One of the most unexpected joys of being pregnant in the Netherlands was discovering just how much quiet support exists around you. Beyond medical care and appointments, there’s an entire ecosystem of stores, healthcare providers, and insurance companies that offer thoughtful freebies and pregnancy perks, some practical, some sentimental, and many genuinely useful.

At first, it felt like small wins here and there. But over time, these little gestures added up, making pregnancy and early postpartum feel lighter, better prepared, and surprisingly well thought out.

Registering Early: Where the Freebies Come From

Most pregnancy freebies in the Netherlands are unlocked simply by creating an account or signing up during pregnancy. We registered at the following places:

• Prenatal
• Kruidvat
• Etos
• Babydump
• Zeeman
• Our midwife practice (Verloskundige)
• Birthing class via Moeders voor Moeders
• CZ (our insurance company)

Each of these offered either a physical gift, a pickup box in-store, or samples given during appointments or classes.

Prenatal: More Than Just a Box

Prenatal was one of the first places we registered and easily one of the most generous. After signing up via their website, we received the well-known Prenatal Happy Box filled with baby essentials like newborn diapers, diaper rash cream (Sudocrem), a pacifier, an anti-colic bottle, and even a small portion of baby food for later months.

Over the months, Prenatal also sent pregnancy magazines packed with useful information and discount coupons, many of which we actually used. What stood out most was that their programme felt ongoing. At different stages of pregnancy and postpartum, we could redeem additional gifts, including small keepsakes like a locket and even a personalised baby hat with our baby’s name on it. It felt less like a one-time promotion and more like being gently accompanied through different milestones.

Kruidvat: Practical and Budget-Friendly

Kruidvat’s baby box leaned heavily into practicality, which we appreciated. The box included diapers, wipes, baby care products, vitamin D drops, and a few postpartum essentials. Along with the products, we also received a booklet filled with discount coupons.

Those coupons turned out to be just as valuable as the items themselves. When you’re suddenly buying diapers and wipes on repeat, having built-in discounts makes a noticeable difference. Kruidvat became one of our regular stops simply because the savings extended well beyond the initial box.

Etos: Paid, but Worth It

Etos works slightly differently from the other stores. Their baby box isn’t free, we paid €15 for it, but the box itself was worth around €60. It contained a generous mix of baby care products, diapers, wipes, nursing pads, baby food samples, and skincare items.

While paying upfront might make some people hesitate, we found that the value easily justified the cost. Many of the items were things we would have bought anyway, making this one of the more cost-effective “paid” perks.

Babydump: Beyond Just Samples

Babydump’s freebies felt more like small gifts than samples. We received a newborn onesie (size 50/56), socks, pacifiers, flexible spoons, cups, food storage containers, a baby memory book, and even a baby clothes hanger.

The memory book, in particular, was a lovely surprise, something I hadn’t thought to buy but now really value.

Zeeman: One Free Romper, Any Size You Choose

Zeeman was a simple but thoughtful one. After registering, we could choose one free baby romper in any size from 44 to 62.

We picked size 62, knowing babies grow quickly, and it turned out to be a great decision. It’s a small perk, but the flexibility to choose the size made it especially useful.

Midwife & Birthing Class: Care That Goes Beyond Appointments

Some of the most meaningful items came directly through our care providers.

One of the most unexpectedly useful items came from our midwife: a high-contrast black-and-white cloth book. We now use it daily during baby massage—placing it near him to distract him while applying oil and gently helping him practice visual tracking. What started as a simple freebie quickly became one of the most used items in our routine.

During our birthing class (via Moeders voor Moeders), we received iron supplements, belly balm, stretch-mark butter samples, nursing pads, diapers, and other postpartum-care items. It felt like thoughtful preparation not just for birth, but for recovery afterwards.

The Kraampakket: An Unexpected Essential from Insurance

One of the most substantial pregnancy perks came not from a store, but from our health insurance provider, CZ. After registering my pregnancy, we received a large kraampakket, a maternity package designed to support home birth and the first few days of postpartum care.

The box contained medical and hygiene essentials such as maternity pads, mattress protectors, underlays, sterile gauze, compresses for umbilical cord care, disinfectants, alcohol, cotton wool, stretch panties, and even a cord ring. Many of these are standard requirements for home birth in the Netherlands, but they’re just as useful for hospital births and early recovery at home.

This package alone covered most postpartum essentials for the first weeks and removed the stress of sourcing medical supplies at the last minute. It was practical, thorough, and quietly reassuring, very much in line with how pregnancy care works here. Even though I didn’t end up having a home birth, almost everything in the box still came in handy.

Baby Care and Mother Care

What I really appreciated across all these freebies was that the focus wasn’t only on the baby.

Along the way, we received maternity pads, nursing pads, nipple cream, magnesium supplements, iron supplements, breast milk storage bags, and skincare products for pregnancy and postpartum.

It was a subtle reminder that the mother’s comfort and recovery matter too, not just the baby’s arrival.

What These Freebies Really Gave Us

The real value of these pregnancy perks wasn’t just financial (though that helped). It was emotional.

They reduced last-minute stress.
They softened the pressure to “buy everything at once”.
They made us feel supported, especially while navigating pregnancy away from family.

In those early newborn days, having diapers, wipes, creams, and basic supplies already at home made a huge difference.

Final Thoughts

Looking back, what stood out wasn’t just the number of freebies, but how thoughtfully the system is designed. From small comforts picked up at local stores to the comprehensive kraampakket sent by our insurance, so much of what we needed was already taken care of before the baby arrived. These gestures, practical, gentle, and reassuring, made pregnancy in the Netherlands feel supported in quiet ways, long before we fully realised how much we’d rely on them.

Pregnancy Freebies & Where to Get Them in the Netherlands

Most of these boxes require early registration—some as soon as the first trimester—so it’s worth signing up sooner rather than later.