products and coupons I received in my first bag:
One Chicco NaturalFit soft silicone orthodontic pacifier good from 0+ months
the same Lansinoh breastfeeding sample pack that came in my Target and Babies “R” Us bags
two samples from Belli Beauty including belly oil and anti-blemish facial wash
one travel size bottle of Aveeno Baby daily moisture lotion
one Pampers sample tote with a pack of 6 baby wipes and one newborn Swaddler diaper
one $20 Shutterfly gift card
a sample natural saline wipe from Boogie Wipes with a 50 cents coupon
one sample of Blue Lizard Australian sunscreen for babies (30+ SPF)
one sample bottle of Mustela gentle cleansing gel along with coupon to save $10 toward a purchase of $40 or more of Mustela products
one sample of Dapple bottles and dishes liquid with $1 off coupon
one baby nail file from Rhoost along with a $2 off coupon toward a Rhoost grooming kit
Products included inside the first Buy Buy Baby bag
Coupons:
one Buy Buy Baby $5 off coupon off a purchase of $15 or more (some exclusions apply)
three coupons toward Picture People, located in over 60 Buy Buy Baby locations where you can receive a free maternity portrait same day, spend $20 for 25 birth announcements or receive 20% off your portraits
a save $10 coupon from Babyganics toward their Essentials Gift Set (basically the same coupon from Babies “R” us but their version is worded slightly differently)
save $1 coupon from Aveeno Baby
three coupons for Philips Avent to save either $3 on a multi-pack of bottles, 50 cents on a trainer cup or 10% off a bottle warmer or steam sterilizer
one $2 coupon toward a Lansinoh mOmma bottle
View of the contents inside my second registry bag from Buy Buy Baby
I actually ended up visiting another Buy Buy Baby location in my area on a hot September day and requested a bottle of water. While talking to the store associate she asked if I had registered already, noticing my belly and when I replied yes, I think she must have figured I had registered online so she gave me a duplicate registry bag.
The products in both my bags were pretty similar but there were a few differences, such as:
in addition to the Pampers sample tote with newborn diaper and wipes pack, I also received a second diaper kit from The Honest Companywith 2 diapers and 10 plant-based wipes meant for a baby between 8-14 pounds
one sample of Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula massage lotion for stretch marks
one free Baby on Board sign from Safety 1st and Buy Buy Baby to put in your car
one sample of Babyganics bubble bath with $1 off coupon toward any Babyganics purchase of $4.99 or more
not one but two Mustela gentle cleansing gel bottles with their respective coupon
and lastly, a $2 off coupon toward $10 or more of Mam baby products
Inside the Honest Diapers and Wipes pack
Each Buy Buy Baby bag also included one free copy of Fit Pregnancy and Baby magazine in addition to an ad inviting you to join their credit card program.
Stay tuned for the last part of this registry bag series where I will disclose what came in my bag from Motherhood Maternity (their bag works a little different in that you don’t actually register but join their email list when you make an in-store purchase) as well as special pregnancy boxes from Amazon and a company called Noobie, which require either a registry purchase or shipping payment so not 100% free technically.
For now, feel free to leave a comment if you registered elsewhere and received a registry gift bag or if your bag’s contents differ dramatically from what I received from these stores in September. I find it fun to compare from store to store and judging from my last baby, I am sure most of these products will be used quickly as I learn what products work best for my new baby!
Free gift bags received during the month of September just for signing up for a baby registry – pictured are bags from Target, Buy Buy Baby, Babies “R” Us and Motherhood Maternity
Earlier this month I included a post on the top 13 baby registries where parents can register to receive baby gifts for their newborn (or for any special occasion such as first birthday, Christmas wish list etc.). If you haven’t had a chance to check out that post, here is the link which includes a comprehensive, side-by-side comparison chart weighing the pros and cons of each registry. There are many registries to choose from, but given one of the best perks of being pregnant is the free swag that comes with it, I wanted to dedicate a special post on which registry programs you can count on to receive a free gift. This post will be the first in a series where I post what came in my goody bag from some of the top baby retailers. All of my registry goody bags were picked up during the month of September, but just remember, that each retailer’s free sample products and coupons are likely to change from month to month, or even store to store. I will go into that in more detail with both Buy Buy Baby and Babies “R” Us – two of the biggest baby registry programs.
But first – to kick off this series – let’s start with what came in my free Target registry bag. I put together a video highlighting the unveiling of my Target registry bag and will create additional videos for my other registry bags as well. Feel free to click on the video below and/or view the coverage directly on my newly created Play Dates & Travels YouTube channel:
What Comes in Target’s Free Registry Gift Bag
The first glance inside my Target registry bag received September 2017
Target’s free bag was my favorite goody bag of all the in-store bags I received this month, simply because they provided the most sample products without excess fluff (i.e. shameless product ads). I received a total of 11 product samples!! This is much more than I received in the past from them when I registered for my first baby (in 2014, I received five products including a Philips Avent bottle, Mam pacifier, Aquaphor lotion, Lansinoh breastfeeding kit and Huggies sampler pack with 2 newborn diapers and one pack of baby wipes). In 2015, when I was registering for my daughter’s first birthday wish list, I recorded a video of my different registry bags and received 6 total items from Target compared to 7 from Babies “R” Us and 14 from Buy Buy Baby (I hit the jackpot with that bag – what happened to all those samples this year?!!). That video is available on YouTube or copied below if anyone wants to see how the Target bag has changed over the years.
Target’s free bag still comes in a reusable tote, but since 2014-2015, where I received a green and white recyclable bag, it appears Target has updated their registry bag’s design. The bag is now gray and white and comes with carry straps and a button snap enclosure, making it even more convenient to reuse.
Contents inside my Target bag from September 2017
As I mentioned earlier, Target upped their product count this year with 11 free sample products and their website suggests the bag is valued at $50. Laid out in the photo above (and below) is everything that was included.
What I Received:
One large 8 ounce bottle from Dr. Brown’s – one of their Options bottles, it is marketed as the first convertible bottle that can be used with or without the vent system that defines the Dr. Brown’s bottle line. Most free bottles given by baby registries tend to be the newborn size so this bottle was unique in that it allots up to 8 ounces and retails for about $6.99.
One congratulations for registering at Target pamphlet with one buy one, get one free coupon on a Starbucks beverage (only valid at an in-store Starbucks location) and two coupons toward maternity apparel sold at Target as well as certain nursing bra brands including Gilligan & O’Malley, Basics by Bravado Designs and Medela – each coupon was redeemable for 10% off. The pamphlet also included a quick reminder of some of the top perks of creating a registry at Target including a 15% completion discount to complete your registry received eight weeks prior to your event date, free shipping for you and your gift givers over $25 (online now says the threshold is $35 however) and easy returns for up to one year after your event date to return or exchange items from your registry.
I also received four different lotions – massage lotion from Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula for alleviating stretch marks (along with a save $1 coupon on future Palmer’s products), one sample size of Aquaphor Baby Advanced Therapy lotion for dry, irritated skin and the reduction of diaper rash (packaged together with a $1.50 coupon), a small sample size bottle of Johnson’s head-to-toe baby lotion and one bottle of Mustela gentle cleansing gel meant for use during bath time. This last product also came packaged together with a coupon offer to receive a free $5 Target gift card with the purchase of any Mustela products worth $30 or more.
One travel carry case from Pampers along with one newborn diaper, a pack of six baby wipes, a $1.50 coupon to be used toward any Pampers Swaddlers diapers purchase and invitation card to join the Pampers Rewards program
A yellow newborn pacifier from Mam
One sample size laundry detergent triple-concentrated and fragrance-free load from Babyganics (along with $2 manufacturer’s coupon toward any Babyganics purchase of $4.99 or more)
A small travel pack of 20 unscented baby wipes from Target’s up & up brand (and save 75 cents coupon)
A Lansinoh breastfeeding sample pack with two disposable nursing pads (for preventing leaks) and two breastmilk storage bags. I used several different brands of breastmilk storage containers with my first baby and these were by far my favorite so I am happy to have new samples on hand for the next baby!
As an extra bonus, I found an extendable cloth measuring tape from Munchkin good for measuring baby as he or she grows or even taking mom’s own changing body measurements! I thought that was a unique sample to include as it is more versatile and can be used beyond the newborn stages.
As I received this free Pampers pack in virtually every baby registry bag I received, here is a close-up of what comes inside:
1 newborn Pampers Swaddlers diaper and one pack of 6 Pampers Sensitive baby wipes, along with a coupon for $1.50 savings and one free Pampers code to join their rewards program and trade in points for baby products and gifts
I have enjoyed being a member of Pampers rewards program over the years as you can redeem your points toward free gifts. Sadly, they recently did away with their popular Grow On program which gave members free bonus gifts every three months, on top of the regular rewards, but you can still find a large line of baby products available on their website that can be purchased with your points. Case in point? The Melissa & Doug Band-in-a-Box set that I recently reviewed in my favorite baby toys from the first year of their life post was redeemed 100% with Pampers points, saving me the trouble of paying its retail cost of $25. (The only problem is, you constantly have to remember to manually enter your codes online – to help with this, my husband likes to remove the stickers with the codes and places them on the edge of my computer monitor as a reminder before we throw away the plastic wrapping and boxes!)
As for what a Lansinoh breastmilk storage bag looks like up close, here is a photo I took from an old sample I had, which included two of the storage bags. They have a section to mark the date that the milk sample is collected as well as room to mark how many ounces you are storing in each bag.
Breastmilk storage bags from Lansinoh
As you can see, the sample products from this one registry bag were more than generous, and the best part is unlike some of the other registry programs which include a ton of ads that may or may not be useful depending on your needs, the bag was filled with products useful to a new mom as well as relevant coupons toward the products presented in the bag. The only other additional contents in my registry bag were two more coupons that could be redeemed solely at Target including $5 off a Boppy Total Body pillow and 20% off baby apparel from Target brand Cat & Jack. Every one of the coupons found in my bag are also valid for a long period of time – I registered in September 2017, yet every coupon is good through June 30, 2018.
I will say this – even though Target was my favorite in-store bag for the sheer number of convenient and thoughtful baby samples provided, it was also the biggest pain to secure. I recall in 2014, when I registered for my first child, my local store forgot to give me my free bag so I had to make two trips in store. This time around, I walked purposefully to the customer service desk after beginning my registry online but my local store — and another one nearby — were both completely out of stock and the employees warned me that when their free gift bag goes out of stock, it takes a while for the store to replenish. So keep that in mind – luckily there are so many Target stores around that all I needed to do was visit a third store before I found a location with a bag in stock. Kind of a pain, but I felt it was worth the hassle once I finally took a peek inside.
Leave a comment to let me know if you also registered at Target and received something altogether different in your gift bag as it is always fun to compare! Also stay tuned for part two of this series where I will describe what came in my registry bags from Buy Buy Baby and Babies “R” Us.
The last time I looked at baby registries in depth was about three years ago when I was expecting my first little one. For my daughter’s recent birthday, nearly everyone – friends and family, near and far – asked me if I had created a birthday wish list (gulp, I hadn’t)… That got me realizing that even though I am now preparing for my second baby, registries are super important to provide those closest to you with the opportunity to purchase items you really want or need. Additionally, they are convenient for reducing the risk for duplicates, though of course those still happen whether you have a registry or not (something to do with a slight delay in which items are purchased and when they show up as purchased off your registry).
From my research, what I have gleaned is that in the past three years baby registries have considerably upped their game! Completion discounts are higher or available earlier (allowing parents to get those last minute purchases in BEFORE baby arrives), return policies have been extended and there are so many more perks to be had from creating a baby registry.
Since there have been many recent changes in late 2017, I decided to put together this comprehensive, side-by-side look at not only the major baby retailers but lesser known companies across the U.S. I plan to go into depth on who gives the best goody bags in a later post, but for now, here is an overview of each baby registry which outlines my personal observations and info taken directly from each registry website. In some cases, I even called stores directly to verify facts that seemed ambiguous. Keep reading below for my personal registry recommendations, based on all the facts!! Also, look out for the bottom of this post where I include 9 bonus registries and stores with baby products that you can shop for online!
A side by side comparison chart comparing the top go-to baby registries. Click here to view as a PDF file. Click here to view as an image file (.png).
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