I Need a Dollar Dollar!

So there's no way around,  having a baby is expensive as hell! You have diapers, wipes, breast milk bags, bottles, bottle brushes,  sterilizing bags (or the giant counter top ones), clothes,  formula if needed, bath stuff,  books, and the list continues.  It just grows bigger as they get bigger and doesn't ever get cheaper.  Oh and I forgot the biggest expense of them all CHILDCARE!

Now, I can't help make childcare any cheapest,  but I can share my list of free or nearly free baby things. And none of these require you to fill out endless surveys or sell your soul for a measly single use tube of crappy lotion that you'll just trash. 

So here are my favorite ways to get free (or nearly free) baby samples! 

1)Gift Registries: Babies-R-Us, Target, and Buy Buy Baby all have gift bags for parents who create a gift registry with their stores. These bags are all fairly similar. They contain a bottle sample (I got 2 Avent and 1 Mam), Pamper diapers in a cute little clutch (typically 2 newborn diapers and a 6 pack of wipes), a pacifier sample, breast milk storage bags and breast pads, random single use samples, and coupons for places like Shutterfly.  And if you time it right, you can go to the registry event that most Babies-R-Us stores do at the beginning of the month and score a premium bag that has more samples. I was so disappointed that I didn't know about this event until after i had created my registry.

2)Amazon: I separated Amazon out from the other registries because their Welcome Box isn't completely free. In order to qualify for the Welcome Box you have to follow the steps on the checklist (registering for items in each of the categories listed, etc.) And then you or someone you know has to spend $10 on your registry. Once these steps are complete you will receive your free welcome box. This box is completely worth the time spent registering for items even if you don't plan on using your Amazon registry. In fact,  I didn't complete mine until after Baby Bug was born.  This box included a full pack of diapers,  a sample of Pamper wipes,  water wipes,  a full size muslin swaddle blanket, a onesie, and a variety of other fun samples. It seems to change slightly every so often so it's a fun surprise!

3)Honest Company: So one of the registry bags had a sample of 1 Honest Company diaper and a wipe sample. But I also decided to pay the $5 shipping fee to Honest Company and picked out 5 diapers and a sample of wipes so that I could try out the diapers that I had heard so much about. This automatically signed me up for the monthly subscription (which I forgot to cancel) and we ended up with 2 packs of diapers and wipes that I fell in love with. Once we run out of our supply of diapers, I will be going back to the Honest Company diaper subscription because the diapers hold a nights worth of pee without having Baby Bug wake up reeking of urine like she does with Luvs. And I don't have to worry about what is on her little tush. 

4)Baby Box University: You've probably heard of the Finnish Baby Boxes that mother's are sent home with from the hospital. They contain clothes, books, toys, etc for the new baby. Well the US hasn't made it that far, but many states in the US offer a free baby box full of supplies to new moms just for watching videos on safe sleep. And passing a short quiz. In Ohio the box comes with a mattress and sheet so that the baby has a safe place to sleep if you plan to co-sleep (which many studies suggest help with the prevention of SIDS), a onesie, a full pack or size 1 diapers, a pack of wipes, and a bunch of single use samples. You also get a few sample sized products for the grown ups! This box is free if you are able to pick it from one of the many locations around the area or you can pay a $5 shipping fee and have it delivered to your house. 

5) The last big thing of free samples that I was so excited to get is from Seventh Generation. I joined the Generation Good group that allows you to review sample products provided by Seventh Generation. My first few samples included laundry pods, feminine products, and baby wipes. And then I was invited to host a Happy Baby party. This meant I received a box full of sample and full sized products of different Seventh Generation products. I was sent a full pack of size 2 diapers, a bunch of wipe samples,  a ton of laundry samples, and a bunch of lotion samples. I have loved each of these samples, especially the diapers!

So go forth and enjoy those free (or almost free) samples!