You may have noticed by now that Frost Magazine has a new(ish) parenting section. To find great articles for it, and have a bit of fun, I headed to The Baby Show at the Excel Centre. The Baby Show is the UK’s leading event for bump, baby and beyond. This year it also incorporated The Work & Family Show. a section sponsored by My Family Care and dedicated to helping new parents return to work after having a family – giving them access to a range of ideas for starting up their own business and advice on how to make the successful transition to the role of a working mum or dad. The Baby Show itself is sponsored by Made for Mums.
There is a lot to do at The Baby Show and you really get your money’s worth. There are a lot of great exhibitors and you can buy pretty much anything you could ever want for your offspring as well as getting plenty of advice. In fact there was over 200 brands exhibiting including Mothercare.com, iCandy, Chicco, Emma’s Diary, mamas & papas, Maxi-Cosi, Quinny, Stokke and Tommee Tippee. There was plenty of talks on The Baby Show stage and the Work & Family Show stage. On The Baby Show stage nutritionist and author, Annabel Karmel MBE gave a great talk on weening, leaving the audience feeling inspired. Other experts who gave great talks included breast-feeding gurus Clare Byam-Cook and Geraldine Miskin, sleep experts Jo Tantum and Lisa Clegg, fitness guru, Michelle Heaton and child safety expert, Tracey Taylor from the British Red Cross. Tracey was great and showed the audience how to save their baby’s life. It was fascinating stuff and I can recommend taking a Red Cross class on first aid for your baby.
Treading the boards of The Work & Family Show stage experts include Daily Telegraph journalist and author, Bryony Gordon, Stylist Editor, Lisa Smosarski, business coach and founder of CEO Mums, Nicola Huelin, Chief Executive of Working Families, Sarah Jackson and prize-winning journalist and former editor of Psychologies and Good Housekeeping, Louise Chunn.
Louise Chunn gave a great talk on being a working mother. Louise also talked about the fact that her own mother was always starting businesses and that her most read article was one about her regrets about being a working mother.
This year’s charity partner was Theodora’s Children’s Charity which works hard to fund laughter in children’s hospitals, hospices and specialist care centres across the UK. They train ‘Giggle Doctors’ who are professional performers such as magicians, singers, actors and musicians, to bring magical moments and laughter to brave children in difficult times. It is a worthy cause so donate if you can.
Highlights on The Work & Family Show included:
A CV Master Class – how to make your CV stand out from the crowd after a career break
Building your Network – building relationships
Balancing work and family
Building your personal brand – gaining confidence and believing in yourself
Visitors will listen to industry experts and inspirational working mums give their advice on how to balance work and family and choose the career path best for them. The Baby Show stage will also host a dedicated session on Shared Parental Leave and what it will mean.
Other highlights of The Baby Show include:
Catwalk shows with all the latest fashions in maternity, baby and toddler wear
Exclusive show offers and competitions from top parenting brands
A complimentary crèche where parents can drop off their little ones
The Baby Show Stars’ themed competition held by Bumpkins Photography where the Show’s cutest baby will be awarded a high end, exclusive photo shoot
Dedicated baby facilities including the Tommee Tippee feeding area where parents can take advantage of heating and sterilising equipment, complimentary baby food and a comfortable space for breast feeding.
www.thebabyshow.co.uk / www.theworkandfamilyshow.co.uk
The Baby show was a brilliant event. I learned a lot and there is a lot to do. It takes a full day to go around all of the stands and listen to the talks. There is also an option for networking and a complimentary crèche so you can take a look around without your little ones. The Baby Show will be in Birmingham in May next, then Olympia in London in October, followed by ExCel again next February. Catch it if you can.
