Bluum Box Review: January 2014

This is my fifth box since deciding to try Bluum. Bluum‘s pricing is very similar to Citrus Lane, at $25 per box on a month to month basis, $23 per month for a three month subscription (less than CL), $21 per month for a six month subscription (the same as CL), and even less than that for a one year subscription. Also of note is that Bluum offers more ways to earn rewards and free boxes than Citrus Lane does (which is why I’m on the month to month plan at the moment, hoping to earn a free box!). I’m still pretty impressed with the box. I was told that Bluum would primarily send samples, but I believe it to be of phenomenal value.

My box this month was the box for seventeen month olds. This box seemed to have a theme primarily of mealtime type items.

1. Organic Smoothie Fruits: The Green One from Ella’s Kitchen
Price: $1.29
Status: Great
Comments: I actually really like receiving food pouches in my subscription boxes. I have yet to feed them to Baby Girl yet, but I think she’ll really like them, and I look forward to trying!

2. Organic Smoothie Fruits: The Yellow One from Ella’s Kitchen
Price: $1.29
Status: Great
Comments: How fun to get two different flavors! I’m super glad about this!

3.Sippigrips from Booginhead
Price: $15.00
Status: Meh
Comments: These are actually pretty high quality and a nice item (plus I love that it’s a two pack!), but Baby Girl really doesn’t need these anymore. She has a good handle on her toys, cups, and other items, and she’s old enough to walk around now, so I’m not really worried about her dropping things or throwing things out of the car seat/stroller/shopping cart. These would have been awesome to have a few months ago though, and you can bet I’m going to re-gift them!

4.  Divided Plate from Bumkins
Price: $6.95
Status: Great
Comments: I love this item. I love the Bumkins brand, I love Dr. Seuss, and I love this plate! I wish it was a bit smaller, as this is quite a large plate and doesn’t fit well on Baby Girl’s high chair tray, but it’s cute, it’s durable, and it will be perfect for teaching her to eat off of a plate (she doesn’t do so well with that right now).

5. Toddler Fork
Price: $10.00
Status: Good
Comments: We can pretty much always use more utensils for Baby Girl, for sure. This one is a little odd, and I’m not sure how well she’ll do with it, and I’m skeptical of the price point, but it’s fine.

6.Waterproof Super Bib from Bumkins
Price: $6.95
Status: Awesome!
Comments: Bumkins Super Bibs really are the best bibs around for toddlers. Waterproof, food-catching pocket, machine washable, they are just awesome. I only wish we hadn’t gotten such a girly one…not a fan of the pink.

7. Oscillo from Boiron
Price: $6.99
Status: Meh.
Comments: Not a big fan of receiving flu medicine in my box, to tell the truth. Yes, it’s flu season, but this is a bit like getting a bottle of aspirin. Not cool.

So was it worth it? Definitely. The total value of the box was $48.47, compared to a $25 purchase price. After subtracting the items I will probably regift, I got around $27 worth of value, which is still above the purchase price. Plus, now I have some really high quality items to gift my mom friends with tinier babies!

Are you interested in signing up for Bluum?

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Bluum Box Review: November 2013

This is my third box since deciding to try Bluum. Bluum‘s pricing is very similar to Citrus Lane, at $25 per box on a month to month basis, $23 per month for a three month subscription (less than CL), $21 per month for a six month subscription (the same as CL), and even less than that for a one year subscription. Also of note is that Bluum offers more ways to earn rewards and free boxes than Citrus Lane does (which is why I’m on the month to month plan at the moment, hoping to earn a free box!). I’m still pretty impressed with the box. I was told that Bluum would primarily send samples, but I believe it to be of phenomenal value.

My box this month was the box for fifteen month olds.

1. Legwarmers from BabyLegs
Price: $12.00
Status: Meh
Comments: I feel like Baby Girl is a little too old for these at this point. The truth is that baby legwarmers are awesome, and we own about a million of them, that we used regularly when Baby Girl was little and lived in onesies all day. Now she’s old enough to wear real clothes, and we packed the legwarmers away. These will make an awesome re-gift though!

2. How Do I Feel? from Parragon Books
Price: $12.99
Status: Pretty Great
Comments: I love to see books in my subscription boxes! We are a family of readers, and I would never turn books away! These are unique and unlike anything else Baby Girl has though. They are tiny board books for tiny hands that are supposed to help toddlers identify their feelings to better communicate. A creative idea, that I rather like!

3. Non-Slip Bath Mats from Dreambaby
Price: $4.25 (this is just a guess, I actually had a hard time finding them for sale anywhere)
Status: Meh
Comments: While I understand the use for these, I can’t use them. Our tub has a protective coating sprayed onto it that can be damaged by things like this, so I try to avoid them. Re-gift!

4.  Owl Blankie from Angel Dear
Price: $13.00
Status: Meh
Comments: This is another item that I feel is too young for Baby Girl. She has two of these little “loveys” already that she received before she was born, and while she loves them, we certainly don’t need to introduce another. These are perfect for newborns, and I love the fabric this one is made of, but Baby Girl is old enough to have a real blanket.

5. Happy Yogis-Mixed Berry from Happy Family Brands
Price: $3.99
Status: Awesome!
Comments: Baby Girl loves loves LOVES yogurt melts, so it’s always awesome to see them show up at the doorstep!

6. Happy Yogis-Banana Mango from Happy Family Brands
Price: $3.99
Status: Awesome!
Comments: As stated above, we love yogurt melts around here! I was happy to see them, and it was cool to get two different flavors!

So was it worth it? I think so. The total value of the box was $50.22 (just about on par with last month), compared to a $25 purchase price. After subtracting the items I will probably regift, I got around $20 worth of value, which is below the purchase price, but with the holidays (and more than a few baby showers) coming up, plus the incredibly good quality of those items, I’m willing to forgive it!

Are you interested in signing up for Bluum?

Click here to sign up and receive 50% off your first box!

Baby Smoothies

So it turns out that Baby Girl is a fruit addict. She pretty much hates every vegetable I try to give her unless I mix it with a little fruit. Doesn’t matter how I season it. I’ve run out of single ingredient purees to make, so I decided to start making her the occasional baby smoothie. If you’re making your own, you could substitute pretty much any fruit your baby is old enough to have for any of these. I just used what I know she likes.

Ingredients:
1 banana
1 nectarine/peach (fresh or frozen)
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup apple juice

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. It’s that easy.
2. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to three months.

Here’s to Baby Food: Banana

This is going to be one of my faster baby food posts. I know I’ve said that every one of these so far is easy…but this is the easiest. Easy as pie, and Baby Girl absolutely loves it.

Ingredients:
Banana

Equipment:
Bowl and Fork

1. Peel banana.

2. Mash banana with a fork. If your baby is too young for the chunks and you need it to be smooth, put it in a food processor or blender for a few seconds.

No need to store it, it mixes up too easily. If you do want to store it, feel free to do so in airtight containers in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months. It will start to turn brown if stored, but it’s still edible.

If your baby is old enough for spices, feel free to add some cinnamon or nutmeg for a little flavor.