Bluum July 2013 Box (5 month old, Solid!)

This month I received my first box from Bluum. Bluum is a subscription box for Mom & Baby. It is similar to Citrus Lane. The cost is $24.95 a month and if you use the code PAMPERS you can get your first month for half price.

This month we received a 5 month old box since A will be that age in just a couple weeks!

 The Box

First Look

The Theme/Information Card

Each Bluum box has a theme for each month of the baby's age though the items are not always the same. For example each 5 month old box will have the theme "Solid!" but not all items will be the same next month as they were for us this month.

Item #1

Bumble Bee Neck Pillow Chums ($12.49, amazon.com)

I couldn't find the exact same pillow online so I chose a similar pillow by the same maker. Although the packaging says ages 0+ I do find this an odd item for a 5 month old as it would pose a suffocation hazard. I also don't see how it fits the theme but we will put this away for when A is a bit older.

Item #2

Reflex "Anti" Water Bottle by Vapur ($7.99 vapur.us, $8-10, amazon.com)

I am guessing that this is the "mom" item in the box. I don't really have a specific opinion on this item but we will probably try it out.

Item #3

Red Patent Bottle Holder by Funktion Moms ($34, funktionmoms.com)

The only place online that I could find this was the manufacturer's site. I would never pay $34 for a bottle holder and we already have one. We will probably pass this on in the future with a baby shower gift. Again, not really fitting the theme but still a nice item.

Item #4

Fred the Penguin mOmma Teether by Lansinoh ($5.74, amazon.com)

This was the first item I opened right out of the box. A gave her stamp of approval by promptly grabbing it and trying to eat it.

Still not seeing the theme here...

Item #5

mOmma Fork by Lansinoh ($4.99, amazon.com)

I like that this fork has a nice big handle for A to grab when she's big enough and I love that it has a cover so that I can throw it in the diaper bag and not worry about it getting dirty. I would have loved to get the spoon at this stage but it's still a nice item to have handy when the time comes when she needs it. 

Yay! A theme related item. LOL

Item #6

Large Zizzybee bag in Emerald Dot (~$7, zizzybeebags.com)

This item comes in a three pack on the manufacturer's site for 19.99 so with shipping I estimate the cost at around $7. This will be a nice bag to carry in A's diaper bag for items I want to keep separate like small toys, pacifiers, etc that usually fall to the bottom and get lost.

Item #7

Nuturme Dried Organic Babyfood ($2.82, amazon.com)

This item is a great idea for when you're traveling or just on the go. You add water, formula or breast milk and Voila! you have a 2.5 oz. serving of baby food. You can also add it to your toddler's foods for added nutrition. These samples came with coupons that sadly expired June 30th but the food is good through February 2014 so we may have to try it.

The items!

I was pleasantly surprised with my first Bluum box. We received 6 full sized items as well as the food samples. I don't truly see the point of the theme as only 2 items really fit but I still think we got a great deal. All totaled our box had a value of around $75 ($49 if you bring down the price of the bottle holder to about $8 which is what I paid for the one I have). This was a great value especially considering that I paid $12.48.

If you're interested in trying out Bluum click this link and don't forget to use the code PAMPERS to get your first box for half price.

Disclaimer: This post contains referral links. If you use my link I get points towards a free box. You get points for using the link as well!

Little Spark Review (2-3 months)

Little Spark is a monthly subscription box for babies aged 0-18 months. Each month Little Spark sends you approximately 3 toys and/or books geared towards your child's developmental milestones for their age as well as curriculum cards by child development experts with suggestions on how to use the items. The cost is 34.99 a month to start which includes shipping. The price can get as low as 31.67 a month for an annual subscription. Boxes are shipped via USPS Priority Mail and have the Little Spark logo stamped on it.

For this month I received a box for a 2-3 month old.

First look (and A photo bombing the pic :) )

The monthly theme was "Express Yourself". The information cards look similar to this and include information about each item and some skills you can work on with each one.

(A checking out her new toy)

 The first item was this Sassy Crib and Floor Mirror (19.99 retail, 9.99 amazon.com).

A absolutely loves this! She has a book with a smaller mirror that she "talks" to. This mirror is great as it has high contrast objects attached as well as a true reflection mirror and can be attached to a crib or opened up on the bottom similar to an easel. Little Spark's suggest using this item to encourage a social smile, expanding vocabulary by describing items on the mirror and as a fun addition to the dreaded tummy time. I'm not sure about everyone else but A absolutely hates tummy time.

The second item is this Lamaze High-Contrast Panda Rattle. (5.99 retail, 7.75 amazon.com (?))

The rattle will attract babies with it's high contrast colors and friendly face. It also makes that crinkly sound babies love and has shiny bright red fabric on the opposite side. This item helps practice baby's reflexes. There is also an enclosed nursery rhyme to sing along to. Babies love to hear their parents sing. 

The third item was this Hello, Animals! board book (retail 5.95, amazon.com 5.35)

This book is great for infants as it is black and white and also has bright foil accents on each page. While reading the book to baby you can describe each animal and a little bit about them which helps to expand baby's vocabulary and to build their attention span.

All in all I love the concept of Little Spark. The cost of the items came to 31.93 retail or 23.09 on amazon.com. Yes I could have bought all the items for less than the cost of the box. However, you have to factor in the curriculum which you can't really put a price on and the fact that they ship it to you. I probably also wouldn't have found or thought to buy all of these items but now that I received them I'm happy to have them. 

I definitely plan on keeping this subscription. I forgot to mention earlier that you also get a preview of what next month's theme is. Next month's theme is "Baby Bodybuilding" and I can't wait to see what Little Spark comes up with for that. :)

Jess

* I know I am extremely behind on getting more reviews and posts up. I plan on getting out reviews this next week for Love With Food, the Honest Company bundles and Citrus Lane if it comes (fingers crossed).

I also signed up for KLUTCHclub's Mom box for myself and the Men's box for C but I'm not sure when that's coming. Plum District had a deal-which may still be up-for a 3 month sub for $11 plus $24 shipping. Not a bad deal.

Disclaimer: I paid for this subscription with my own money and was not compensated in any way for this honest review. This post may contain referral links.