Baby Freebies

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


NEWEST:
Our baby was born September 29th, 2015. However, I still keep an eye out for deals and will date/post them here for easy access.
  • 8/1/16-Request a Presidential Greeting for your child
  • 8/1- Sam's Club offers a box of goodies for new moms
  • 10/14-Kiinde Twist- Complete kit for $13.30 shipping. Code: FREERS1013 (i did a sample kit for $10 before, but this one has all the pump adapters and stuff for bag storage- I encourage you to "like" kiinde on facebook since they do variations of this promotion frequently)
  • 10/17- *While our baby is a breastmilk baby, the formula companies offer hospital giftbags that I wanted. Many hospitals, including mine, no longer do these gift incentives as they push harder for breastfed babies, but the freebies are fun for both breastfeeding and formula feeding moms. I had certificates in my hospital bag for all 3 major companies (Similac Strong Moms, Enfamil Family Beginnings, My Gerber) and since my hospital doesn't participate anymore, i emailed the formula companies and asked if it was still possible to receive the promotional items, and 2 DID send them! Similac's gift was a messenger bag, Enfamil's a cooler. Gerber's was a nutrition kit wristlet, but they only offer them at hospitals.
    Enfamil sent a cooler bag with ice pack, NUK NB pacifier with $1 NUK coupon, a fabric crinkle book for babies with shapes and colors, of course there's a tub of formula (i received more enfamil formula than any other brand) tips for new parents, and a guide to new baby including breastfeeding tips and benefits, supplementing and formula feeding, etc. I emailed them 10/8, they replied 10/9 and i received the cooler bag 10/17
    This is the similac messenger bag. It's not super duper quality, but it's a good size to hold diapers and a change of clothes. The gray rectangle on the front is the interior pocket, i just flipped it out so you could see. Normally, this comes with formula in it, and similac offered to let me choose a formula, but we don't use formula anyway so i just happily accepted the empty bag.

 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)


 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. Check out their weekly freebies and cartwheel discounts.

  • Babies R Us
    • Babies R Us is similar to 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.
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.
    Walmart 3rd Trimester Box: Another pampers wristlet, an enfamil sample, orajel day and night teething gel samples, aquaphor, and coupons



      • Amazon Mom
        • The Amazon Baby Registry Welcome Box isn't always available and sometimes it's free and sometimes it isn't. It wasn't available during my second trimester at all, and previous boxes have ranged from free to $50. July 2015 it was free for people creating their registry AFTER July 1st or $35 for people who just wanted the box. I purchase my box, but gave them feedback that it seemed really unfair that anyone who created their registry between april and june missed out on a promotion they offered in march and july. They DID give me a credit which made my box free, and by late July, they had reset the checklist on registries so that women like me who made their registries during their second trimester were still eligible for the promotion. So what was in The Welcome Box for July 2015?
      This box contained an Avent Bottle, a MAM Pacifier, a 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.

      Amazon Mom does have occasional deals (which pop up on Hip2Save and TheSavvyBump) like a free tub of gerber formula, or 6 packs of their elements wipes for $1.90 which are pretty awesome

      • 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.
      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.
      • Little Remedies-Added 9/25. I read that you should capitalize the first letter of your email address and lowercase the rest. Don't know if it really matters?
      • Free 1-year Sam's Club Membership for new moms and pregnant women through 9/29. (Added 9/21): To snag this offer, you’ll need to call 1-888-746-7726, choose option #2 and then option #4 and then tell the representative you are calling for the New Mom Membership offer (note that I was on hold for 25 minutes when calling about this offer so be prepared for that). The first 5-10 times i called, i got a busy signal or disconnected. THEN i got the holdline and waited 25 minutes. Some women spent hours on hold without getting through. My store actually said they do the promotion at the desk with or without the hotline, so you could always call and ask if yours does. Some women also had luck with the email service.
        • Don't forget to pick up the Free Baby Bundle @ the Sam's Club pharmacy counter through 9/30. I just told them "i saw the free baby bundle promotion online" and the pharmacist gave me 2! Mine was a huggies sample with a naturals wipe pack, 2 little snugglers diapers, a coupon for 50 free prints, and a travel pack of tissues.
      • Ocusoft Eye Wipes
      • 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
        • Lactation Tea
        • 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.
      • Safety
      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!


      • Diapers
        • Huggies- I couldn't find this by mail, but the Sam's Club Baby Bundle in September was a huggies promotion
        • 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)
      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
        • 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)
      Bambo
        • Beaming Baby- This is a UK-based organic company. Arrived ~1 week. I was a little confused by their website and whether or not it was an auto-subscribe feature. The shipping charge (international) was ultimately $6.37 which is NOT the exchange rate on £.99 to $1, but regular U.S. shipping on their free samples is £9 so I'm not complaining. 
          • They sent 2 mini (4-13lbs) diapers, and some pouch style skincare samples (shampoo/bodywash, lotion, bubblebath, sensitive wipes, fragrance free wipes). 

      • 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 Similac 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. Even with marking "breastfeeding only" on the formula clubs, i've received 6 tubs and 3 sample boxes of formula from the top 3 brands.
        • Baby's Only Organic Formula- $5 Shipping 
        • Enfamil-i got a tub in my BBB bag and i've received 3 sample boxes of their single serve pouches (2 came in my walmart boxes, i don't remember where the 3rd is from)
        • Similac-I registered with all the clubs around may/june and received a similac pack 9/8- 3 weeks before due date. I received a second pack w/ their tummy formula on 9/25-1 week before due date
          • This has an art of feeding nutrition guide, a small tub of formula, $20 in formula coupons, $8 in pediasure coupons, A qrl for a feeding journal app, AND a certificate for a cooler bag at the hospital.

          I received a sample of their sensitive formula on 9/25-1 week before due date
        • Gerber- While I really have no intention of using formula at all and have given all of it away that i've received thus far, Gerber is the one I would choose based on ingredients. I also feel it's notable that the 2 tubs i've received have been for their supplementing formula, acknowledging that i intend to be a breastfeeding mom and i appreciate that acknowledgment. 
          • Added 6/29- free tub for amazon prime/mom members. Enter code "GOODSTART". I've seen this reappear a few times so it doesn't hurt to look.
          • 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, and a coupon for $5 off

        • 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

        These are pretty standard (corn syrup) lollipops but they are flavored with essential oils and i have to say, the lavender lollipop is strangely addicting...
        • NurturMe Baby Snacks-samples by emailed request. Took ~2-3 weeks. It's a powdered sample. Also, coupons
        • Boogie Wipes: sample and coupons
      There were 2 samples and 6 coupons in this envelope and it arrived in ~1 week. 
      • Coupons by Request: Babyganics, Beech-nut, Earth's Best, Jollypop, BasqSkincare, Pfizer, Johnson/Desitin: Coupons
      • Failed Freebies: 
        • Funtastic Media Colorchanging Fever Pacifier- by form request- never received
        • Bounty- mommy welcome pack-never received
        • Tom's of Maine: Offered Diaper Cream and fragrance-free baby lotion-never received

      • Trials-require an automatic subscription that you can cancel at any time so for these deals you have to remember to CALL to cancel your subscription. You do have to pay Shipping & Handling on the trial kits. * I ordered all of these on Sunday August 2nd, and kept a computer file organized with both the order #s and the cancellation phone numbers so I could cancel them the day they arrive. I actually called to cancel them right after bringing the mail in.

        • Honest Company- $5.95 (Cancel: 1.888.862.8818) Arrived in 2 days
          • Comes shoe-box size. I ordered the diapers (7), wipes(10), and essentials kits(5)
           It let me customize for gender (boy), size (I chose size 1: 8-14lbs), and select a number of prints. I only chose 3 prints, but i think you can customize all 6.
          Skincare included: cleaning spray, handsoap, lotion, ointment, and shampoo/bodywash.
           I found the same wipes sample as this kit at Target for 79 cents, but everything else costs more.
          The patterns in the boy pack were giraffe, balloons, anchors, comic, radio, skull and crossbones, and white
          • Time to cancel: ~30 minutes using the online chat function, though i'm told the phone wait is ~4 minutes. It took maybe 2 minutes once i got a person and they didn't make it difficult. I used the chat function mainly because the phone recording said that "the lines were being overhauled, use the chat function online..."
        • Seventh Generation- $4.95 (Cancel: 657-444-7837 or community@epantry.com)
          •  If you were curious about 7th Generation products, absolutely give their trial a go since a full pack of diapers and wipes for $4.95 is a great deal (and the cleaning products are a great deal too, but we're happy with our current selections for those products). I know a lot of eco-aware moms who swear by this brand.
          • I also signed up for their "Healthy Baby Home Party" host kit, and was selected. Will post more about that on the appropriate tab
          This came in a very large box, because for $4.95 they send basically a full size trial.
           I want to say that's 36 Newborn diapers and a smallish (68) pack of wipes.
          You ALSO have the option to add a full size pack of cleaning products (hand soap, dishsoap, and multipurpose cleaner) for $6.99, which i opted not to do.

        • Parasol Co- $3 (Cancel online. easy peasy) Arrived in 1 week
          • These are very soft and somewhat eco friendly. They have reasonably cute prints without the variety offered by honest co. The trial kit comes with 8 diapers in 2 prints and a travel pack of 20 wipes

        • Everyday Happy- $9.95 (Cancel: 1-(844)-805-0626) Arrived in 3 days
          • As written below, it would appear that Everyday Happy and Dollar Diaper Club are actually the same. If you really just want 1 trial, Everyday Happy (which is the brand) comes in a nicer box. I don't really feel that i needed 2 sets for $9.95/each, but lesson learned.
          The diapers are nice and seem comparable to Bambo in texture with a tiny leaf pattern. You get 6 diapers and the cutest teenie pack of wipes, and decent sized samples of: laundry detergent, hand soap, lotion, shampoo/bodywash, and diaper cream. 
        • Dollar Diaper Club- $9.95 (Cancel: 1-855-627-3726) Arrived in 3 days
          • In the top photo you can see that the flyer says Dollar Diaper Club, and that the box behind is a white shoebox size. In the bottom photo, you can see my Everyday Happy box with all the samples laid out on the left, and on the right the Dollar Diaper Club with the samples still in their EverydayHappy packaging.
          • So...funny thing about Dollar Diaper Club. Dollar Diaper Club and Everyday Happy are the same thing. Everyday happy comes in a nicer box, but the product is the same, and while i called different numbers to cancel, it sounded like the same hotline, i'm fairly certain i talked to the same woman and my cancellation confirmation #s are 6 numbers apart (16 & 22 endings). 
      • 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.
      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.
      "Other" Freebies 
      • Post-Baby Feminine Products (i've done so many of these, my cupboard is full)
      Sweepstakes
      A lot of the big baby companies don't do freebies, but they do weekly giveaways. Check them all out on facebook. You can earn entries daily, but i just pin them to my favorites bar and click them when i remember. There are lots more if you google "baby sweepstakes", but since they're basically a raffle and forms are no fun, i am not linking them all.
      Similac-through August 31st
      Luvs- through June 2016
      Parents- Resets Daily- have to watch a 30 second video for your entry which is kind of annoying
      Land of Nod- Through August 31st

      "Free" Promo Code/S&H Items:
      Every bag you get will come with "coupon cards" for these, and you'll probably get several emails with "discount codes" for these as well. Generally, the shipping is exhorbitant for the item. (If any of these codes don't work, just google for one. There are hundreds of codes that all do the same thing for all the same products). BD4M or HIP2SAVE should work for all of them i think. Shipping is usually ~$13
      This is an example of how they come. This one is from Parents Magazine. The registry bags usually have a placard covered in little plastic gift cards (like a credit card). They ALL have different codes, and i have listed some codes below


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