A Baby Fair

Last weekend I attended a Birth & Baby Fair. It's crazy that we have these. But apparently it's an annual thing. All the new baby product vendors set up booths and show their goods, some are national organizations, others local companies. It seemed like a great way to get to familiarize myself with all things baby -- to look, touch, and feel the items and talk to knowledgeable people about them.

There were also representatives from area services like the cloth diaper service, nursing mother's counsel, several doula organizations and birthing class teachers as well as several children's photographers and boutiques shops.

And a lot of babies and bumps.

I came home with a ton of brochures and information on everything from Ergo-baby carriers and Mother's Milk Tea to custom nursery interior design (in my dreams!). But it was great. I learned a lot and got to sit in on some workshops about breastfeeding and cloth diapering and even how to manage labor pains. All good stuff.

The things I didn't get to partake in that I had hoped was winning any of the door prizes and the 15 minute prenatal massage. Oh well.

I think the one thing I actually decided after going there was that I will use cloth diapers. I most likely will use the diaper service for the first few months and then transition to doing them on my own using the prefolds and covers as well as trying a few of the all-in-twos out there. I wasn't a huge fan of the all-in-ones after seeing them in "real life."  Chris and I have talked about looking into getting a portable washing machine so we don't have to worry about that needed extra rinse cycle or what detergents our neighbors use. It'll also cut down on the need to run downstairs to do the laundry and we should be able to do them more often and not have to worry about the cost per load.

It was an all day event, but I didn't feel as overwhelmed as I thought I would. I ended up going by myself because I had a lot of errands to run before and afterwards, which was fine because then I was more focused on the information I was learning rather than catching up with good friends in the midst of a crazy fair.

Next up on the list: Finish my registry, find a few furniture pieces and look into finding a pediatrician.

Last weekend I attended a Birth & Baby Fair. It's crazy that we have these. But apparently it's an annual thing. All the new baby product vendors set up booths and show their goods, some are national organizations, others local companies. It seemed like a great way to get to familiarize myself with all things baby -- to look, touch, and feel the items and talk to knowledgeable people about them.

There were also representatives from area services like the cloth diaper service, nursing mother's counsel, several doula organizations and birthing class teachers as well as several children's photographers and boutiques shops.

And a lot of babies and bumps.

I came home with a ton of brochures and information on everything from Ergo-baby carriers and Mother's Milk Tea to custom nursery interior design (in my dreams!). But it was great. I learned a lot and got to sit in on some workshops about breastfeeding and cloth diapering and even how to manage labor pains. All good stuff.

The things I didn't get to partake in that I had hoped was winning any of the door prizes and the 15 minute prenatal massage. Oh well.

I think the one thing I actually decided after going there was that I will use cloth diapers. I most likely will use the diaper service for the first few months and then transition to doing them on my own using the prefolds and covers as well as trying a few of the all-in-twos out there. I wasn't a huge fan of the all-in-ones after seeing them in "real life."  Chris and I have talked about looking into getting a portable washing machine so we don't have to worry about that needed extra rinse cycle or what detergents our neighbors use. It'll also cut down on the need to run downstairs to do the laundry and we should be able to do them more often and not have to worry about the cost per load.

It was an all day event, but I didn't feel as overwhelmed as I thought I would. I ended up going by myself because I had a lot of errands to run before and afterwards, which was fine because then I was more focused on the information I was learning rather than catching up with good friends in the midst of a crazy fair.

Next up on the list: Finish my registry, find a few furniture pieces and look into finding a pediatrician.