Alternative to Bounty pack - I mean, do you really need Lenor when you've just had a baby?

[hunkermunker]

What would you put into a Bounty-type pack that you get either in pregnancy or soon after your baby's born?

Imagine it's got to be self-supporting/funding - so it needs some advertising.

What would've been useful to you? What was utterly unuseful?

Think about things to read, free samples, money off vouchers, etc, etc.

I have a Lindor addiction courtesy of my Bounty first time round. Didn't get one second time.

Details of groups that are relevant with a small baby - e.g. our NCT does a Bumps and Babies group - babies one year and under.

There is a Childrens' Information Service in our main library - all kinds of info such as childcare, baby groups, places to go etc. A contact number for that would have been good.

Toy library info?

I'm toying with the idea of starting something locally.

Who can tell me more about the actual workings of the current Bounty packs - anyone know how much they cost, what they offer the hospitals, how much to advertise in them, etc? Anything else, really?

Birds Eye frozen peas - for cooling down your fanjo and feeding the older children

Actually let's be clear on this - chocolate is never going to be turned down. If Cadbury did a bar which was the same amount of calories as a breastfeed, I'd be hooked.

SM, I'm seriously considering it.

Sounds like people think it's a good idea.

Sorry Hunker, but I am going to be the lone voice of dissent. While I think that giving new mums good breastfeeding information (helpline numbers etc) is important, this could be done through the leaflets given in hospital.

As soon as you enter the sponsorship domain, which is what you are talking about, you are in a really grey area. If you are trying to stay ethical and pro bf (from what I have seen of your posts on here), you will have a lot of trouble. Just because a product is not infant feeding related, does not mean it is not owned by a company that also own products related to infant feeding. Having a sponsorhsip policy that is ethical and complies with the code while still allows for big companies to contribute is almost impossible. I am involved in exactly these discussions at the moment with relevant bf groups.

While the idea of keeping it local is nice, I am doubtful you would get local companies (especially small ones) to contribute. The reason that big companies contribute to the bounty pack is because a) they can afford it and b) most importantly, they will profit from it by turnign people onto their product.

I admire your desire to see an alternative to the bounty pack, but I really think time and resources are better spent locally in improving access to bf support.

Ilana, thank you - I had wondered about that sort of thing. I know there are dodgy things about companies that aren't strictly formula related.

hunker have you got a local children's centre

What services do you have locally? People do like free samples so I think you may have to compromise by including Johnsons, Pampers, Persil, etc unless Crabtree & Evelyn, Lush or Green People are in your vicinity.

Vouchers or free introductory sessions for nappy laundering service, music/nursery rhyme singing class, swimming (with info about what babies should wear in the water and whether they need jabs first) and mother & baby groups and so on.

We have a shop (Cook! part of a smallish local chain) that has a range of frozen baby/toddler meals - they give a '10% off card' for new mothers, which lasts for a year I think - do you have anything like that?

Or cafe/restaurant that would offer discounts for families visiting at particular times of day. Big Scream cinema?

Plus numbers/contacts for local support groups for PND, SN, b/f etc.

I was thinking of making it local rather than big business, but realise it's not necessarily financially viable to do that.

In reality, I don't have the time or the resources to do it. One day - will stick it on the back burner, I think!

I have to agree with Alana.

I did quite a bit of research into them, and I wanted to get leaflets for my business in them locally (I offer services to new mums so the right market) but there was no way as a small local business that I could afford it. The rates are huge. There's a reason there is solittle local information in them.

Competition would be good, but if you want to run this sort of thing at a profit you'll need big sponsorship, which means big companies.

If it is a local enterprise, I would imagine that hunker would be setting her own rates. Obviously the Bounty pack rates would be prohibitive, but a local "Hunker" pack? It would be lower, I would imagine.

You need to investigate costs, come up with some projections and go from there.

Maybe a local booklet rather than loads of flyers and samples would be a good idea in this case. They could be delivered to maternity units so new mothers still get them and packed with all the local info they are likely to need? You could probably cover costs with a few aadverts for big brands but keep the rest local?

What would be useful -

ANUSOL
nipple cream
maternity sanitary towels
anusol
breast pads
tbags
a rubber ring
shortbread
anusol
a blindfold and refreshing eye patch thingys
heameroid cream
herbel tea

The only issue I see with actually supplying samples, are that small businesses can't make small samples of their products or give away freebies in the way big companies can. Those tiny samples you get cost about twice the normal sized equivalent, only big companies can absorb those kind of losses.

Lol at Thomcat

i had ecover trial size wasing up liquid in one of mine, ecover might be interested as a company, they seem ok ethics wise and are very nice when you contact them ime (say if you had not read the labels and filled the dishwasher with multi surface cleaner instead of rinse aid).

Maybe vouchers to go instore and collect samples for smaller businesses?

Sorry to hiyack this thread but friend of mine is doing a bit of research as to what publications pregnant women and new mums receive at their TWELVE WEEK scan.

Have any of you received the following from your midwife, GP or healthcare professional:

Emma?s Diary?
Mum Plus One?
You and Your Family?
Bounty Pack?

Thank-you-thank-you!

Hunker I have been obsessing over doing this for a while - have you done owt about it? It is being done well in Brighton but seems to be for the lucky few!

upsidedown I never had a 12 weeks scan! They 'lost' my record and 'forgot' I was pg so I had my first scan at 18 weeks then next one at 32 again .

And no I never got any packs until after I had baby.

What did I ve in my Bounty Pack though...

Tub of Huggies wipes
Pack of Huggies nappies
Small tub of sudocreme
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Comfort
2 cans of redbull
4 pack of johnsons breast pads
A small hand gel
£5 voucher for george at Asda
And a load of crap leaflets etc.

Our local hospital used to give out a different one, it was something to do with being Baby Friendly but I can't remember the name of them.

Baby Welcome sounds familiar

if you google mamapacks there is a sort of eco bounty pack

Voucher for a hair do and some chocolate. I hate that because I've had a baby I'm only supposed to be interested in cleaning.

I'm interested in eating and being a princess