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October 2015 Moms
EllioCor
member
All the Free Baby Stuff
EllioCor
member
I took advantage of a lot of baby freebie offers this summer and wanted to share the bounty of sources for free diapers and bottles. Free stuff is always nice. The complete extensive list with lots of photos is on my baby blog, but that's too long for 1 post so I shared the best ones here. Edited/Updated August 5th
We got pregnant in January 2015, announced both the baby and *his* gender in May 2015, and I began really keeping track of all the cool free baby stuff in June 2015. I update it periodically, but what I find most irritating about free baby stuff blogs is that some of them are from YEARS ago, and some of them are super cool but only available in Canada (or other countries, but mostly Canada) so with this blog you know, it's from
SUMMER 2015
United States
Baby freebies- both convenient, and kind of fun. This was a baby thing we got to do before we told everyone our little secret. It was a fun bonding experience for me and hubby (trust me, when you get to the toy section, he'll have fun)
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I immediately threw away miscellaneous flyers and any coupons that will expire early. There are multiples of pretty much every coupon. This is: 1 lowgrade multipurpose bag, 3 baby bottles (i actually got a 4th when amazon brought back their welcome box), 2 pacifiers (3 actually), a tub of enfamil formula, 2 pampers samples in pouches, 1 travel pack of seventh generation wipes, 2 lasinoh sample sets (1 is combined in a pouch and 1 is 2 separate samples), 2 hospital gift bag certificates, 2 safety latches, a baby sling, a magnetic frame, samples of: medela x3, desitin, booger wipes, gripe water, laundry detergent, babyganics, belli cream, bio oil, buttpaste x3, and a minitube of healing balm Coupons (that i kept): $5 Rebate on forehead thermometer, JCPenney Portraits x4, Golden Girls Baby Announcements, carters, Oshkosh, disney, buy buy baby, Shutterfly, Target (whole book including $1 off a starbucks drink) |
Gift Bags:
You are probably going to make at least 1 registry, but if you weren't, I think you should know- ALL the major baby stores offer a free goody bag when you register, and there is some cool stuff in those goody bags. For the most part, you CAN do your registry online and just go pick up the giftbags, but both my husband and myself thought wandering the store with the little scanner gun was actually really fun. ALL the registries include a "completion discount" which is basically a big one time discount of 10%-20% on any (or all) of the items remaining on your registry around the due date, so adding items you want to a registry is economical in the sense that you're guaranteed a discount if no one purchases it for you. I've included pictures of what was in my goody bags circa Spring 2015. They differ a little bit from store to store and year to year, but in general yours will be very similar. Almost everything in the photo above is from Registry GiftBags
- Target
- When you make a baby registry at Target, you can pick up a gift bag in store. Their's is a fairly quality (cheap but definitely reuseable and waterproof) velcro front bag with a MAM pacifier, a pampers sample, and lots of coupons and mini samples. Sometimes there's a bottle in here. I kind of lost track of where i got all my bottles, so 1 of my avent bottles may actually be from this bag. They also sent a $20 giftcard in the mail about a month later. In August, I got another book of coupons for discounted purchases on registry items. Check out their weekly freebies and cartwheel discounts.
- Babies R Us
- Babies R Us is the same as Target. Mine came in a paper gift bag (though i've seen slightly nicer one depending on where you live) and includes a cool fancy bottle (mine was a munchkin latch bottle) which seems really awesome, another (identical) pampers sample, breastmilk storage bags, nursing pads, mini samples and lots of coupons.
- Buy Buy Baby
- Our nearest buy buy baby is like 40 minutes away and is part of Bed, Bath, and Beyond (why isn't it called Baby & Beyond instead of buybuybaby?), but after watching some youtube videos, we decided this one was worth getting. The store is reasonably priced and we picked up a few things while there as well as found some bedding (blankets and sheets) we liked better than most stores. They get you set up with your scanner and put together a bag for you while you browse (to make sure you turn your scanner in i imagine) This one is mostly full of samples and i mean FULL of samples, from more storage bags and nipple pads, to more butt paste, there were wipes and several stretch mark treatments and baby lotions, 2 types of detergent, etc. This one came with a nuk pacifier. Oh! And a tub of formula.
- Walmart
- I actually didn't know about this box until i saw it on youtube so I missed the first box. I linked the word walmart above to the registration. The box is free and will ship to your door for $5. They offer you 3 boxes, one for each trimester! (Actually they offer i think 6 boxes for a few milestones up to age 15 months) Mine took ~3 weeks to arrive.
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Walmart 2nd Trimester Box Summer 2015: Has Baby Bee samples, a nivea sample, my 3rd pamper sample, aquaphor sample, and coupons for gerber, avent, and beechnut. It also had flyers for lasinoh and munchkin but no associated promos. |
- Amazon Mom
- Edited 8/5: When I did my box, I had to pay for it and after leaving feedback with amazon that it was kind of unfair to exclude the moms who made their registry in their second trimester (when we would have been eligible in our first or third trimester), Amazon reimbursed my purchase. In August, they also revamped the registry checklist, so yours SHOULD look "incomplete" with extra options on the checklist. When you mark them all as checked, a link to the left of your registry will say "claim your free welcome box!" The photo below is from July 2015
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This box contained an Avent Bottle, a MAM Pacifier, a (big) pack of Amazon Elements Sensitive Wipes, a Happy Baby Food Pouch, a 4 pack of single serve Enfamil Supplemental Formula, Breastpads Sample, Sample Babyganics Lotion, Sample Burt's Bees Renewal, and an Amazon Cloud Drive for unlimited photo storage. The registry "completion discount" is 15% for Amazon moms and 10% for non-membership Check out Hip2Save for weekly amazon discount roundups for more saving |
- Motherhood Maternity
- Motherhood Maternity isn't a registry, but they do give out gift bags when you make a purchase. I've seen 3 of these. They all have coupons and samples, but a different cool freebie (like a bottle or pacifier) everytime. Everytime you make a purchase at Motherhood (or Destination Maternity or Pea in a Pod) they put kind bars in your bag for munching on(because pregnant women need snacks!). I wouldn't buy something just for the bag, but they have a shelf of sample skincare, clearance items, and clothing. I purchased a sample skincare kit, a clearance baby set, and a dress i genuinely love that works with or without a bump. I believe we paid $3 to subscribe all 3 magazines.
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I didn't bother figuring out which samples were in here, but i know there was a sample of buttpaste, mustela, and lots of other tiny randoms with coupons. There is usually one " cool item" like a bottle or a pacifier. |
Mailers:
There are some very cool freebies by mail and while i did not really take advantage of formula ones i did use quite a few of the others. Most of these were just webforms where you fill out your information, and i tried to group similar samples together.
- Ocusoft Eye Wipes
- Funtastic Media Colorchanging Fever Pacifier- by form request
- Bounty- mommy welcome pack
- Breastfeeding and Moms:
- Premama Pre-natal Vitamin Drink. Arrived in ~2weeks I tried both- the dha one is orange flavored and tastes heavily of iron and a hint of fish oil aftertaste. The "flavorless" one was worse though i did mix it with water (maybe juice would hide it) and i could not finish it. I'll stick to pill form vitamins.
- Honeysuckle Moms by emailed request on their page (linked)
- Free samples was 1 each of their 3 bag sizes, a fabric sample for their pump bandeau, and a product pamphlet. Arrived in ~1week
- Mommy-to-be Bracelet- This took ~3 weeks to arrive. It's half pink, half blue, rubber, and meant to alert others in an emergency situation. Might be good for vacation?
- Lactation Cookies Recipe
- Medela Breastfeeding U- Code BRUeA2awm for free online BF class (i did use this code)
- Magazines- i'm not really a magazine person, but there are coupons in some of these if you want them.
- Parents Magazine- 7 free issues
- American Baby- 1 year
- Safety
- Child Safety ID Kit (paper version. Arrived in ~1-2 weeks)
- Mr Yuk Stickers (you have to send an envelope. Arrived in 1-2weeks)
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Mr. Yuk stickers. We had these in my house growing up so i just take for granted everyone knows what they are. They are provided by poison control for you to put on potential poisons in your house- mainly all those cleaners you keep under your kitchen sink. They are NOT meant to replace safety latches, but as your kid grows (or you forget to put something away!) this is an image they can understand relatively early. YUK!!! bad! don't eat it! |
- Safety Latch Kit- i received mine in ~1week
- Diapers
- Pampers- i can't find these by mail, but they came with several registry bags. Only the BRU one came with a coupon. There's one N diaper and a pack of wipes in a fabric wristlet. There's also a code to use in their rewards program (i got 3 of these so 30 rewards points)
- SimplyRight-currently re-doing their website, but leaving this here if it goes back up
- Naty- you can become an ambassador -OR- just message me your email address and i'll punch it in from my account which is way easier. (the ambassador doesn't get a sample until the friends do)
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| I actually still haven't received anything as an Ambassador, but this is what went to my Mom's address. It's 2 diapers and some information and took 3-5 weeks to make happen. Overall, i don't find them texturally appealing compared to pretty much any other diaper, but I'll still give them a shot. |
- Andy Pandy- $5/6 diapers Arrived ~1week
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Andy Pandy |
- Bambo- $5/2 diapers- BUT I emailed and made an inquiry about samples and Bambo said yes! Arrived ~3days. Their customer service was so nice and it really doesn't hurt to ask (they sent me 4 diapers and a 25% discount code which i used to stock up because this is the brand we decided on)
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Bambo |
- Formula- I didn't really take advantage of free formula terribly much since we don't intend to use it, but in hindsight i would have signed up for all the truly free ones because i can always dump it in a donation bin. Enfamil, Gerber, and Similar all have membership clubs and I am told that formula samples just start pouring into mailbox around your due date (not earlier). There was free formula in my BBB giftbag, my amazon welcome box, and gerber did an amazon promotion. Target included several BOGO and discount coupons for formula in their registry bag. The linked word "formula" above is to a blog with lots of formula coupons.
- Baby's Only Organic Formula- $5 Shipping
- Enfamil
- Similac
- Gerber- free tub for amazon prime/mom members. Enter code "GOODSTART"
- Added 6/29 and disappearing quickly
- on 7/29 (31 weeks for me) i received an almost identical box from Gerber as part of their club. The supplementing formula comes with a pamphlet on good foods for the breastfeeding mom to incorporate in her diet.
- Parent's Choice (Walmart)
- Members Mark (Sam's Club)
- Email Requests- sometimes i just make a request to company by email or contact form, just to see what they say. I always use the format below, but sometimes i add an extra personal touch to the request. I don't do phone calls.
"Hi, my name is Samantha we're expecting our FIRST baby in October! We're a bit overwhelmed by all the options for everything baby! Does your company offer product samples for comparison? Thank you so much for your reply! (signed with name and address)"
*Below i am only posting the "Yes" responses and what was offered:
- Bambo: was super nice and sent me a 25% off coupon code and 4 diapers
- Preggie-Pops: samples- a lollipop, a drop, and some chews
- NurturMe Baby Snacks-samples by emailed request. Took ~2-3 weeks. It's a powdered sample. Also, coupons
- Boogie Wipes: sample and coupons
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| There were 2 samples and 6 coupons in this envelope and it arrived in ~1 week. |
- Tom's of Maine: Diaper Cream and fragrance-free baby lotion
- Coupons by Request: Babyganics, Beech-nut, Earth's Best, Jollypop, BasqSkincare, Pfizer, Johnson/Desitin: Coupons
Trials-require an automatic subscription and you pay shipping and handling. I kept all the order numbers and cancellation numbers in a file so I could cancel the subscriptions as they arrived. None of the companies gave me a hard time about cancelling and the reason I gave was that i'd like time to try the product before committing. All of these are natural companies... (Edited August 5th)
- Honest Company- arrived in 2 days $5.95
- Seventh Generation- $4.95
- Everyday Happy- arrived in 3 days $9.95 -everyday happy and dollar diaper club are actually the exact same product so just do one. Everyday happy comes in a nicer box, but they are otherwise identical
- Dollar Diaper Club- arrived in 3 days $9.95
- Clubs- There are a lot of mom clubs that may or may not send you stuff throughout your pregnancy. Most ask you if you're formula feeding or breastfeeding (we're the latter) or both, and tailor your club to that choice. Your login is almost always your email, and I picked a universal password for all baby stuff. The links below are to the actual websites, but most of them also have facebook. They do giveaways and send you coupons and also have rewards for when you buy their products.
- Similac Strong Moms
- Pampers Rewards-keeps track of diapers you purchase for rewards and sends you a gift every 3 months. They JUST redid their website, so i recommend checking in even if you were already registered since it asks you to update some stuff.
- MyGerber- there's a certificate for a hospital pack
- Enfamil Family Beginnings
- MAMClub
- NUK More For Moms
- ClubPlum
- Luvs
- Huggies Social
- Honeysuckle Moms- their offers page also has a "request samples" by email
- Lasinoh Mom's Club
- Motherhood Maternity Perks
- Hylands Moms 1st
- Yoomi Family
- Playtex Baby
- Johnson & Johnson Healthy Essentials (at the top)
- Avent Rewards- PromoCode DestMat2014-4 for extra coupons.
- Earth's Best Organics
- Joovy Club (on the left)
- Evenflo
- PediaSure- after date of birth
Deals- There are a couple sites I visit weekly for deals. Sometimes the stuff they put up is free, sometimes it's just a really great deal.
- Hip2Save- this is where i found the free formula code, the braun forehead thermometer for $23, and the super discounted amazon wipes. They do a weekly roundup of the best amazon deals(like baby food pouches 4/$1.25) and i just find it very helpful. I love that they update regularly
- The Savvy Bump- A lot of freebie links on my blog came from the Savvy Bump. They don't appear to update the freebies page anymore, but they do post weekly with the most recent deals, sales, and freebies.
*Every bag you get has coupon cards for leggings, breastpads, uddercovers, nursing pillows, carseat canopies, sevenslings, bellybuttonband, etc. My general opinion is they aren't worth the shipping and handling (which is usually around $15 though some of the smaller things have $7 shipping). The bellybuttonband is sucky, I haven't seen a good review of it by any mom so don't bother. Hip2save or BD4M codes usually work, but there are others if they don't.
Re: All the Free Baby Stuff
@przemosbabe, you can get samples from Seventh Generation and The Honest Company by going directly to their websites.
yes, they should just give it to you when you go to the store. If they haven't, you can always ask. "I saw online that you do a registry giftbag. I never got one- do you not do that here?"
For the rest, I didn't include anything that makes you jump through hoops or click a million screens or has a participation asterisk because I think they're all annoying. I also didn't include the "just pay shipping" slings/nursing covers/pillows etc that you've seen codes for everywhere. The list is a little more extensive on my blog, but these are the best ones
IMO, the nursing cover is worth the shipping, but not necessarily better than ones you could buy in store. I like that the one I have has boning material in the top so it stands out and gives baby some air and you the chance too look down at baby. Not all covers have that feature.
I liked the carseat canopy when I had my son, enough that I ordered a new one for my daughter. But a friend who ordered the whole car seat cover you can get to match said its not worth it.
The belly button band was a disappointment. I couldn't figure out exactly how to use it, and one of them is still in its package unused. Not worth the shipping.
Walmart is sort of a subscription box in that they send one every 3 months and you have to pay $5 shipping on each one. I did link it, but it's https://babybox.Walmart.com