What free baby programs can I sign up for?
The programs below have run for years. Retailers change their welcome box rules from time to time, so treat the requirements as a guide and read the current terms on the retailer's registry page before you count on a box.
| Program | What's usually in it | Requirements | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon baby registry welcome box | A box of baby product samples, such as wipes, creams, a bottle or a pacifier | Create an Amazon baby registry. The box has required a Prime membership and a small purchase from the registry. | The box is free, but the requirements cost money if you are not already a Prime member |
| Target baby registry welcome kit | Baby product samples and coupons | Create a Target baby registry. How you collect the kit, and whether a purchase is needed, has changed over time. | Check current terms |
| Walmart baby registry welcome box | Baby product samples and coupons | Create a Walmart baby registry and request the box while supplies last | Has been free at times and has charged a small shipping fee at others |
| Babylist Hello Baby Box | Samples from baby brands | Keep a Babylist registry that meets the program's conditions | Check current terms; a fee has applied at times |
| Similac (Abbott) program | Formula samples or coupons and offers, mailed over time | Free sign-up with your due date or baby's birth date | Free |
| Enfamil Family Beginnings | Formula samples or coupons and offers, mailed over time | Free sign-up with your due date or baby's birth date | Free |
| Pampers Club and Huggies Rewards | Points from diaper and wipe purchases that trade for rewards and coupons | Scan codes or receipts from packs you buy | Not a free sample: you earn by buying |
| Breast pump through health insurance | A breast pump | Most US health plans must cover one under the Affordable Care Act. Order through a supplier your plan approves. | Usually no cost with a covered plan; check your plan |
| Hospital, OB office or pediatrician | Formula samples, diaper packs or coupons, when they have them | Ask at an appointment or when you leave the hospital | Free |
Live baby offers on TrySpree
These are the newest baby offers members have posted that are still open. Each one links to its TrySpree page, which shows the catch (if any) and links on to the brand. Older offers and the full list are in free baby samples.
Are registry welcome boxes worth it?
Yes, if you were going to make a registry anyway. The boxes mix small samples with a few useful items and a stack of coupons, and they help you try brands of wipes, bottles and creams before you buy big packs. They are less worth it if you would have to pay for a membership or buy things you do not need just to qualify. Opening a registry only for the box is fine; nobody has to buy from it.
How do formula and diaper programs work?
Formula makers ask for your due date and send mailings timed to it: samples when they have them, coupons, and checks toward full cans. Diaper brands mostly run points programs instead. You scan codes from packs you buy and trade the points for coupons or rewards, which is a discount, not a freebie. If you plan to breastfeed, the formula programs are still handy as a backup, and you can opt out of the mailings later.
What should expecting parents skip?
- "Free" boxes with a trial. If a card is needed and the page mentions a trial or membership, read when the first charge happens.
- Long survey chains. Pages that ask about your income, insurance and car before showing any samples are selling your details. See free samples without surveys for the difference.
- Used car seats. Free hand-me-downs are great for clothes and toys, but a car seat with an unknown history may have been in a crash or be past its expiry date.
For toddlers and older children, see free kids samples.
How do I get free baby stuff when I'm pregnant?
Start a baby registry at a retailer that offers a welcome box, sign up for the formula makers' parent programs with your due date, and watch for brand sample offers for wipes, diapers and baby food. Ask your OB office and the hospital too; they sometimes have samples to hand out.
Is free baby stuff really free?
Formula programs and most brand sample forms cost nothing. Registry boxes are the ones with strings: some need a small purchase, a paid membership or a shipping fee. Of the 12 live baby offers above, 3 are marked free with no purchase, 4 need a purchase or fee, and 5 have terms you should check.
How long does it take for baby samples to arrive?
Brand samples usually take two to eight weeks. Formula program mailings are often timed to your due date, so the first package may not come right away. Registry boxes ship once you meet the requirements, or are handed over in store where the program works that way.
Do I need a credit card for free baby samples?
Not for formula programs or brand sample forms. A registry box may need a card if it carries a shipping fee or a purchase. Be wary of any "free" baby box that asks for a card and mentions a trial, since that can turn into a paid subscription.
When should I start signing up?
In the second trimester is a good time. It gives formula programs your due date early, leaves room for registry boxes to ship before the baby arrives, and avoids a rush in the last few weeks.
About TrySpree
TrySpree is a free sample site, running since 2013, where members share free sample offers from brands and TrySpree checks the links; it's free to use and supported by ads. See how offers are checked, or skip the survey sites with free samples without surveys.
More TrySpree guides
- Free Samples by Mail: Where free samples by mail come from, what each kind costs, and the live offers in every TrySpree category.
- Birthday Freebies: Free food, drinks and beauty gifts on your birthday: which loyalty programs give one, how early to join, and which need a purchase.
- Free Makeup Samples by Mail: Ways to get makeup samples mailed or handed to you, which are free and which need an order, plus live makeup offers.
- Free Perfume and Cologne Samples: How to get perfume and cologne samples by mail or at a counter, what they cost, and live fragrance offers.
- Halloween Freebies: Free Halloween events, treats for costumes and trick-or-treat kits, with this season's live offers and last year's list.
- Veterans Day Free Meals and Freebies: Free meals, haircuts and other Veterans Day thank-yous for veterans and service members, what proof to bring, and live offers.
- Free Calendars by Mail: Who gives away free wall calendars each year, when to ask, what they want in return, and live calendar offers.
- Thanksgiving Freebies: Free turkey and dinner deals, kids turkey crafts, cooking help and community meals, with what each one asks of you.
- Christmas Freebies: Free Santa photos, kids ornament workshops, letters to Santa and holiday events, plus this season's live offers.