Obviously there is no free lunch.  As my partners and I explored a variety of websites offering “free baby stuff” we soon grew tired of clicking through from site to site.  Yes, there were promises of free items, but usually at a cost.  Since it can take hours to sort through all the information and offer we want to share some of the things we learned.

The most important lesson we gained is to read the “terms and agreement” section for every site we visit.  What we found was that the majority of the sites, including big brand name companies, can resell your information to a variety of vendors once you have clicked the ”AGREE” button.  Be aware!

Another issue we often encountered was sites that offered free baby stuff, but in order to qualify for the item you as the consumer has to purchase products or join other some sort of service provider.  Don’t get us wrong, some of the giveaways are nice.  The sites we explored, which were on the first page of the search result for a certain term, had prizes ranging from $1,000 worth of diapers to strollers, nice gifts.  However, not free.  The only way it makes financial sense to get the free baby stuff is if you really need or want the other items or services because you spend almost the equivalent of the cost of the free baby item on other products to get it.  Most of these programs include statement like “you must participate in two of the tier one offers, two of the tier three offers, and one of the top tier offers. At times the tiers are called bronze, silver, and gold.  If you fail to meet all the requirements, no free baby stuff for you!

A word of caution, some of the offers have a low introductory rate, maybe a dollar. However, you are responsible for cancelling the service or subscription.  If you don’t, the companies will automatically charge you r credit card.  Also, some of these programs include credit card or loan offers.  READ THE FINE PRINT.  A lot of times these offers have processing or annual fees.

Our conclusion is that as with most things in life a little caution can help.  If you are interested in the free baby stuff, next week we are posting the site we felt provided the best offers and why.  Until then, happy shopping!

This post was originally published by www.1coolbaby.com TM