Citrus Lane review (July Box)

The contents of my July Citrus Lane box.

    Owen received his first Citrus Lane box as part of his new six month subscription a few days ago. I liked a lot of the products included inside, but was not as blown away as I was last month. This is probably because there were fewer items that can be used to play with and entertain Owen. And for a box that was supposed to help ease the stress of traveling with a baby or toddler, I guess I expected more things that could entertain them in the car or on a plane.
    In case you don't know, Citrus Lane sends parents of babies and toddlers from newborns to 3-year-olds four to five full-size items per month tailored specifically to their child's age and gender. Each month the box is organized around a theme like "Fun in the Sun" and "Bed and Bathtime Fun." The boxes cost $25 a month, though that price goes down if you order a longer subscription. 
     The theme of the July box was "Bon Voyage." The enclosed insert read: "Summer is here and that means we're hitting the road...and the airport. We can't mail you a pleasant, tear-free vacation-sorry! But we've packed the next best thing: our favorite travel and transportation picks. Whether you're going for the whole day or the whole summer, we hope this box will make your trip easier and more fun. Bon voyage!"

I waited for Owen to wake up from his nap so that he could open the box himself. 

     When I found out the theme of this month's box, I was picturing lots of items that could help entertain a energetic, impatient toddler while taking a road trip. Unfortunately, there was only one toy in the box. But the other items that were included were things that I'm sure will be very helpful when traveling and some were things I hadn't even thought about taking along with us when we're on vacation.

He tore into it!

      The flyer also listed a detailed description of what products were included in this month's box, including regular price for the items and in the case of a couple of the items, special promotional codes and discounts for subscribers.

And had fun pulling out all the contents of the box. 

     Here is what I got in my box this month (my box is for a 15-month-old boy so some items may not be in boxes for older or younger children):

•  Green Toys Race Car - $8.99

       This retro-looking race car is made in the USA from 100 percent recycled plastic milk jugs. It is BPA-, PVC-, and phthalate-free and is made without any metal gears or small parts to prevent choking hazards. This was the first thing that Owen grabbed out of his box and he played with it for quite a while before I confiscated it to give back to him when we're going on one of our trips this fall and he is bored with all his other toys. We received the blue car.

The car was Owen's favorite part of the July box. He loves it and played with it for a while, making vroom vroom noises.

• Baggu Standard Bag - $9.00

     This bag is made of durable ripstop nylon and is folded into a small storage pouch. It can be unfolded and used to carry up to 50 pounds. The bag I received is orange (saffron) with a white print. I'm interested in seeing how it does and maybe even using it for grocery shopping too. It will be great at the end of vacation for holding all those things that you were able to fit into your suitcase before your trip, but that now mysteriously don't fit anymore.

• California Baby Travel Set - $10.50

     This travel-sized set of shampoo and body wash, conditioner, and hair gel was created especially for Citrus Lane subscribers. These toxin-free products are healthy for both our kids and the planet. I have heard good things about this brand, but have never forked over the money to buy them since they are expensive. I am interested to try it out sometime when we're traveling this fall. It's great to have some travel-sized stuff so we're not having to lug huge bottles of baby wash with us. We received a travel sized bottle of shampoo and body wash, conditioner, and jelly mousse. Tim will be excited to style Owen's hair into a faux-hawk with the mousse, I'm sure.

• On-the-go Dapple Baby Laundry Detergent - $1.99

          Dapple products are free of parabens and common baby allergens like soy and nut derivatives. One of these travel packs is enough to wash a sink full of baby clothes. This will be great for traveling in case we need to run a load of laundry for Owen. 

• Me4Kidz Medi Buddy - $5.95

         This little container holds common first aid items like bandages, gauze, antiseptic wipes, and more. Each purchase from the company gives back to the disabled community. Owen received the purple container. He is constantly hurting himself now that he's mobile, yet still pretty clumsy and unstable. These will definitely come in handy.

• Ella's Kitchen Nibbly Fingers (Mangoes and Carrots flavor) - $3.99

          Ella's Kitchen is one of my favorite brands of organic baby foods and snacks. They are based in England so they're pretty expensive, though. These just-released snack bars are full of organic vegetables and fruits and wholegrain oats. They do not contain any preservatives, hydrogenated oils, or artificial sweetener. They make super-convenient on-the-go snacks and I can't wait to start carrying them in my purse in case Owen needs a snack. Without fail, he always gets hungry whenever we leave the house. I generally pack a squeezie pouch of fruit or vegetable mix, but those can get messy. These bars will be much more convenient and tidy. The box also included a special code to receive $5 off a purchase on Ella's Kitchen's website, so I stocked up on some more snacks for our many road trips this fall. 

• Sincerely Inc. - 10 Free Postagrams - $10.00

          This is a pretty cool idea. It's an ap that takes photos that you take on your phone and then converts them into a printed and personalized postcard that you can send to friends and family. And then they can pop the photograph out of the postcard to keep. Wouldn't that be such a cool thing to do while on a family vacation this summer? Unfortunately, I don't have an iPhone or a smart phone of any kind. But I checked with Citrus Lane's website and the company is offering the ability for people to do this using photos from our computers for all three of us those of us who don't have smart phones. Yay! The special offer included in my Citrus Lane box gives me 10 free postcards. 

     So this month, for $25 I got $50.42 worth of product. That's a pretty great deal! And I have stored everything away so that we can use them when we go on our vacation this September.
      If you're interesting in trying Citrus Lane, you can get 10 percent off your subscription by using the code SUMMER10. You'll save $7.50 on three months, $12.50 on six months, or $25 on twelve months. Click here if you want to check it out. I'd love it if you used my link so that I can get credit towards a free box.