Bounty Mum-to-Be Pack - BEWARE OF 'FREEBIES'
Thursday, May 28, 2015
I've done a separate post reviewing the Mum-to-Be Pack as a whole, but I felt the need to do a separate post on the 'Gift Certificates' that are included in the pack, offering you a massive plethora of items purportedly for free.
Do not be fooled by these bad boys. I got as excited as you would expect me to when it looked like I was getting hundreds of pounds worth of free stuff, but I was brought right back down to earth when I looked at what they were and the fact that you still had to pay shipping. Let me just run through each individual item for you, to save you the trouble of finding out the true cost of your free stuff.
Carseat Canopy [www.carseatcanopy.com] - I'd seen these before, the NFL ones had caught my eye so the thought of a free one was pretty sweet. However, it's a U.S. company (I should have known that from the NFL inclusion) and that's where these babies ship from. The lowest possible shipping we could pay to have one sent to the UK was £13.31. If you want one of them, it's not much but realistically I'd rather just get one of the clip on parasols or something instead - if you're in the UK, your need for a sun shade is likely to be very limited at best.
Belly Button Band [www.bellybuttonband.com] - I am still a little bit lost as to why you would want one of these. It's sort of a clip on thing that make your normal jeans look like maternity jeans. Now I've had a pair of maternity jeans since I was 20 weeks pregnant and they are the most comfortable things I've ever owned. I have my doubts that this weird little contraption would do the same for my normal jeans. The shipping on these? £13.31 - obviously by now I think you'll have realised like I did that these things are basically made by the same U.S. company, leaving us Brits to get stung by the shipping costs for our 'freebies'.
Udder Covers [www.uddercovers.com] - Ugh. The name is awful. The idea of having one is awful. The fact that these are marketed as an essential item is awful. It's exactly what you'd expect it to be. A £20 blanket to cover your baby whilst you breastfeed. I got past my rage about this being a thing and guess what, same company, same £13.31 shipping. At this point I was fairly resigned to the fact that this is what you would always pay for these things... but seriously if you're of the opinion that your baby needs covering up whilst you feed them, just use one of the no doubt dozens of blankets you own.
Seven Slings Baby Carrier [www.sevenslings.com] - This was basically the only thing I'd consider purchasing, if my other half hadn't already bought a heavier duty baby carrier (one of those that can carry baby on his back when he's a bit bigger) and if it weren't for the fact that they look really uncomfortable for the baby. I know he isn't here yet, but I think I would rather just hold him than plonk him in one of these and if I need my hands, he can go in the cot, the pram, the bouncer chair or any of the other items I have for him to be placed in. I don't need another that will make whatever task I need to do a little more awkward. Same £13.31 shipping applies, same principle of being marketed as essential when it is anything but.
Baby Leggings [www.babyleggings.com] - Until I saw these, I thought they were a cute idea if you were having a girl. However, now I've realised that they're just daft and you're better off with tights. The fact that almost half of the pairs of leggings you can buy are for boys astounds me, because I would not be putting these things on my little boy - they are entirely feminine. Basically long leg warmers for babies. Again you're looking at £13.31 postage for five pairs of these things but frankly, they look like an absolute waste of time. Just get your baby some proper pants.
Nursing Pillow [www.nursingpillow.com] - Finally, something that Wes could get on board with and actually conceded was potentially needed. We've read good things about nursing pillows making breast feeding ten times easier for you and baby. I've looked online and they're on sale for about a tenner on eBay etc. for the fancy ones or about £6 for a plain v-shaped pillow that will no doubt do the job. These have discounted postage though! Only £13.30! This is the only thing that might be worth it if you were thinking of getting one anyway - but if you weren't and don't mind having a plain old' pillow to do the job there are cheaper options out there.
Breast Pads [www.breastpads.com] - The last thing on the list of 'gift certificates' is reusable breast pads. 10 pairs of them to be exact. They come in a vast array of colours and patterns which, to me, seems like a massive waste of time. Surely the whole point of these things is to stop attention being drawn to your boobs? For your £13.31 shipping you can get 8 pairs of breast pads and something called a 'Milk Band' that is meant to help you remember which boob your baby fed from last and when. It sounds like a good idea but I am absolutely clueless as to whether it's actually necessary or not? Personally, I think I'll stick with the eco-friendly biodegradable disposable pads rather than faff about with these. These things are the only thing that even come close to value for money but honestly? There's more than likely much cheaper alternatives that aren't quite as... garish.
The most annoying thing about this, is that all of these items are from the same company and likely shipped from the same warehouse so if you wanted a few of them, it would be pretty easy to ship them in one box. Because they're all separate websites, each of them are £13 something and there's no way to change that. Being a mum is an expensive deal... I appreciate that we're getting free stuff, but it's almost like we're being taken advantage of.
The bottom line with these things is that they all look wonderful in their own way but there are better, cheaper alternatives to be found if you just look hard enough. None of these things are absolute essentials, but if you want them they aren't hard to find from British sellers at prices often much less than the postage on these ones.
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