Stork Stack Review: March 2014

Okay, so I know subscription boxes are all the rage. I already receive and regularly review both Citrus Lane and Bluum boxes. But I have to admit that I am a big enough fan of those that I was willing to try another one: Stork Stack. Stork Stack is a little different from the other two. From what I can tell from their previous stacks, there seems to be very little brand overlap between Stork Stack and the other, more well known child subscription boxes. This is what I experienced in my first box as well, receiving brands I had never received from either Citrus Lane or Bluum, while those two often overlap in brands and products. The other difference is that they are slightly more expensive than the other, two, at $27.99 per month versus $24.95 per month for Bluum, and as low as $21 per month (with a six month subscription) for Citrus Lane (NOTE: Citrus Lane has recently increased their per month pricing to $29 per month!). They also do not offer a discount when you order 3, 6, or 12 month subscriptions like the other companies do, and instead send gratis boxes to children in need, which is a nice touch. They are still my least favorite of the three boxes, and I keep telling myself I’m going to discontinue my subscription. Maybe next month I will.

I intend to review my Stork Stacks based on value and usefulness and be as helpful as I can to you consumers out there! This month my daughter received a gender neutral box for a nineteen month old.

1. Hop a Little, Jump a Little! from Child’s Play
Price: $4.99
Status: Good
Comments: I will never turn down a board book in these boxes! Baby Girl loves to read, and it’s always good to add a little variety. That said, this book is very short, and a little dull, so not the best addition to our collection.

2. Racecar from Green Toys
Price:
$8.99
Status: Great
Comments: So much for a lack of brand overlap! I don’t mind though, because we are big fans of Green Toys products around here. We have several, and all of them have been a hit. This one is a great little first car toy, but Baby Girl isn’t really interested in cars, so it hasn’t gotten much play time yet. I really love it though, and it’s something she won’t grow out of any time soon, which is a plus.

3. Legwarmers from BabyLegs
Price: $12.00
Status: Meh
Comments: Okay, I will admit two things here. The first is that I originally made fun of baby legwarmers when I was pregnant. The second is that I became a huge baby legwarmer fan when Baby Girl was tiny with leaky breastfed poop diapers and I didn’t want to change her pants every five seconds. That said, she’s a bit old for them now, and I feel like this is something too young for a nineteen month old’s box. Also, this is the second pair I’ve gotten recently. I regifted the first pair, and that’s what I intend to do with these as well.

4. Tooth Tissues from My Dentist’s Choice
Price: $12.00
Status: Meh
Comments: Yet another item that is a bit too young for Baby Girl at this point, but a great idea. I found it interesting that instead of one 30 wipe pouch, they actually sent three mini wipe pouches, which add up to the same number of wipes. That’s fine though, I know lots of people having babies, and I can spread the regifting out a bit more! I actually do really like this product. When babies are little they tell you to wipe their gums with a damp washcloth or gauze pads to clean them and prepare them for healthy baby teeth (which we did). These are essentially gauze pads treated with xylitol, which is the same ingredient you find in baby toothpaste, so a more effective version. I love the idea, and wish I had gotten them a year ago! Instead, Baby Girl has already graduated to a toddler toothbrush and xylitol gel, so I’ll be spreading this love around.

5.Larabar Samples from Larabar
Price: $1.79
Status: Meh
Comments: I don’t think anyone is listening when I tell them that I’m not a fan of mom items. I got two little larabar samples, an apple pie and a blueberry muffin, both of which I’ve received full size bars of in other boxes, so I didn’t really need to try them. They’re fine, not the most delicious things ever, and I’ll throw them in the pantry for when I need a quick snack.

Summary: So was it worth it? I wasn’t blown away by this box, but there were some really good items, and I know I’ll be able to add to a few baby gift bags with some good things. As far as value goes, the total value of the box was about $39.77, up against a purchase price of $27, so not bad at all, actually. I’m not over the purchase price if I subtract things I’ll regift, but I feel like they are still good quality items, so I’m not sure I mind. I still feel like this subscription is on probation though. We’ll see how next month goes, but it may be canceled if it doesn’t go well.

Use Code 4A49E165 to Get $10 Off Your Stork Stack!

Stork Stack Review: February 2014

Okay, so I know subscription boxes are all the rage. I already receive and regularly review both Citrus Lane and Bluum boxes. But I have to admit that I am a big enough fan of those that I was willing to try another one: Stork Stack. Stork Stack is a little different from the other two. From what I can tell from their previous stacks, there seems to be very little brand overlap between Stork Stack and the other, more well known child subscription boxes. This is what I experienced in my first box as well, receiving brands I had never received from either Citrus Lane or Bluum, while those two often overlap in brands and products. The other difference is that they are slightly more expensive than the other, two, at $27.99 per month versus $24.95 per month for Bluum, and as low as $21 per month (with a six month subscription) for Citrus Lane (NOTE: Citrus Lane has recently increased their per month pricing to $29 per month!). They also do not offer a discount when you order 3, 6, or 12 month subscriptions like the other companies do, and instead send gratis boxes to children in need, which is a nice touch. Last month was severely disappointing, and I told myself that if this month was terrible as well, I would discontinue my subscription.

I intend to review my Stork Stacks based on value and usefulness and be as helpful as I can to you consumers out there! This month my daughter received a gender neutral box for an eighteen month old.

1. Good Morning Bluebird from Parragon
Price: $6.99
Status: Great
Comments: So much for very little brand overlap! I’ve gotten books from Parragon in my Bluum boxes before. That aside though, I love to get books in subscription boxes, as Baby Girl can’t get enough of them. This is a nice sturdy board book, it’s pretty, it feels like spring, and I know it will be a big hit.

2. Flatopus from North American Bear Co.
Price:
$16.99
Status: Meh.
Comments: This is a well made, sweet stuffed animal, but what kid actually needs a stuffed animal? Baby Girl doesn’t even play with stuffed animals outside of her teddy, so they just sit around my house taking up space. It really is nice though.

3. Wacky Wash Mitt from Rich Frog
Price: $6.62?
Status: Meh
Comments: I have to admit I guessed on the value of this particular item because mine didn’t come with a mini mitt, so I subtracted a third of the cost from the $9.95 they sell the adult and mini mitt pair for on the website. That aside, this is a sturdy wash mitt, it’s cute, and it fits the “spring” theme that seems to be dominant in this box. I don’t think I have any use for it though, since I’m just fine using wash cloths and Baby Girl actually really loves bath time, so I don’t need a duck washcloth to convince her or make it more fun.

4. PureLove Universal Surface Cleaner from BuggyLove
Price: $4.99
Status: Meh
Comments: It looks like buggylove is changing it’s branding, as I couldn’t find this product on their website at first. After reading all the labels, it appears to be the same as their Organic Multi-Purpose Cleaner, only in an 8 oz bottle with a pump sprayer instead of a 16 oz bottle with a trigger sprayer (hence the price difference, if you clicked on the link and noticed). I’m not sure that I will actually use this, as I’m not a fan of the organic orange smell, and I have a set of cleaning supplies I rather like, but you never know.

5. Oatmeal Cranberry Bar from Credible Cravings
Price: $3.00
Status: Meh
Comments: Once again, a “mom” item. I just don’t get excited for stuff they reportedly put in these boxes for me. As mom stuff goes though, I do prefer it when they’re edible. I’ve already eaten this, and it seems a bit expensive for what it is, and it really didn’t even taste that good. The KIND Bar last month was way better.

Summary: So was it worth it? I wasn’t blown away by this box, but I feel like it was a come back after the horror show that was last month’s box. As far as value goes, the total value of the box was about $38.59, up against a purchase price of $25, so not bad at all, actually. Even when you subtract the stuff I won’t use, I’m still over the purchase price. I still feel like this subscription is on probation though. We’ll see how next month goes, but it may be canceled if it doesn’t go well.

Use Code 4A49E165 to Get $10 Off Your Stork Stack!

Stork Stack Review: January 2014

Okay, so I know subscription boxes are all the rage. I already receive and regularly review both Citrus Lane and Bluum boxes. But I have to admit that I am a big enough fan of those that I was willing to try another one: Stork Stack. Stork Stack is a little different from the other two. From what I can tell from their previous stacks, there seems to be very little brand overlap between Stork Stack and the other, more well known child subscription boxes. This is what I experienced in my first box as well, receiving brands I had never received from either Citrus Lane or Bluum, while those two often overlap in brands and products. The other difference is that they are slightly more expensive than the other, two, at $27.99 per month versus $24.95 per month for Bluum, and as low as $21 per month (with a six month subscription) for Citrus Lane (NOTE: Citrus Lane has recently increased their per month pricing to $29 per month!). They also do not offer a discount when you order 3, 6, or 12 month subscriptions like the other companies do, and instead send gratis boxes to children in need, which is a nice touch. They also guarantee a quantity of five items in every box, which could be good or bad, I really have yet to know.

I intend to review my Stork Stacks based on value and usefulness and be as helpful as I can to you consumers out there! This month my daughter received a gender neutral box for a seventeen month old.

1. Wheaties from A Harvest Company
Price: ? *I’m really not sure the value of this, since I can’t find them for sale anywhere, and this seems to be a fairly new company.
Status: Good
Comments: This was actually a cool little toy, and it’s interesting that they use all-natural, locally sourced materials for their items (in this case wheat grass). It seems durable, and Baby Girl has been a big fan of it the last couple of days since we received it. It’s not great, but it’s not a bad addition to the toy box.

2. Cork Block Stacker from A Harvest Company
Price:
?*See above
Status: Meh.
Comments: These are neat little blocks. I like them, they’re interesting, and you can always mix and match blocks, so whatever. That said, they’re not amazing, and I’m not blown away or anything.

3. Harvest Teether Keys from A Harvest Company
Price: ?*See above
Status: Blech.
Comments: Not at all impressed. To start, I think these are definitely too young for Baby Girl now, and I’m putting them in the regift box. But even if that were not the case, I don’t like them. Yes, I like the principle behind them, but they don’t seem like they would be satisfying to a kid. They don’t jingle or make any good kind of rattle noise when you shake them, they are rather large for small babies to hold, and they just don’t seem satisfying to chew on, making the whole teether aspect a bit out of place.

4. Eating Well! from Child’s Play
Price: $6.99
Status: Good
Comments: I’m genuinely always happy to get a book in a subscription box, and this is a good one. It encourages healthy eating, is cute, has good illustrations, an all around good thing. I’m a fan. Is it amazing? No.

5. KIND Bar from KIND
Price: $0.72
Status: Meh
Comments: I know some moms get super excited when there’s something for them in these boxes, but I just don’t. They are generally either one-off throwaway items or overly expensive cosmetic things that serve only to inflate value. I’m sure this bar is probably tasty, and I will take five minutes to enjoy it at some point, but as the fifth item to tie the box together, I’m unimpressed.

Summary: I feel like I can’t even include my customary “Is it Worth It?” value assessment, since I’m really unsure what the value of this box actually was. I can’t even decide if I’m disappointed, since Baby Girl got some things she really likes. The best I can really say is that it wasn’t horrid, and I didn’t hate it, but there wasn’t a WOW! item in the box. I’m going to give them one more month, and if next month is this underwhelming, I’ll just cancel.

Use Code 4A49E165 to Get $10 Off Your Stork Stack!