Lifestyle Archives - Where to Kim?

Montessori Baby Room with Floor Bed

Kim — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 14:00:00 +0000

How do you create a Montessori style baby room with floor bed? Learn how to optimize your baby’s room for your baby instead of for yourself.

When I first read about a baby room optimized for a baby or future toddler, I was immediately convinced. You want a space that suits you, so why shouldn’t this also hold true for a baby?

Using my son’s nursery as an example, I’ll show you how to create a Montessori style nursery with a floor bed for your son or daughter. Just like I do for myself, I purchase sustainable products wherever I can for my son.

Autonomy and freedom

I like the idea of giving my baby as much freedom as possible in his room from the beginning in preparation for later independence. In order to give that freedom, everything in the room must be safe, so that my baby can move around freely in the room without supervision. This means that electrical outlets should be high or have a child safety guard, no small or sharp objects should be left lying around, and all liquids should be stored high enough that he can’t reach them.

In addition, you want your baby to have access to what he needs to entertain or care for himself. In the first few months after birth, this doesn’t apply yet, but once he crawls, it’s nice if he can grab his own toys. For a toddler or preschooler, you want him to be able to grab his own clothes or a glass of water at some point.

In the photo:

Babygym: Wooden babygym ocean mint by Little Dutch. The mint version is getting rare, but for the blue and pink version you can look at Bol.com.
Lambskin: Medicinal lambskin suitable for babies sold by Bol.com.

Floor bed

The floor bed ensures that your child is not stuck in a crib and can therefore decide for himself whether he wants to sleep. If he wakes up early or if he is not tired yet but needs to rest, he can play first before falling asleep. The mattress with slatted base is low to the ground, so he will be able to get in and out of bed by himself at an early age. In the beginning, there is also the chance that he will roll out of bed unintentionally. If he does this often, I will possibly put a rug next to the bed to make the transition from bed to floor softer. For now, I read on other blogs that babies figure out very quickly that their bed ends at a certain point. After the birth of my son, I will add my experience here.

In the first few weeks, I use a wool blanket from Disana with sheet (I don’t make the bed until he is born), and once he fits safely in a sleeping bag, I switch to a size 50 sleeping bag and then to the merino wool sleeping bag which I hope to use for a very long time. I also purchased merino wool rompers hoping that this will help him regulate his own temperature early on.

In this picture:
(I’ll often link to Dutch webshops. Some of them have international delivery. Feel free to select a similar product from a brand from your country instead).

Mattress: Lara Plus Bio Wool Mattress 70 X 140 of Prolana; an organic mattress made of natural latex and coconut sold by Amazon.de.
Blanket: Woolen Baby Blanket Waffle – Pacific from the brand Disana sold by Amazon.de.
Sleeping bag: Four seasons merino wool sleeping bag from Woolino for children from 2 months to 2 years sold by Amazon.com.
Fitted sheet: Children’s fitted sheet jersey white grey 70x145x15 from the brand Yumeko sold by Bol.com.
Mattress protector: Molton Mattress protector Thick for crib and toddler bed 70 X 140 of the brand Greenjump.
Mattress protector (spare): Mattress padded crib and toddler bed cotton 700 gr m2 70 X 140 of the brand Greenjump.
Slatted base: Childhome Tipi / House Slatted base 70 x 140 cm of the brand Childhome sold by Babyplus.
Cuddle: Jellycat cuddle storm baby octopus sold by Amazon.com.

Toys and books

I offer toys and books sparingly so that what is there remains challenging and interesting and the room is not overcrowded. I personally can’t stand a very full bedroom, so if my son is like me, I’d do well to keep toys and books partially out of sight. What I offer is appropriate for the age stage he is in, with some exceptions in the first few months of his life (like the stacking tower and train) that are more for decoration at first. In the beginning, I will grab the toys and books so he can play with them on a rug, but later he can easily access them himself. Every few weeks or months I will change the offerings. When he is older, I also want to put more books in his own room.

In the photo:

Furniture: Old TV cabinet from my parents, handmade by my father.
Stacking tower: Handmade wooden stacking tower from Tothemoon sold by Zoen voor Gust.
Car: Grimm’s Little Green Car sold by Amazon.de.
Wooden train with blocks by Little Dutch, sold by Amazon.nl.
Blocks: Jouéco discovery blocks sold by Bol.com.
Rattle: Haba wooden rattle, one quite similar is sold by Amazon.com.
Crinkle book: BORA crinkle book Jungle (older design) sold by Amazon.nl.

Art

The painting in my son’s room is at eye level once he can pull himself up to a standing position using the wooden furniture with toys. The black and white cards I use can be seen from the changing pad. Other black and white cards (and after the first three months, contrast cards that incorporate color) will be hung on the wall next to his bed and in other places like the baby gym and in the downstairs living room.

In the photos:

Artwork: Mooie weer in Amsterdam by Elena Polyakova

Changing area

The changing pad is on the floor. This has the advantage that it is not dangerous if your baby rolls off the cushion and the disadvantage that he may not stay on it. For him, I think it is more comfortable at ground level because he is not placed on a dresser that he cannot get on or off himself. How it is for me I am going to find out. The diapers and wipes are on the floor next to the pillow. In the first few months, I also have the bum balm and other care products down low, but once he starts crawling I will always store the basket with these products up high. No doubt the diapers will go all over the room at some point.

In the photo:

Contrast cards from Comius Sharp sold by Amazon.nl.
Storage basket: JeJu jute storage basket M sold by Yoshiko Home.
Changing pad: Organic changing pad with wool pad from Mijn Hemeltje.
Changing mat cover: Organic green velvet changing mat cover from Mijn Hemeltje.
Wipes: Organic cotton washable bill wipes set from Cheeky Wipes sold by Bol.com.
Wooden chests with diapers: FSC certified pine storage chests from Storage Specialist. The crates did not arrive in good condition and customer service is not responding to my email about this, so I would look elsewhere if you are interested in wooden crates.
Diaper pail: Yellow diaper pail that my parents used for me when I was a baby.

Also read: Are you living in the Netherlands? Check out these free pregnancy giftboxes

Closet

I divided the built-in closet into two parts. The top hanging section with shelf underneath contains the current size, and the bottom hanging section with floor contains the future size. On the shelf, the pants are stacked and the rompers, socks and hats are in baskets. Once my son is old enough to choose his own clothes, I will flip this around and the bottom hanging area will be at the right height for him so he can learn to dress himself. At the very top is bedding and at the bottom are muslin swaddles from Mushie and Tothemoon and extra diapers and wipes.

In the photo:

Muslin swaddles: Lovely soft muslin swaddles from Tothemoon, bought from Zoen voor Gust.
Muslin swaddles: More organic cotton muslin swaddles, but this time from Mushie. Also a very nice brand! Available at Amazon.com.

Stair gates

Before my son is mobile enough to open the door to his room, I place stair gates at the stairs. At that point he also has access to the hallway and the bathroom and I’m curious to see what he will do. In the bathroom, everything has to be made babyproof at grab height. Another room on the second floor I might lock with a hook because a lot of electronics and small items are stored there.

What else to consider?

In a Montessori baby room you often see mirrors. This can be a horizontal mirror next to the bed, or a larger mirror against the wall that has a rod on it that he can use to pull himself up. I would love to add a mirror, but have not found a good affordable option in time.

Above the bed often hangs a montessori mobile that is appropriate for the early development stages of your baby. For now, I’m going to incorporate similar viewing objects next to the changing pad, against the wall, and in the babygym. Depending on whether my son is an easy sleeper or not, I’ll decide if I want to hang some above the bed as well.

The post Montessori Baby Room with Floor Bed appeared first on Where to Kim?.

Content of free pregnancy giftboxes in the Netherlands

Kim — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 15:00:00 +0000

When you are pregnant in the Netherlands, there are many free giftboxes that you can pick up in stores. What is inside these giftboxes in 2021, 2022 and 2023? And how do you pick them up?

As an expectant parent in the Netherlands, you’ll need to buy a lot of stuff to properly care for your baby after birth. Fortunately, many stores and companies offer free maternity giftboxes to help you with your essentials. Some of these you can pick up during your pregnancy (‘zwangerschapsboxen’), others (‘babyboxen’) follow only after the birth of your child.

Are these maternity boxes worth sharing your personal information for with many companies? You will have to make this assessment for yourself. A look at the contents of the boxes may help.

On the internet you can find many (more extensive) overviews of the things you can request for free. But because the contents of the boxes change regularly, it is interesting to know what will be in the pregnancy boxes and maternity box in the fall of 2021, spring of 2022 and fall of 2023.

Content zwangerschapsboxen (pregnancy gift boxes) 2021, 2022 and 2023

Babydump giftbox (2023 update)
Babypark gift bag (2023 update)
Prénatal giftbox ‘de blije doos’
Kruidvat Baby Welkom bag
~~Etos baby welcome giftbox~~ (discontinued)
Ouders van Nu Zwangerbox and Babybox
Boon’s Markt Baby Box
Hoogvliet Welkom op de Wereld

Content maternity box 2022

CZ maternity box

Other free gifts

Moeders voor Moeders wrapcloth
Hero Baby Welkomstbox
Nutricia cuddly toy
Zeeman bodysuit
Lemniscaat picture book
BoekStart books

Content zwangerschapsboxen (pregnancy gift boxes) 2021, 2022 and 2023

Babydump giftbox 2021

The Babydump giftbox (‘Babydump cadeaupakket’) was one of the most surprising giftboxes for me because apparently its contents had just changed. What I expected after watching unboxing videos and photos online, I did not find in the box I picked up at the store in Leiderdorp. So a real surprise, very nice!

In September 2021 (location Leiderdorp) the following items were in the Babydump giftbox:

Newborn bodysuit from the basic collection
Socks
Dr. Brown’s pacifier
Cardboard rattle book
Kids bath glove

All useful items that I can put to good use!

Babydump giftbox 2023

During my second pregnancy, I once again visited Babydump to do some shopping and collect the gift package.

The contents of the gift package (location Capelle a/d IJssel) were slightly different than two years ago:

Jep! Agenturen Baby Book Soft Green
Newborn bodysuit from the basic collection
Pacifier
Socks
Velvet clothing hanger
Set of two sippy cups

How do you request the Babydump giftbox?

You can request the giftbox on the website of Babydump. This is possible from the start of your pregnancy. With the barcode in the email you can pick up the giftbox within three months in one of the Babydump stores.

Babypark gift bag 2023

Babypark has put together such a beautiful gift bag. The calm tones and lovely assortment of products make this my new favorite.

For those who are in the process of exploring options for a nursery or toddler/children’s room, I can recommend the Gouda location. In this Babypark store, you’ll find many sample rooms. This was interesting for me because I wanted to know which bed height would be suitable for my one-and-a-half-year-old son, who is currently sleeping on the future baby’s floor bed.

In September 2023 (location Gouda), the Babypark gift bag contained the following:

Baby Park bodysuit size 62
Soft moon-shaped cloth
Bamboo/cotton burp cloth
We-too glass bottle
Bibs pacifier
50 euros off on baby room purchases (with a minimum spend of 750 euros)

Nice!

How do you request the Babypark gift bag?

You can request the gift bag on the website of Babypark. This is possible from the start of your pregnancy. With the barcode in the email you can pick up the gift bag in one of the Babypark stores.

Prénatal giftbox 'de blije doos'

The giftbox of the Prénatal is one of the best known pregnancy boxes.

In October 2021 (location Barendrecht) the following was in the pregnancy box:

Pack of Pampers Premium Protection size 1
Socks
Miffy rattle
Philips Avent bottle
Sample of Always
Dettol hand gel
Inoli bath oil sample
Bavaria 0,0%
Brochures and discount coupons
4 times a year the Dutch magazine WIJ until your child is one year old.
A hat with the name of your baby after birth

I was very happy with the first four products!

How do you request 'de blije doos'?

You can request the free giftbox on the Prénatal website. Although you can apply for the pregnancy box from the beginning of your pregnancy, you won’t receive an invitation to pick up the box at a Prénatal store until 13 weeks of pregnancy.

If you share your baby’s details within six weeks of the birth, you will also receive a free baby hat. Please note that it takes almost two weeks to receive it and by that time most babies no longer wear hats.

Kruidvat Baby Welkom bag

While the contents of the Baby Welkom bag from Kruidvat were no surprise – on the site they very clearly state what to expect – it was a bag I was eager to pick up because of its useful contents. And in the store, of course, I did some shopping while I was there; exactly the reason why all these stores offer these kinds of packages.

In September 2021 the following was in the Kruidvat Baby Welkom bag:

1 pack of Kruidvat diapers
Kruidvat Baby 2 in 1 Washing Gel, 300 ml
Kruidvat Lotion Wipes 80 pieces
5 free photo prints
The bag itself

How do you request the Kruidvat Baby Welkom bag?

If you are (or become) a member of the Kruidvat Baby Voordeelclub, you can request the bag on the Kruidvat website. Online it says you can only pick up the bag from 18 weeks of pregnancy, but I received my invitation at 12 weeks.

Etos baby welcome giftbox (discontinued)

As with the Kruidvat bag, the contents of the Etos baby welcome giftbox don’t hold any surprises. The contents are simple and very useful (especially the diapers!).

In September 2021 the following was in the Etos baby welcome giftbox:

Etos lotion baby wipes
Pack of Etos diapers size 2
Etos washing gel 2-in-1
Woezel and Pip bag

How do you request the Etos baby welcome giftbox?

Etos is no longer offering their baby welcome giftbox.

Register for the Etos baby program on the Etos website and you will automatically receive an invitation to pick up the ‘Etos baby welkomstpakket’ in an Etos store. This is possible from the beginning of your pregnancy.

Ouders van Nu Zwangerbox and Babybox

The Ouders van Nu Zwangerbox and Babybox are probably the most well-known pregnancy giftboxes. One you get during your pregnancy and the other about a month after the birth of your baby. Consider your request for these boxes carefully: if you fill in your phone number, you may get a lot of calls.

In October 2021 the following items were included in the Ouders van Nu Zwangerbox:

Hydrophilic cloth
AH Baby lotion wipes
Difrax pacifier
Small Naïf Body Lotion
10 WaterWipes
1 Pamper Premium Protection
Baby visitors book
Dutch magazines, folders and coupons

This Zwangerbox made me happy with the hydrophilic cloth (the first one is always nice) and the baby wipes. Now I can test and compare the wipes from Waterwipes, the AH, Kruidvat and Etos.

In June 2022 (location Vlaardingen) the following was in the Ouders van Nu Babybox:

Magazine and folders
Inoli bath oil sample
Elmex toddler toothpaste
AH Bio vegetable meal 4+ months
Organix squeeze fruit 6+ months
Small sudocreme
1 Pamper
Voucher for free AH baby foam

In terms of contents, the size of the box could have been 3 times smaller….

How do you request the Ouders van Nu Zwangerbox?

You can request the Zwangerbox and Babybox on the Ouders van Nu website. When requesting, you choose a pick-up date 14 days in the future and select the Albert Heijn store where you want to pick up the giftbox. From the indicated date you can pick up the box by showing the barcode in your mail.

For the Babybox, you can follow the same link within six months of your baby’s birth, but this time you enter that your baby has been born. Contrary to what the website says, I was not contacted.

Boon's Markt Baby Box

Boon’s Market introduces you to products from Bonbébé. So after testing the four diapers included in the baby box, I used the discount coupon to purchase two full packs of diapers.

In April 2022 (location Vlaardingen), the following items were included in the Boon’s Markt Baby Box:

Bonbébé baby wipes
4 Bonbébé diapers
Bonbébé showergel
Bib with name
Fruit snacks 4+ months
Discount voucher 50% on 2 packs of Bonbébé newborn or mini diapers
Discount voucher 1+1 free on fruit snacks

How do you request the Boon's Markt Baby Box?

Turn in your baby’s birth announcement card within four weeks of your child’s birth to the information desk or Primera at the Boon’s Markt in your area. You will then be called one week later to pick up your Boon’s Markt Baby Box.

Hoogvliet Welkom op de Wereld

Hoogvliet also lets you get acquainted with Bonbébé products. When you turn in your coupons, you get many baby products for free. Although it is of course more fun to unwrap a box full of surprises, I also like the idea that you only pick up what you actually plan to use. For example, so far I’ve only picked up the newborn diapers. The diapers maxi and the food I won’t pick up for several months.

In May 2022 (location Vlaardingen) the following was in the Hoogvliet Welkom op de Wereld package:

A spoon and vouchers for free products worth 30 euros:

Bonbébé newborn diapers
Bonbébé baby wipes
Bonbebé teethers
Bonbebé washing gel
Bonbébé organic fruit 4+ months
Bonbébé organic fruit purée
Bonbébé organic breakfast porridge
Bonbébé organic meal 6+ months
Bonbébé organic meal 8+ months
Bonbébé diapers maxi

How do you request the Hoogvliet Welkom op de Wereld coupons?

If you are pregnant or have recently given birth, you can request the Welkom op de Wereld package from Hoogvliet using this form. You will receive a pick-up notice in your mail.

CZ maternity box

Weeks before your due date you must have a maternity package available at your home in case you (have to) give birth at home. If you have supplementary health insurance in the Netherlands, you often receive this package free of charge around the 7th month of your pregnancy. The content and application process differs per health insurance company. Make sure you apply before the 4th month of your pregnancy to make sure you receive the package on time.

In case you don’t have supplementary health insurance, you will have to purchase a maternity package yourself or buy the items separately. You could use the contents of the CZ maternity package as inspiration.

In January 2022 the following items were included in the CZ maternity package:

1 maternity mattress 70×180
2x mattress protector 90×180
8x underlay 60×60
32x maternity bandages
2 stretch pants
Cordring
50 grams of zigzag cotton wool
32x hydrophilic gauze dressing 5 x 8,5 cm
5x hydrophilic gauze dressing 10 x 10 cm
Bottle of alcohol 70%
Hand gel
Bath cape
Snuggle

Other free gifts

Moeders voor Moeders wrapcloth

When you sign up for Moeders voor Moeders, you will receive a wonderfully soft wrap at the start. With the urine that you collect from week six to week sixteen of your pregnancy, medicines for fertility treatments are made. With this you can help many people with a desire to have children!

Hero Baby Welkomstbox

You can get the Hero Welkomstbox for free if you sign up for Hero Baby and collect 25 points. With the registration itself, a subscription to the newsletter and filling in your due date you can collect enough points.

In the Hero Welkomstbox, you will find a green napkin.

Nutricia cuddly toy

8 weeks after signing up I still haven’t received anything, so I have no idea if the cuddly toy is ever going to arrive. The newsletters do come in steadily on a weekly basis.

Zeeman bodysuit

If your child is born before December 31, 2022, you can request a free bodysuit from zeeman.

Lemniscaat picture book

Bookstores have a free welcome gift ready especially for all brand new parents and their newborn. This is a (Dutch) picture book with sing-along-songs: Rijen, rijen, rijen in een wagentje with illustrations by Marijke ten Cate. Within three months of birth, show your baby’s birth card or certificate at a participating bookstore and receive the picture book as a gift.

BoekStart books

You get a voucher from the Consultatiebureau that you can exchange for a suitcase with books when you register your son or daughter at the library. Not every Consultatiebureau (CJG) or library offers this.

In June 2022 the following two (Dutch) books were in the BoekStart suitcase:

Baby’s allereerste kijkboekje
Kijk eens wat ik kan!

Which free pregnancy giftbox are you most excited about?

The post Content of free pregnancy giftboxes in the Netherlands appeared first on Where to Kim?.

Lifestyle Archives - Where to Kim?

Montessori Baby Room with Floor Bed

Autonomy and freedom

Floor bed

Toys and books

Art

Changing area

Closet

Stair gates

What else to consider?

Content of free pregnancy giftboxes in the Netherlands

Table of Contents

Content zwangerschapsboxen (pregnancy gift boxes) 2021, 2022 and 2023

Babydump giftbox 2021

Babydump giftbox 2023

How do you request the Babydump giftbox?

Babypark gift bag 2023

How do you request the Babypark gift bag?

Prénatal giftbox 'de blije doos'

How do you request 'de blije doos'?

Kruidvat Baby Welkom bag

How do you request the Kruidvat Baby Welkom bag?

Etos baby welcome giftbox (discontinued)

How do you request the Etos baby welcome giftbox?

Ouders van Nu Zwangerbox and Babybox

How do you request the Ouders van Nu Zwangerbox?

Boon's Markt Baby Box

How do you request the Boon's Markt Baby Box?

Hoogvliet Welkom op de Wereld

How do you request the Hoogvliet Welkom op de Wereld coupons?

CZ maternity box

Other free gifts

Moeders voor Moeders wrapcloth

Hero Baby Welkomstbox

Nutricia cuddly toy

Zeeman bodysuit

Lemniscaat picture book

BoekStart books