I recently had the opportunity to review a Sassy Bloom Box, if you haven't heard of Sassy Bloom it's a monthly subscription box suitable from the third trimester of pregnancy right through until your tot is two. Each box has a minimum RRP value of £40. Each box is 'handpicked by age, stage of development and gender'.
I'd never tried any subscription boxes before Sassy Bloom, I'd been tempted by both beauty and baby related boxes but never got round to trying any out.
I'd never tried any subscription boxes before Sassy Bloom, I'd been tempted by both beauty and baby related boxes but never got round to trying any out.
How Sassy Bloom started has a very touching story behind it. The co-owner Hollie was rushed to hospital at 29 weeks pregnant and diagnosed with a rare heart and lung disease. Whilst in hospital Hollie's friends visited with a box a gifts which became the start of the inspiration. You can read more here.
I was super excited to receive our Sassy Bloom box, if you haven't seen it already you can watch the un-boxing here.
The first item that came out of the box was a push along shape sorter bus from a brand called Fun Time. I'd been on the look out for a shape sorter toy for Eliot so this was perfect timing! Especially as it's a bus and has wheels, Eliot is obsessed with vehicles so I knew he would be drawn to playing with it.
He's not able to push the shapes through the shape holes yet but there is a flap at the back to get the shapes out which he opens and closes and puts the shapes or various other objects in. So the shape sorter bus gets a big thumbs up from Eliot!
Next out of the box was this musical cow by A-Z. As soon as I pressed the button, I knew this would be a hit with Eliot. The lights flashed and the music played loudly, he likes making things happen himself and it had wheels! Unfortunately the toy was a bit grubby and therefore needed a wipe over before I gave it to Eliot. As I suspected the musical cow went down a treat, Eliot kept pressing the button to get the lights and music on. It wasn't long before it started to sound distorted and eventually it played continually until the battery ran out. Obviously it was a bit disappointing, I emailed Sassy Bloom to let them know. They responded swiftly, apologised and said they would get a replacement sent out. If you read my blog regularly you will know we are moving and things have been a bit stressful, meaning the replacement toy went to the back of my mind. I was emailed by Sassy Bloom at the end of last week and was reminded that we still hadn't received a replacement. The delay in receiving the replacement toy was disappointing. The musical animal toy was no longer available so we were sent a replacement toy this week.
The first bead maze from Melissa and Douglas was the replacement toy. As soon as I took it out of the packaging Eliot was eager to get hold of it and sat down to play with it for a short while. Personally I really like these types of toys, being made from wood makes it a winner and it's ideal for helping develop fine motor skills. Another plus point is that it has four suction cups on the base which make it an ideal highchair toy.
I was really pleased when I saw this wooden mini xylophone from Janod, musical instruments are another item I've had on my list for Eliot. To begin with Eliot was interested in holding the beaters and bashing the xxylophone but it's not a go to toy for him. I think he'll be more interested in this when he's a little older. One thing I will say is that it is excellent quality, very strong and sturdy.
When I saw a book included in the box I was very happy indeed. I'm keen for Eliot to develop a love for books and right now he's very in to books. He will sit down by himself and flick through pages, at bedtime he usually listens to a short story happily. This is a lovely story, one that Eliot can enjoy for years to come. Personally I think a hard book would have been a better option to send as paperbacks can be very easily torn by toddlers!
These lunch bag ice packs are great. We haven't used them yet as I haven't packed any lunch boxes but I know they will come in very handy in the future. There are two in the pack which is helpful if you have more than one lunch box to pack or to have a spare. I love the dinosaur design, Eliot has a dinosaur lunch bag so these will fit in nicely.
I am a big Tommee Tippee fan having used a lot of their products since Eliot was born. I've used disposable bibs but hadn't tried out the Tommee Tippee ones. Hands down disposable bibs are amazing. They're perfect for holidays, when your out and about or as a back up at home. We went through many bibs when Eliot was younger thanks to reflux. The pouch for catching food (or reflux sick) is a great and exactly what is needed to save clothes! Eliot did pull these off when we put them on him, so depending on your tot they are probably better suited to younger babies.
Overall I was really impressed with our Sassy Bloom box, I loved the fact that we were introduced to brands we haven't come across before and really recommend trying them out. They have some fab offers on at the moment and you can get £10 off with the code Teacher2.
Have you tried a Sassy Bloom Box?