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!

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Citrus Lane Review: April 2013 Box

For the last couple of months I have been posting reviews of each box that I have received as part of my subscription to Citrus Lane. This is my fifth box. Next month I’ll be weighing in on whether or not my six month subscription was worth it as a whole. There are also reviews of my boxes I received in December, January, February, and March. If you are unfamiliar with the format of my reviews, I give detailed product information for each item included in the box along with pricing in order to determine if the box is worth the subscription price. A three month subscription costs $25 per month, while a six month or one year subscription costs $21 per month, and my subscription was $16.50 a month because I used a Black Friday/Cyber Monday discount. I should mention that everyone’s subscription is different based on your baby’s age and gender. Baby Girl received an nine month old box, and I designated that I wanted gender neutral products.

April 2013 Box

Baby Girl showed a lot more interest in opening the box with me this month, but since everything was in packages, she was pretty upset that she couldn’t immediately play with everything! It was cute.

What was in the box:

Item 1: Caterpillar Grasping Toy from Melissa & Doug
Retail Price: $7.99
Bought it Anyway?  Yes
Notes: This is so cute! I love the idea, and Baby Girl loves the little elastic antennae. This was the first item that Baby Girl latched on to out of the box and wanted to play with it immediately. It’s a good weight and seems super sturdy, which is always nice. I actually thought the MSRP was higher based on the quality. Very impressed. It says six months plus on the package, and I know she could have played with it starting then, but I feel like it is still an appropriate toy for her age and can still grow with her for a little longer.

Item 2: Packin’SMART Stack-N-Seal 2 Tier from Innobaby
Retail Price: $8.99
Bought it Anyway? Maybe
Notes: I’m actually not entirely sure how I feel about this product. It might be one of those things that I have to try out first. Who knows, maybe I’ll love it? Since Baby Girl is exclusively breastfed, and I make all of her baby food and store it in the awesome OXO Tot baby food containers I got at my shower, I haven’t had much need for little containers like this. I understand the appeal of having containers that fit together like this so that you don’t lose them in the diaper bag, I just haven’t needed them, and didn’t own any yet. Baby Girl hasn’t had finger foods yet, but we’re getting there. It’s interesting that these containers have the special spout top so that you can put liquids in them as well as solids. I could see this working well if your baby was one that needed a little apple juice or prune juice regularly but you didn’t want to carry a whole extra sippy cup around. I’m not actually sure that we’ll use them for liquids, but I find it intriguing that you can. I see this more as a traveling snack type thing. Well, I guess they saved me having to do the research and figure out which snack containers to purchase myself!

Item 3: Non-Slip Placemat from Oogaa
Retail Price: $8.99
Bought it Anyway? Maybe
Notes: As I’ve already said, Baby Girl hasn’t started finger foods yet, and even if she had, I still wouldn’t need a placemat, as she is still eating in her high chair, with the big washable tray attached to it. That said, I can see the usefulness here, especially as she gets older. I like that it’s totally washable and dishwasher safe (it also says microwave safe, but I’m not sure why someone would want to microwave a placemat…), and I like the suggestion on the package that you can give older children washable markers and let them color in the animals while they wait for their food, as they will just wash off. I think this could be super useful for traveling to other people’s homes, or even to a special event where you don’t want them to make a mess, like a wedding. Will I use it when she’s older and actually sitting at the table with us? Probably, but right now it’s staying in the package in case I never do, or something better comes along.

Item 4:Shampoo & Body Wash from The Honest Company
Retail Price: $9.95
Bought it Anyway? No
Notes: I know that this isn’t going to be a popular opinion, but I’m not a big Honest Company fan. I think that their stated mission is admirable and all that, it’s just not for me. Their primary product is a plant-based disposable diaper that cost twice as much as standard disposables. I know they’re very trendy right now, especially among celebrities who think they’re going green, but they’re still disposable diapers. Anyway, rant on the diaper thing over. We use cloth diapers in our household, so I guess I’m just glad they didn’t send me disposable diapers that I’d never use. I certainly didn’t need yet another bottle of shampoo or body wash though. We’re still on our first bottles that we opened when Baby Girl was born, and I have several more giant industrial sized bottles in the closet that we received as gifts. I’ll put it in the closet for now, but chances are good I’ll be giving it away at the next baby shower I attend. I joined this service to get innovative and interesting products and learn about cool new things I never would have found on my own. Ah well, there’s always one dud in the box. 

In Summary: Is It Worth It?
Items I would definitely have bought before the box: $7.99
Items I love now that I have them: $17.98
Total value of stuff I’m glad I got: $25.97
Answer: YES

While I’m much happier with the objects in this box than the last one (for the most part), it isn’t lost on me that the total quantity of products seems to be going down from month to month. I know that the value is still good, but it was strange only pulling out four items this month, and I’ve definitely had months where the value was higher. Is it still worth the price? Yes, I think so, and I plan to renew my subscription for another six months, but I’d really like to get a box that I can get super excited about again…

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