A few months ago, Plum District was offering a one-month subscription to Austin Lloyd for $24.99 (regularly $49.99) and I had some Plum Dollars (which made this free for me) so I figured I’d try it out!
I already subscribe to Citrus Lane and love it (it’s a little cheaper when you get an annual subscription when they run specials than most “baby box” subscriptions and I’ve consistently been happy with them so I’ve always kept it) and have tried other “Baby Box” subscriptions when I find deals so I’m always excited to try a new one even if it’s just a onetime thing.
Austin Lloyd is set up a little differently than what I’m used to with Citrus Lane which sends boxes by age,Austin Lloyd sends them by “Play Level” – which in a sense does correlate to age, but isn’t specific to say “18 months” it’s specific to a child who is doing certain physical and cognitive and you should select your box subscription based on that, rather than the child’s specific age.
The box itself was much bigger than I’m used to receiving (but since this is my 1st month I don’t know how typical this is and just because it is a more expensive subscription at regularly $49.99/month it doesn’t necessarily mean the items will always be bigger) and when I opened it, everything was beautifully wrapped. In an envelope the included a fun fact about the age/play level and information cards about all the items. They also had a card stating they would accept back anything you didn’t want and/or were done playing with and donate the items to charity (and they’d send you a pre-paid shipping label to use as well). I thought that was a unique touch.
We received the 19-24 month “play level” box and I was very pleased with its contents – all the items were to their theme “Forest Friends” and seemed to be very high quality! I used the retail value that they provided as I wasn’t easily able to find all the items online (and not all for sale in the US) but the ones I did find seemed to be pretty accurate.
Janod Kubkid 9 Blocks Puzzle (in Forest Animals) – ($15.79) – I love these puzzle blocks as it’s like 9 puzzles in one. EM isn’t quite ready for these yet in terms of making the animals, she more so just likes to stack blocks or put them in and out of whatever they come in, but I’m sure within a few months these will be right up her ally!
TouchThinkLearn Board Book (Numbers) ($10.79) – this book is very high quality and I love that is encompasses “feeling” things on the pages to help with the counting. EM loves to “touch” things in her books. I like that it’s a multi--layered board book; it has a much better chance of lasting.
Moulin Roty Les Mask’ottes Mask (Leonard the Fox) ($35.00) – Would I ever actually pay $35 for a child’s dress-up mask? The answer is no, but this one is super cute and seems to be very well made. Based on trying to find where this is sold, Moulin Roty seems to be a French toy retailer of high quality children’s toys. I’m thinking MAYBE Les Mask’ottes is a children’s show but I have no idea. EM may or may not like the mask, haven’t decided if we’re going to keep it yet or try selling it on eBay.
Racing Lady Bug ($8.00) – this seems a little expensive for what it is but EM will certainly love it, she has a Minnie Mouse car that “goes” when she pulls it back and this does the same thing so I’m sure she’ll enjoy it.
Total Estimated Value of Box: ~$69.58 (not including shipping)
Total Cost of Box: $49.99 (Free Shipping) – Although like I mentioned above, I used my Plum Dollars so I didn’t pay anything for it.
Overall Impression: The items were all of great quality, but I think had I paid full price for this box and knew more than half the value was made up of a mask I’d be a little disappointed. The other 3 items were great though and will be well used. Originally I had no intention of continuing my subscription (just a little too pricey for every month), but I forgot to cancel in time so I’ll be getting a box next month as well (but at full price, boo!).
Overall Impression: The items were all of great quality, but I think had I paid full price for this box and knew more than half the value was made up of a mask I’d be a little disappointed. The other 3 items were great though and will be well used. Originally I had no intention of continuing my subscription (just a little too pricey for every month), but I forgot to cancel in time so I’ll be getting a box next month as well (but at full price, boo!).
Have you received an Austin Lloyd box? What did you get in yours? Did you like it? You can sign up by clicking HERE.
Disclosure: This post contains referral links!
Disclosure: This post contains referral links!
