This post has been guest written by Culture Baby who found herself in the fortunate position of having a baby just at the time when I was asked to review this product!
Last autumn I received my first Nonabox and was not only impressed with the contents and concept, but amidst the debris of my builder-occupied home back then I wrote about how the delivery of this baby-shower in a box was a much needed drop of luxury in the chaos of late pregnancy.
I was set to review the next two months of this exciting subscription service, but due to a variety of issues I either didn’t receive my Nonabox, or didn’t get the full contents. These teething problems were inevitably rather disappointing and required resolution, however since January, I have received four well assembled boxes, and can say that Nonabox has more than redeemed themselves.
There are a number of things I really like about the Nonabox. Firstly, with two little girls, sleep deprivation and a behemoth of a double pram, there is a limit to my shopping capabilities. No longer am I Earth Mother floating around sipping coffee and attending baby massage classes on a weekly basis; this time around I require a time-turner and an osteopath. Normally shopping is a matter of dashing round town between classes and unceremoniously grabbing known essentials. There is certainly little time for perusing the latest lines of organic bath oils for babies.I like that Nonabox introduces new products that I have found genuinely useful. Plus they come in the post, which feels like a genuine treat. My toddler loves unpacking the box and raiding the books and tasty snacks.
Likewise my brain, which once was able to retain knowledge whilst simultaneously holding a coherent conversation, has melted. I go to the shop to buy toothpaste and return with a pack of pompoms that will clearly come in handy to make our next toddler-occupying playscape. Nonabox has on more than one occasion craftily anticipated my dappiness and included just the practical item we have recently drained. But a nicer version.
Finally, I really like the element of luxury, anticipation and surprise. It has a flipside of course, that you may well get something you just don’t need, however, I can only count two or three products that I won’t use. These are normally the dummies (as for better or worse/noisier I don’t want to use them), and a couple of items that are a little too small for my baby. These often, however, make great gifts for others. Each of the contents in the box is well designed. Each feels rather luxurious, and in every box the value of the items far exceeds their subscription cost.
So what did my Nonaboxes contain?
January:
ImagoDei Ruffle Shorts – These are cute, feel beautiful and are made of 100% Organic Pima Cotton fabric. I hadn’t heard of the brand before so it is refreshing to have something a little different.
Me… by Emma Dodd – I really like how Nonabox has started to include some well-chosen little board books. In addition to being a great way to bond and foster a lifelong love of reading, sharing just three picture books each week with your child has been shown to increase vocabulary by 15-40%. It’s never too soon to start reading with your baby, and Me… is both beautifully illustrated and contains a lovely tale about a tiny penguin in awe of a big world who finds, to his mother, he is the biggest thing.
Magic Inkless Print Kit – I only ever do one clay foot and handprint for the girls – it is expensive and there’s a limit to how many (additional) paw prints you want gracing your walls. This is a lovely way to capture further moments in a non-messy way as your baby grows. I’ll be using these for their memory books and, perhaps even thank you cards. We’ll be doing one tomorrow in fact when the youngest is 6 months old. Where did that time go?
MaisonBébé Buggy Hooks – Buggy Hooks are frankly one of the simplest and most useful inventions for a Mummy who walks a lot and needs to shop or travel with the pram.
Ella’s Kitchen WakeyWakey Baby Porridge– We are no strangers to Ella and her convenient kitchen – at two and a half my toddler still loves the fruit pouches for a snack. This porridge is one of the first foods we have tried on our sixth month old in the last couple of weeks. She’s more a fan of the fruity flavoured version, but I found with her older sister, using plain porridge or Weetabix and adding fresh raspberries or strawberries helped to fill her up and she loved the taste. Here’s hoping… I’m rather in desperate need of sleep soon…
Sample Bio Baby Nappies –I amusingly misread the 3 nappies for a size 3 and popped the baby’s chubby little thighs into one of these. They were, in fact, size ones and fitted the toddler’s doll better. Eco, biodegradable nappies of course are good for the soul, and the environment. It’s good to have the reminder to try these again.
Vital Touch Organic Baby Massage Oil – One of the loveliest things I did with my eldest was a baby massage class and it has just been too tricky to manage this time round with a toddler in tow. So I’ve been delving into the recess of my brain and re-enacting some of the things I learned forafter the little one’s bath-time. She’s like her mummy, she loves having a foot massage and this oil feels lovely and smells good too. It’s been a lovely way to calm and bond with her after a busy day with an excitable sibling.
February
This box was a real winner…
Acloud.b Soothing Sounds Sleep Sheep – I’ve reviewed this fabulous item before and in a way it was a little odd we got it again, however, as before, this item is the star of the show in this Nonabox. Happily rather than it being a useless duplicate item it actually delighted my toddler who declared it was her sheep like her sister’s and took it to bed – making sure of course that she tested out all the sounds. At two and a half it is sometimes tricky to share and she,at times, declares ownership over her sister’s baby toys. She’s always been intrigued by the sheep and now she has her own. One contented big sister.
Usborne’s That’s Not My Hamster – This is a wonderful choice. This series of Usborne touchy feely books are the stuff of genius. Each takes a theme and explores, through textures and descriptive words various aspects of an animal or object. They are also great for early games of I-Spy as each page features a little mouse to spot.
Thornton’s Milk, White and Dark ContinentalChocolates – When these arrived at my door they could not have been more welcome as at that point, despite my normal penchant for savoury snacks. Through sleep deprivation and copious amounts of breast feeding I was harbouring a particular need for late night chocolate. They didn’t last long but I enjoyed them immensely.
WaterWipes –The product claims to contain the world’s purest baby wipes and we took these to hospital for the birth each time. They are good quality, very moist and you don’t need lots of them to get grubby bottoms clean. Both girls had chicken pox recently and I used these wipes to ensure they had the purest stuff on their skin.
BubaHat and Bib – This little yellow hat and dribble bib set is lovely. The hat is too small for my rather large headed baby, but will make a gorgeous present. I’m a fan of this sort of dribble bib; they are funky and smack of the country and western, which is frankly adorable.
9 Bar – A yummy gluten and wheat-free energy snack for a tired and eternally hungry mummy.
Puckababy Sleep Aid Book–Whilst this is a nicely illustrated little book, with some helpful hints, it was essentially an advert for a sleeping bag. It would have been more useful if it came with the product.
March
Verbaudet Vest–Verbaudet does some really sweet clothes. This 100% organic cotton vest was cute, soft and useful.
Faye and Lou Rainbow Muslin – Muslins are immensely useful and pink is much more attractive than the slightly off white colour the basic ones graduate to after a couple of washes. I suspect if my toddler sees this she’ll procure it for her box of dancing scarves.
You… by Emma Dodd – Another from Emma Dodd’s series of beautifully illustrated baby books about love. We had actually borrowed this from the library when it arrived. It is a very welcome addition to our board book collection – though we’d love to see a greater variety of authors in future boxes.
Goodies Organix 4 pack of Berry Burst RiceCakes – When it comes to keeping older babies entertained at difficult moments, rice cakes appear to be the nectar of the gods. These particular ones are helpfully in smaller packs and taste really good.
Little Grippers Socks – Baby socks that stay on are always a winner, especially in the summer. Following some dancing and vigorous bouncing in the Jumparoo, these did.
Jack N’ Jill Organic Toothpaste – The blackberry flavour seems to have gone down well with my toddler. The task is of course ensuring that she brushes her teeth as well as eating it…
Pasito a Pasito Spoon – A dainty spoon perfect for little mouths but metal and good quality.
Mam Anti Colic Bottle – I’ve heard good things about MAM bottles. Through poor organisation I’ve not actually managed to pump yet and so my little one has moved past this bottle, but I shall be passing it on to a good home.
April
Snooze Baby Sweet Dreaming Comfort Toy– This is one of my favourite Nonabox products to date. My second little lady is a real fan of textures and taggies and placing one in her hand has, on numerous occasions, helped to get her back to sleep. With a range of fabrics, colours and textured ribbons round the edge, this is a lovely sensory product. I’d happily buy it for a friend.
Plum Little YumsandPlum Mighty 4–Excellent, a product for each of my little ladies. We’ve used Plum a lot before and I barely had chance to photograph it before the Mighty 4 had been consumed. With this in mind I was impressed with the contents which included yogurt, fruit, kale and amaranth. This is a pretty good option for a lunch box. My baby has proved to be rather independently minded and wants, from the outset, to feed herself. The pumpkin and banana wafers have been a great first finger food for her.
Megabloks First Builders Block Buddies – Whilst alone these little characters would be perhaps random, ours has joined a merry band of rather bland Megabloks and is therefore a happy addition. My toddler loves little characters and this chap makes her set much more exciting.
The Soother Company – Dummy – It looks like the design behind this dummy is well thought out but I don’t use them. I’ll pass it on…
Organic Baby Wash and Shampoo – Another useful product and perfect for sensitive post-chicken pox skin. It looks like this product may also go a long way. I’ll get this again.
Intelligence, Not So Basic RejuvenatingCream – I enjoy the products Nonabox puts in just for me. This cream feels lovely and serves as a treat. Plus I like the sound of anything with rejuvenation in the title, and it’s always good to smear on the moisturising products when there’s a good chance you may have to emerge without make-up the following day…
Nonabox is a subscription service, which aims to support mega brands through to small independent UK companies they have found and love. Brands can’t pay to be included. You can subscribe at www.nonabox.co.uk for £25 a month (the products are always worth more than this) and follow on twitter @NonaBox_UK or facebook.com/NonaBox.UK
Disclaimer: The products were gifted in exchange for a review
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