All the Fun of the Fair
T and I have just returned home from the Baby and Toddler Show, and we're both feeling a little exhausted and overwhelmed!
Neither of us has ever been to a baby fair (because, I mean, why would we have been?) although we have both worked at trade fairs and events like this, so we thought we were relatively prepared: wrong. We were both a little taken aback by the number of people and the amount of stuff, and this was a relatively small event compared to another one that we have tickets for next month! So I'm glad we started with this smaller one before being sucker-punched by the main event...
The event was well laid out, though it was a little disorientating at times as we meandered through the stalls and products; most of the big stuff was along the main wall and at the back, and the smaller product stalls were all jumbled in with one another (by that I mean that there wasn't a specific section where everyone was selling, say, muslin cloths - though I accept that there are obvious logistic and peace-keeping reasons for this) so it could be a bit confusing as we tried to retrace our steps to find things that had caught our eye.
We were taken with a couple of products that we'll probably pick up at the baby fair next month, purely due to it still feeling as though it's a little early to be buying a lot of stuff. We definitely have our eyes on the Cuddledry Towel and the Snugglebundl - both of which are absolutely genius ideas. It was clear when the people promoting the products were parents and had either used or actually invented and developed the items they were displaying as they were so passionate about them!
Everywhere we stopped we were offered advice, and the occasional free sample or tryout - I was particularly keen to attempt a wrap carrier, and after trying one out with a 'real-weight' baby doll I'm even more convinced as it spread the weight so evenly I barely felt anything (though it'll certainly take a little practice and wiggling to get right!)
As I said, it's a little early to be buying too much stuff (and I had a sneaky check of the exhibitor list for the next show to see who would be there too) but we did pick up a special-offer bag of biodegradable baby wipes which came with a whole host of other products such as antibacterial spray and creams, and we bought a starter-kit of reusable nappies from Muslinz - which coincidentally came in the colours we're gathering together - as we've discussed them and decided we might want to give them a try while Spud is at home. You know, saving the planet for our offspring, and all that.
It was an eye-opening experience, and, as mentioned, a bit overwhelming; not least because the queue for the women's toilets is long enough at the best of times - factor in the fact that practically every woman in the place was pregnant and I'm surprised we're not still there! The gift bag from Emma's Diary was lovely, and had a couple of nice products in too (I would strongly advise mums-to-be to download the app, as they have some special offer gift bags which can be accessed through the app interface - we stopped in at Argos on the way home to collect ours and, again, some good products such as stretch-mark cream, nappies, vouchers, and more)
I'm looking forward to the next one; I think I have a better idea of what to expect, and we certainly have a better idea of what we're looking for!
The event was well laid out, though it was a little disorientating at times as we meandered through the stalls and products; most of the big stuff was along the main wall and at the back, and the smaller product stalls were all jumbled in with one another (by that I mean that there wasn't a specific section where everyone was selling, say, muslin cloths - though I accept that there are obvious logistic and peace-keeping reasons for this) so it could be a bit confusing as we tried to retrace our steps to find things that had caught our eye.
We were taken with a couple of products that we'll probably pick up at the baby fair next month, purely due to it still feeling as though it's a little early to be buying a lot of stuff. We definitely have our eyes on the Cuddledry Towel and the Snugglebundl - both of which are absolutely genius ideas. It was clear when the people promoting the products were parents and had either used or actually invented and developed the items they were displaying as they were so passionate about them!
Everywhere we stopped we were offered advice, and the occasional free sample or tryout - I was particularly keen to attempt a wrap carrier, and after trying one out with a 'real-weight' baby doll I'm even more convinced as it spread the weight so evenly I barely felt anything (though it'll certainly take a little practice and wiggling to get right!)
As I said, it's a little early to be buying too much stuff (and I had a sneaky check of the exhibitor list for the next show to see who would be there too) but we did pick up a special-offer bag of biodegradable baby wipes which came with a whole host of other products such as antibacterial spray and creams, and we bought a starter-kit of reusable nappies from Muslinz - which coincidentally came in the colours we're gathering together - as we've discussed them and decided we might want to give them a try while Spud is at home. You know, saving the planet for our offspring, and all that.
It was an eye-opening experience, and, as mentioned, a bit overwhelming; not least because the queue for the women's toilets is long enough at the best of times - factor in the fact that practically every woman in the place was pregnant and I'm surprised we're not still there! The gift bag from Emma's Diary was lovely, and had a couple of nice products in too (I would strongly advise mums-to-be to download the app, as they have some special offer gift bags which can be accessed through the app interface - we stopped in at Argos on the way home to collect ours and, again, some good products such as stretch-mark cream, nappies, vouchers, and more)
I'm looking forward to the next one; I think I have a better idea of what to expect, and we certainly have a better idea of what we're looking for!
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