Kate Weiser “Carl” the Hot Chocolate Drinking Snowman

I had high expectations of this because of the hefty $32 price tag ($40 if you count shipping!). I was not disappointed! Here’s how I would rate the Kate Weiser chocolate snowman:

• Cost – $32 … but it makes 5-8 servings, so $4-$6.40 per serving
• Appearance – 5/10 … honestly, I would have given it a 10/10 had it arrived exactly as it appears online. However, it arrived with a bunch of loose chocolate powder and a broken base (see photo) so instead of appearing white, the snowman appeared brown. Of course, when you’re shipping something so delicate I’m sure these things happen – my recommendation would be to buy it in person in a Neiman Marcus store if you’re near one.
• Melting Quality – 8/10 … the snowman melted pretty quickly and evenly into a chocolate-y puddle. However, the marshmallows were kind of meh.
• Taste – 10/10 … Amaaaaaazing hot chocolate! The box recommends you do 8 servings if you like it a little thinner and 5 servings if you want to be drinking chocolate. I did 6 servings because I wanted it on the rich side. It was sooooo good – you could tell it was high quality chocolate, and not cut with a bunch of sugar. Imagine the chocolate you get when you order churros in Barcelona … that’s how it tastes!

Trader Joe’s Hot Chocolate Snowman

I had high expectations of this snowman, too, because I usually love everything TJ’s! However, I was a little disappointed with this one. Here’s why:

• Cost – $1.99 … but it makes 1-2 servings, so $1-$2 per serving
• Appearance – 7/10 … pretty cute little guy, what can I say.
• Melting Quality – 8/10 … I was soooo disappointed with the melting. It took fooooorever and the shell is white chocolate so you didn’t get that nice melting effect of the brown and milk mixing. Also, the chocolate chips inside the snowman didn’t melt well at all and stuck to the bottom of the pan. It took a lot of stirring to make this edible!
• Taste – 3/10 … When I purchased these snowmen, the Trader Joe’s checkout guy warned me that they would be a sugar bomb and to use two cups of milk instead of the one cup suggested on the packaging. Thankfully I took his advice – I actually probably could have used three cups of milk and still found it too sugary! There was not a very strong chocolate flavor at all – it was like drinking straight sugar.

So who’s the hot chocolate snowman winner?

Kate Weiser by a landslide! Of course, a $32 chocolate snowman is gonna taste better, but does it taste $30 better? I’m here to say, definitively, YES. If you’re looking to indulge in hot chocolate, the Trader Joe’s snowman isn’t even worth the calories. Just upgrade to the Kate Weiser version and thank me when you’re done.

The ONLY situation in which I would recommend the Trader Joe’s chocolate snowman over Kate Weiser is if you have no kids or friends or family to share with. Then, it might be hard to justify a chocolate snowman meant for 5-8 servings, ha!

*This review is in no way sponsored or affiliated with Trader Joe’s or Kate Weiser, I just like to give my unsolicited opinion on everything I buy

**The Christmas tree mug below I got on Amazon, and the gingerbread cookies are from Trader Joe’s!

Hudson Yards Child/Toddler-Friendly Itinerary

I’m a big fan of this adventure because it can be low cost if you want it to be. It can be done rain or shine, too. If it’s raining, just go to the mall and the Edge (there is an inside viewing area that can be just as cool for kids as the outdoor platform). If it’s sunny, do all of the below!

1. Gorilla Statue (15 min)
2. The Edge -or- The Vessel (1 hour)
3. Hudson Yards mall (1 hour)
4. Optional – Electric Lemon (1-2 hours)

Time: 2-3 Hours

Cost: $0-$50 depending on what you do

Toilets: Plentiful and clean

Food: Lots of options

Stroller: Friendly

Gorilla Statue

Unless you take the 7, the subway is kind of a far walk from Hudson Yards so we took an Uber from downtown and got dropped off at Bella Abzug Park at 34th so we could start at the Gorilla Statue and walk to Hudson Yards from there.

The Gorilla Statue is HUGE! There weren’t a lot of people when we went on a rare 70 degree day in November 2020, so my two-year old got to climb all over the gorilla.

The Edge

It’s a short walk over to Hudson Yards from the Gorilla Statue. We booked tickets for the Edge, the glass platform in the sky. I recommend booking them in advance for about an hour or two before sunset – yes, it’s the most crowded time, but it’s also the most beautiful time! Due to covid, there’s a cap on the number of people allowed up there, so even the busiest time isn’t too bad. 

If you want to take photos at the Edge, I also highly recommend going to the Edge with another parent/caretaker/adult. The best pictures (the ones you see all over Instagram) require someone to stand inside the building and take a photo of you while you’re outside on the platform.

Lastly, I recommend wearing pants and bringing extra layers because it’s super windy and about 10 degrees colder on the platform. I am pretty sure I flashed everyone several times in my short dress!

At the Edge, your kids can run around outside on the platform or in an indoor viewing area. There is a big set of stairs outside on the platform but you can only sit on them if you bought something inside and are eating it. To take photos in the most popular corners of the outside platform and the glass floor, you’ll need to stand and wait in a socially distanced line. Everyone gets 2 minutes to take their photos so it goes pretty fast. 

Fun fact, did you know that babies aren’t born afraid of heights? It’s a learned fear. So, if you take your young toddler to the Edge, you might find (like I did) that they are completely fearless when it comes to exploring the platform. Meanwhile, my legs felt like jelly, it was so scary pressing up against the glass! 

Optional: The Vessel

Because we did the Edge, we skipped going to the top of the Vessel. I would say do either the Edge or the Vessel but no need to do them both in one trip. The Vessel is fun for toddlers who like climbing stairs but beware, once you commit yourself to climbing the stairs, the only way out is to go all the way up (or back down). You can only access the elevator from the ground floor or the top of the Vessel!

Hudson Yards Shopping Mall

After the Edge, we trolled around the Hudson Yards shopping mall. If you’re going during the Christmas season, your kids will loooooove the Christmas lights and decorations on every floor. My two-year old loved these little Yetis in the Aritizia windows as well as the big hot air balloon lights that changed colors.

I highly recommend taking your toddler to the Camp store if it’s not too crowded – there are fun things for them to explore and climb and play with. My kid was obsessed with the Jeep that you can climb into and press buttons inside and “drive” as well as the “shiny” room which has reversible sequin walls and a digital floor. I also made the mistake of letting my kid run around Dylan’s Candy Shop and we left with a bag of mini gummy bears (which I am currently eating). A note about Dylan’s candy shop – due to Covid, you can’t just shovel a few candies from each container into a bag – they are all individually wrapped big bags now, so mixing and matching candies isn’t an option.

Equinox Hotel/Electric Lemon Rooftop

Since it was such nice weather, we wanted to eat outside (not to mention we don’t feel safe eating inside yet). The last stop on our adventure was to Electric Lemon, the rooftop restaurant in the Equinox hotel. It definitely has a trendy date night feel … so I think people looked at me funny for bringing a two-year old. Whatever, she’s my date! They have high chairs, so I guess they’re technically child-friendly, but they did seat us in the farthest corner in the back because I guess no one wants to see kids when they’re having a romantic date hahaha. The food was OK, nothing to write home about. But, the view was beautiful! Worth it for that alone.

• What is the covid-testing situation when giving birth?
• Do you have to wear masks the whole time?
• Do you get a private or shared room at Mt. Sinai?
• Is the nursery open at Mt. Sinai?
• Can you get food delivered at Mt. Sinai?
• How many nights do they let you stay at Mt. Sinai?

What is the covid-testing situation when giving birth?

We were scheduled for an induction so we had to get covid tested the day before (if you go into labor naturally, you will be covid tested when you go to the hospital). You and whoever your birthing partner is (in my case, my husband) go to a tent next to the hospital and get a PCR swab test (the one that goes through your nose and tickles your brain haha). You have to wait in line outside with a bunch of people who think they have covid, even though you have a timed appointment. It’s one of those situations where you feel like you’re catching covid just standing in line!

Luckily, we both tested negative. When we went in to get induced, my husband had to wait downstairs while I was processed through to the L&D room. Once I was in the room my husband got to join me pretty much immediately. They only allow you to have one support person with you, as well as a doula if you have one (we didn’t).

Do you have to wear masks the whole time?

The whole labor and delivery process was the same as when I got induced in 2018 – the only difference is everyone is wearing masks all the time, even if you test negative for COVID. But, the nurses in L&D told us they were ok with us taking our masks off if no one else was in the room. One nurse even took my mask off my face during pushing and said I didn’t have to wear it … cuz I ended up pushing for 3 hours before finally needing a c-section (my baby was 2 lbs bigger than the ultrasound predicted, ugh). After the baby was born, we tried to wear masks in our recovery room every time a nurse came by, but otherwise, we were mask-free.

Do you get a private or shared room at Mt. Sinai?

One big difference in the whole birth process at Mt. Sinai UES during the pandemic is you can no longer purchase a private room for your recovery. After my c-section, the hospital admins tried to stick me in a shared room with another couple and their baby! I was told they tried to put all the covid negative people in shared rooms by themselves and only double up if they have to – but meanwhile, they have like 20 empty private rooms “reserved” for covid positive patients!

The nurse with us told us that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” so my husband unleashed his inner Karen and yelled at people until we got a private room on the 8th floor. It seems a little ridiculous that the hospital is setting aside the private rooms as though 20 covid-positive women in labor are suddenly going to show up in a day. I think everyone at the hospital knows the policy is ridiculous, so just make sure you raise a ruckus and don’t let them stick you in a shared room!!! I was definitely in no condition to be sharing with anyone after 3 hours of pushing and a c section, it would have been hell on earth. I felt like my nurses were all amazing while I was recovering, but they were pretty busy, so having my husband there for immediate needs was essential (again, another reason not to let them stick you in a shared room – partners can’t stay overnight!).

Is the nursery open at Mt. Sinai?

The nursery was closed because of the pandemic, so the baby stayed with us both nights – not super restful. Nurses were in and out every hour to check on me or the baby so the first night we barely got any sleep. The second night our baby had to be put under the photo lights for jaundice – this normally takes place in the nursery but they had to set everything up in our room instead so it was pretty cramped with equipment. And, kinda hard to sleep when your entire room is filled with neon blue light!

Can you get food delivered at Mt. Sinai?

The food situation at Mt. Sinai was not great during my stay because they were renovating the kitchen or something. So, every meal I got was a limited selection of sandwiches and things that can be heated in the microwave. I ordered food to be delivered to the hospital but my husband had to go outside to pick it up – they don’t let your delivery person leave the food in the lobby like in normal times.

How many nights do they let you stay at Mt. Sinai?

We were discharged after 2 nights instead of the standard 3 for c-section (FYI you only get 1 night with a vaginal delivery during covid), but I was ready to go home by then! The nurses sent us home with all the goodies – mesh undies, pads, formula, etc. I think I only reached into my hospital bag for my phone charger the entire time I was there – I could have come to the hospital with nothing at all and been ok.

All in all, had a very positive experience at Mt Sinai UES and I didn’t feel like covid made the L&D experience any worse than when I had my first baby there in 2018 – other than the potential room sharing situation which we resolved. I also felt very safe and not like I had greater exposure risk to covid while at the hospital.

Hope this was helpful! Feel free to leave me questions in the comments!

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Pros

Very fresh ingredients and tasty meals. As a foodie and omnivore, I had high expectations on flavor and I was not disappointed.

Meals were generally filling, with the exception of most of the breakfast meals. I never went to bed hungry, which I was worried about on a plant-based diet.

Delivery was always prompt and well-packaged. I was never afraid if I missed the delivery by a few hours, the food would go bad, because it was always cooled and insulated.

“Freebies” included every week like detox tea, chocolate, chips, and their detox waters. Of course, I would never pay separately for those things (like “beauty water” which can be purchased for $39 each on the Sakara website), but it was nice to get them free with my meals.

Cons

Expensive, obviously. At an average cost of $27/meal, it’s hard to justify some of the meals especially since they don’t contain meat.

I didn’t like that they don’t believe in including nutrition facts and caloric content on the labels. Sakara isn’t marketed as a weight loss diet, but I personally think it’s important to know how many calories you’re taking in regardless. Some of their meals were really heavy on creamy dressings and starchy veggies and I personally would like to know if I’m eating like 800 calories worth of carbs in a meal.

Not a lot of variety in flavor profiles. Eventually, it just started seeming like it was the same three sauces over different veggies each week.

Is Sakara Life A Good Meal Delivery Plan For Post-Partum Recovery?

As I mentioned, I did Sakara Life right after I gave birth for several weeks. TL;DR I would recommend Sakara life for post-partum recovery if you want the convenience of eating healthy without having to cook and are able to stomach the high cost. It’s hard to say if it had any impact on my energy levels or weight loss as the post-partum period is such a mess anyway, but at least psychologically it gave me a boost to know I was eating clean and healthy. Also, I had no problems producing enough milk supply to breastfeed on this diet, but there’s no real way to pinpoint if the effect of the diet was positive, negative, or neutral.

What Kind Of Meals Do You Get With Sakara Life?

Sakara offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. My recommendation would be to skip breakfast and maybe even lunch. I started Sakara by ordering breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 3 days a week. I quickly learned that breakfast was TINY and definitely not worth $27. The following week, I did 4 days a week of just lunch and dinner for about the same price as doing all three meals for 3 days a week. I felt like I was getting more value with the larger portions of lunch and dinner. After doing that for a couple weeks, I eventually stopped getting lunch, too. Instead, I changed to dinner 5 days a week instead. This is because lunch was almost always a salad and I like to eat different textures and flavors. And the salads were heavy on the filler – think LOTS of arugula.

Here are some pictures of the food I received:

• A tiny ass yogurt with fruit for breakfast
• This soup smelled good but the container didn’t say “do not microwave” and I’m an idiot
• Delicious dressing
• These “pizzas” were really good
• Yum these “quesadillas” were good
• Another salad for lunch
• Tiny french toast breakfast (that plate is a tea saucer size for reference)

Is Sakara Life Worth The Money?

For me, even though Sakara was within my household budget, it was not worth $27/meal. While almost everything was filling and tasty, there are so many great food choices in NYC that cost less that it was hard to justify. So, here are my ultimate recommendations:

I would say if you want to try Sakara, do a two-week detox with them instead of considering it a long-term meal plan.

Alternatively, if you have lots of money and don’t care about the cost as much (but still want to get the most value), use Sakara for lunch and dinner and skip breakfast.

Ok, hope you enjoyed reading my review. If you found it helpful or have questions, please leave a comment!

• Can you wear your own gown during labor and delivery?
• What do the private rooms look like at Mt. Sinai Upper East Side and how much do they cost? Is it worth the money?
• How is the hospital food at Mt. Sinai Upper East Side? What do you eat? Can you get food delivered?
• What do they give you for free at Mt. Sinai Upper East Side? What do you need to bring?
• What is the situation with visitors at Mt. Sinai Upper East Side?
• What breastfeeding services are provided at Mt. Sinai UES? What if you decide not to breastfeed?
• Do I need to show the Mt. Sinai UES hospital a car seat before they let me take my baby home?

So, yes and no. When I first got to my labor and delivery room, the nurse said I could wear the gown I brought. I bought this one on Amazon which has snaps in the back so they can easily put in your epidural, snaps at the shoulders for easy access for skin-to-skin with your baby, and a wrap in front for the delivery. I wore my own gown for the majority of my labor and delivery. However, towards the end, a new nurse came on shift and she told me I had to change because I wasn’t allowed to wear my own gown in case I had to get a c-section. She also mentioned the gown I brought was way more functional and better than the hospital-issued gowns!  So, it sounds like the policy may be no gowns from home, but it’s really a toss-up if someone tries to enforce it for you. I would recommend just bringing your own if you want to and hoping for the best!

In short, YES, it is worth it to splurge on a private room if you can. Mt. Sinai Upper East Side private rooms range from $595 to $1250. My insurance did NOT cover it – to my knowledge, most people’s insurance won’t pay for the private room. And unfortunately, Mt. Sinai (and other NYC hospitals) is usually so busy that you won’t get upgraded to a private room for free. In fact, they are sometimes so busy you can’t even get a private room even if you’re willing to pay out of pocket!

When I gave birth, I stayed in the $850 “medium size room with Central Park view” (room #736). Was it worth an extra $75/night for the Central Park view? You tell me! Here’s what it looked like:

As you can see in the photo, there’s a bed for you and two armchairs, one of which pulls out into a bed for your spouse to sleep in at night. There’s also a rolling table that you can pull over the bed to eat at. The room is pretty small – just comfortable enough for two people. Not exactly a luxury spa experience, right?  But the room was fine and served its purpose. You’re really not paying for the actual accommodations anyway – you’re paying for 1) privacy, 2) your own bathroom and shower, and 3) the privilege of your spouse being able to stay with you overnight. You can’t do any of those things in the shared rooms as far as I know!

The food at Mt. Sinai UES isn’t going to win any Michelin stars, but it’s decent and there is enough variety to accommodate any dietary restrictions. A nurse comes around to ask you for your food order for each meal – they will rattle off a bunch of options but just know, you don’t have to pick between those options. You can ask them to bring you one of everything! You can also have Seamless delivered to the hospital – you’ll need someone to get it from the street entrance for you though as you can’t have it delivered to your room.

There are certainly things that would make you more comfortable that you could bring yourself, but even if you show up to the hospital without a single thing, you’ll be fine. Here’s what Mt. Sinai Upper East Side will provide to you during recovery:

Hospital Gown/Robe

NO, you do NOT need to bring your own robe. You will get multiple gowns in your room to wear. They’re reasonably comfortable – not super soft but not itchy or too stiff either. They have good coverage and I felt comfortable walking around the hospital in them when I had to make multiple trips daily to the NICU on the 2nd floor (my room was on the 7th floor). I also felt comfortable wearing the gowns to sleep and bleeding all over them. I brought my own super soft nightgown and robe with me and I didn’t end up wearing them at all because I was content with the ones the hospital provided and I didn’t want to get own stuff dirty. Besides, my body hurt so much after giving birth that the robe was the least of my comfort concerns. 

Toiletries

YES, bring your own toiletries. The hospital provides shampoo, lotion, toothpaste, mouthwash, and a toothbrush. However, they have a very industrial/clinical feel to them. I would recommend bringing your own stuff. I know some women don’t shower at the hospital at all but I would highly recommend doing it – I definitely felt way more human after I did, even though I was in a lot of pain.

Underwear, Pads, Adult Diapers, Socks

NO, you do NOT need to bring your own stuff. The hospital provides you with everything and your nurses will give you a ton of extra you can bring home, too. You’ll get mesh underwear, pads, ice packs, socks, hemorrhoid cream, witch hazel pads (AKA tuck pads), peri bottle (post-partum perineal irrigation bottle, AKA a squirt bottle to clean your parts with warm water). The mesh underwear was comfortable and not itchy – I had brought my own high-waisted underwear to the hospital but I ended up staying in the issued mesh ones the whole time. The only thing I will say is if you have bad hemorrhoids, you might want to bring your own cream. The active ingredient in the cream they give you is not as strong or effective as dibucaine, which you can buy on Amazon for less than $10.

Breastfeeding Supplies

NO, you do NOT need to bring your own stuff unless you really, really want to. The hospital provided a pump (Medela brand) as well as Medela brand bottles and lanolin nipple cream. They did NOT provide a nursing pillow however, so I would say bring your own. I found my Boppy nursing pillow to be a huge help while I was learning to breastfeed my baby. They also did not provide a hands-free nursing bra so my husband had to go to the gift shop and buy one for $20. Bring your own unless you want to hold bottles up to your tits with your hands the whole time.

Post-Partum Belly Band

YES, you need to bring your own post-partum belly band. The hospital does not provide them. I bought the UpSpring bamboo belly band and wore it every time I had to walk around the hospital. I really needed the support – it felt like the belly band was the only thing holding me together after birth! You never know what will happen during labor and your baby could end up in the NICU like mine did, and you’ll have to trek a bit to get there so bring a belly band even if you don’t think you’ll need one. It helps a lot!

Baby Clothes, Diapers, Receiving Blanket, Hat

NO, you do not need to bring your own baby clothes. The hospital provides a kimono-style, long-sleeved top (they said babies shouldn’t wear onesies that button at the crotch until after their umbilical cords fall off), a super soft hat (which our baby wore for weeks!), and a thin blanket.

I only wanted my husband to be at the hospital so I don’t have any experience with outside visitors of my own. However, I did see a visitor waiting room which looked pretty much like what you would expect of a hospital waiting room. There was also a room for new moms (it had a special name but I can’t remember what it was called) in case you had to stay at the hospital for a while after you were discharged and kicked out of your hospital room. It’s the same room they hold breastfeeding classes in.

One thing of note that I didn’t expect was the elevator situation! On Saturdays, one of the elevators is a dedicated Sabbath elevator, meaning it stops on every single floor. One of the nurses told me it’s so Orthodox Jews, who aren’t supposed to do work on Saturday, can use the elevator without doing the work of pressing a button. Anyway, the elevator is super slow so plan accordingly and warn your visitors. 

Mt. Sinai UES is a very pro-breastfeeding hospital. I would go so far as to say I felt bullied into submission to breastfeed even though I wasn’t too keen on the idea to begin with. There’s a group breastfeeding class at Mt. Sinai UES but I totally skipped it. There’s also a lactation consultant who comes around to your room multiple times a day to help you with breastfeeding and getting your baby to latch. They are very hands-on – like, literally, their hands will be on your boobs squeezing your colostrum out if you want them to!

NO, contrary to popular belief, you do not need to show a car seat Mt. Sinai UES. This makes sense because you’re in the city and you could be walking home, taking the subway, or getting a car service that comes with a car seat (note, I didn’t say getting an Uber because Uber does not provide car seats for children under 2 years old).

That being said, BUY A CAR SEAT even if you live in New York City, don’t own a car, and always use the subway. I didn’t want to buy a car seat either, especially since infant car seats only last a year or less. I thought it would be a huge waste of money. But my husband insisted that we get the Doona, a car seat and stroller all-in-one. I AM SO GLAD WE GOT ONE. My pediatrician is in walking distance of my apartment, but I could not have walked and pushed a stroller that far in my first couple weeks after giving birth – and I didn’t even have to get a c-section! And forget about baby-wearing in a sling or a baby carrier the first couple weeks. I’ll be honest, I completely underestimated how hard recovery would be after giving birth. Now, eight weeks later, it feels like nothing happened. But, that first month felt like I was hit by a bus!

Well, I hope I helped answer some of your questions. If you have other questions or advice of your own, please let me know in the comments!

Read the tips:

1. Avoid “free” offers that make you pay for shipping
2. Be cautious about new retailers who advertise to you on Facebook/Instagram – they might be dropshippers
3. Decide if your privacy is worth a box of diapers
4. Skip straight to my list of LEGIT free stuff from reputable companies

Tip #1: Avoid “Free” Offers That Make You Pay For Shipping

TL;DR These sites give you “free” things in the hopes that they can convince you to buy something on their site at 10x marked up prices. They also upcharge you for shipping so they make money whether you buy something or not. Lastly, they sell your information to third parties so even if you never buy anything from them, they can profit off of you.

Here’s how it works: On the pages of nearly all the top web results for “free baby stuff,” you’ll find a similar offer for free baby shoes where all you have to do is pay for shipping and you get two adorable pairs of shoes for free:

Seems like a pretty good deal, right? This particular offer takes you to LittleWanderers.com and the site looks pretty legit. You’ll notice that their baby shoes retail for $30 a pair, but you can get two pairs for FREE, a $60 value! False. What this site is actually doing is taking something that costs $2.99 on Amazon (or even cheaper at $1.99 on Chinese sites like Alibaba) and marking it up 10X to trick you into paying a premium for a cheap Made in China item:

So, let’s just say we’re going to claim the two free shoes and never buy anything on their site because we know their prices are bullshit. Here’s what that looks like – shipping cost of $15-17! If you had just bought it on Amazon in the first place, you would have spent $3 per pair of shoes with $6 shipping OR free shipping with Amazon Prime, so anywhere from $6-12. And you’d probably get your item from Amazon a helluva lot faster than in 14 days like on this site:

Ok, so we’ve pretty much determined that it would NOT be cost effective to redeem “free” shoes on LittleWanderers.com … but here’s where it’s just plain STUPID to use this site at all. If you go to their Terms of Service page, you’ll find a buried link to their Privacy Policy where they actually tell you that they “may” sell your data to third parties, including your name, address, etc. That’s their alternate revenue stream and how they make money off your information – and that’s how you start getting all that junk mail from third parties that you wonder how they found you.

All this is to say that the old adage, “nothing in life is free” holds true even in redeeming free baby stuff. And it’s not just these admittedly adorable shoes that try to trick you – other offers I’ve also found that fall into this category are “free” nursing pillows, carseat covers, belly bands, baby bibs, baby slings, baby books, and more. See the list of links below for sites where I think the buyer should beware – they’re all owned by the same parent company Mothers Lounge:

• LittleWanderers.com
• NursingPillow.com
• CarseatCanopy.com
• SevenBaby.com
• TheBellyButton.com
• BabyLeggings.com
• BreastPads.com
• RuffleBuns.com
• BabsyBooks.com
• EskimoKids.com
• PregnancyPillow.com
• UdderCovers.com

Tip #2: Be Cautious About New Retailers Who Advertise To You On Facebook/Instagram – They Might Be Dropshippers

TL;DR As soon as you become pregnant, you’ll start getting targeted by these ads that will show you adorable baby stuff marked as heavy discounts … when in fact, even the discounted price is marked up from what you can get the item for on Amazon! These retailers are doing something called “dropshipping” where they’re basically acting as an expensive (and completely unnecessary) middleman in your purchase.

Here’s how it works: You’ll be browsing instagram and suddenly see an ad for an adorable hippo footstool slash storage unit that you really, really need for … reasons. Anyway, it looks like a great deal at first glance because it’s on sale for over 50% off the $500 retail price! But actually, do a quick search on Amazon and you’ll see that it costs WAY less. A good rule of thumb when purchasing anything in life should probably be to check Amazon first, TBH.

The retailers who do this are really fascinating, and what they’re doing is completely legal. You can read about it in detail in this Atlantic article, “The Strange Brands in Your Instagram Feed” but basically these retailers are dropshipping – that is, they hold no inventory of their own in stock. Instead, they feature cheap Chinese goods they find on Alibaba or Amazon on their websites at a steep 5-10x markup, wait for you to order something from their website, and then act as the middleman to place that order with the cheaper site. This entire process is often automated through Shopify storefronts, so before you purchase from a retailer you’ve never heard of, enter their URL in BuiltWith and check if they’re using Shopify. Not every Shopify store is a dropshipper, but most dropshippers use Shopify.

Tip #3: Decide If Your Privacy Is Worth A Box Of Diapers

TL;DR If you’re signing up to get something for “free,” expect that you’ll be paying with your data. If spam emails, unsolicited telemarketing calls, and junk mail don’t bother you, then go for it! Or, if you want to minimize your exposure, only redeem “free” baby offers with reputable sites that you already use, like Amazon, Target, Babylist, etc. or through direct through the manufacturer like Huggies, Pampers, etc.

Here’s how it works: Almost any time you redeem an offer for “free” baby things, particularly those boxes that contain samples from numerous different brands, you’re signing yourself up for third-party spam. And not just an email-a-day sort of spam that you can easily block – you might get contacted by telemarketers over and over again who just dial you from a new number when you block them. Before you sign up to get anything for “free,” make sure you read the fine print – here’s an example of a popular “free” diaper offer from MyChoiceBabyGifts.com:

The fine print reads: “There is no purchase necessary to access our list of links for samples but you do need to provide personal information, respond to survey questions and agree to be contacted by our marketing partners to qualify for a sample collection. By visiting the website and participating, you agree to […] our Privacy Policy under which you allow us to share your personal information with our marketing partners who may also contact you via email, or if you separately consent, by telephone or text message. We may be compensated for connecting our marketing partners with consumers who may be interested in their products or services. We may substitute other products.”

Tricksy hobbitses. Instead of signing up for offers like these, I would recommend creating baby registries at reputable sites that you probably already use, like Amazon, Babylist, Target, and buybuyBaby. If you already use them, they already have your personal information, so they’re probably already sharing it with third parties – no loss there. And in most cases, all you have to do is create or buy something on your registry and they will send you a box of free baby goodies! You can also go direct to the manufacturer which is safer than signing up for random “free” baby box deals – for example, go to Similac for free formula or Huggies for free diapers.

The Good News

Ok, enough with all the bad news – despite what I talked about in this post, there are some pretty great offers for free baby stuff out there. Here’s my recommended list of LEGIT baby freebies (you don’t even have to pay for shipping!):

• Amazon Baby Welcome Box – valued at $35
• Target Baby Box
• buybuyBaby Free Goodie Bag – this one is kind of annoying because you have to register/add items in-store to qualify
• Babylist Free Box
• Amazon free parenting Kindle eBook – choose from popular titles like What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Mayo Clinic Guide to Healthy Pregnancy, etc.
• Similac Strong Moms free formula and bag
• Enfamil free formula

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