Inside 'My Baby Box'

First there were beauty boxes (Rubybox being my personal favourite) containing trial-sized beauty samples so that you could be sure that a specific product really works for you before spending your hard-earned cash, and now a plethora of pregnancy and baby-related boxes have flooded the market, too. The idea is that you subscribe for a small fee each month (you can sign up for only one month, or opt for a three or six month subscription), and you get a gorgeous box full of baby goodies delivered straight to your door so that you can test various products to your heart's content, eventually settling on products that suit both you and your baby.

I spent some time researching the various 'baby boxes' on offer and eventually settled on a one-month subscription to 'My Baby Box', and after receiving my first box, I couldn't be happier! I opted for the 'Preggy Box' (they also offer a baby box and a toddler box, with items hand-picked for each stage), which set me back R130 - not bad at all, considering all the lovely goodies I received!

My favourite item by far (and the reason why I opted for My Baby Box in the first place - I saw a sneak peek on the My Baby Box blog) is the little 'Cutey Wabbit', an adorable soft toy that's worth R130 (that's the total cost of the box, so this box certainly is value for money!) What I liked most about this soft toy is the fact that it doesn't have eyes, a nose or any other attachments that could potentially be pulled off or fall off the toy and risk being a choking hazard for my small baby. This will definitely be little Bean's first companion once he's born! My Cutey Wabbit is grey (the unisex option), but they are also available in blue and pink. I am obsessed!

I was very excited to find a full-sized box of Chelaplus Pre-Natal Vitamins (Iron and Folic Acid) in my box, which is worth R100. My gynae recently recommended that I start on a good iron supplement twice a week, so this product was heaven-sent!

A friend recently told me about Oh-Lief, a range of 100% natural and organic body products, so I couldn't wait to start using my trial-sized sample of Oh-Lief Natural Olive Tummy Wax. I've developed a bit of an obsession with stretch mark creams and oils over the past few weeks, and this product went straight from being an unknown contender to the cream of the crop (pardon the pun!) after just one use. I was a bit disappointed that there was no real scent to this product to begin with (what can I say? Being a beauty addict, I have a bit of a thing for fantastic smelling lotions and potions, but I get that this is a natural product so fragrance-free is a very desirable feature), but the texture and effectiveness more than made up for that. It leaves a lovely, silky finish on your skin but, unlike many other balms I've tried in the past, it isn't oily or greasy. I also find that it doubles up as a fantastic lip balm and it works well to soften cuticles, too. I'll definitely be buying this product once my sample runs out, and I'll be trying the rest of the Oh-Lief range as well. I'm particularly keen to try the baby range - this is where being fragrance-free is a huge plus for me!

A welcome addition to the box was the delicious cake pop from La Maison, which is worth R20. These are apparently all the rage at baby showers these days (friends and family, are you reading this?) and certainly brightened up my day! There's nothing like a little sweet treat to cheer up a grumpy, hormonal pregnant woman!

Other products that I've yet to try are: a sample of Bennetts Aqueous Bath Drops, which softens your bath water and ensures that baby's skin is well-moisturised (this is apparently a great bath time treat for mommy-to-bes too, so I'll be sure to try it and let you know what I think), two sachets of Bennetts Sun Block, a gentle sun block that's safe to use on baby's delicate skin, and a full-sized jar of HiPP Organic Pancake and Apple Baby Food, worth R30. I must admit that the memory of sneaking spoonfuls of the gooey Purity my mom used to feed my younger brothers has put me off trying this product so far (I've never been a Purity fan. Carrot mush? No thanks!), but I've heard that this particular brand is delicious and that the Pancake and Apple variant is highly addictive, so I'll give it a go and let you know what I think. I also like the idea of trying baby food before I feed it to little Bean - how else will I know whether it's nutritious and tasty? One thing's for sure: if I can't stomach it, I certainly can't expect my baby to eat it!

And last, but not least, is a Natursuuten Pacifier from Denmark, worth R90. Everything about this dummy is 100% natural, including the packaging, making it the obvious choice for Eco-conscious moms. I look forward to testing this one once Bean arrives!

I was very happy with my first My Baby Box and would recommend it to all mommy-to-bes and moms to babies and toddlers. If you do the maths, you'll see that the value of the box is around R340 (excluding the value of the samples), so considering that I only paid R130 and had a wonderful surprise arrive on my doorstep to brighten my Tuesday morning, I'd say it's well worth it! I'm also really enjoying testing the various products and feel that I can now make more informed choices when buying products for my baby, which I guess is the point of the box in the first place! Signing up for My Baby Box is easy, too - simply visit their website, make your selection (they have a preggy box, baby box, toddler box and even a gift box - a great gift for a baby shower, perhaps?) and fill in your details. I'll definitely be subscribing for the remaining three months of my pregnancy, and I plan on treating Bean to a baby box (or three!) once he's born as well!



NOTE: I purchased My Baby Box with my own money and felt that it was worthy of a review. This is NOT a sponsored post.