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Expo Mom 2012 at the Rockwell Tent

Expo Mom is a yearly event that I always look forward to, and this is my third year in a row to attend. This year's Expo Mom took place last May 5-6, 2012, at the Rockwell Tent. It's a great chance for mommies to check out what new goodies mompreneurs have for us.

Usually, I go on the very first day, early in the morning. During this time, the foot traffic is considerably lighter and the stall owners have time to talk to you about their products. But this year, I was unable to make it during the morning, so we went on Sunday afternoon, and when we got there, the place was bustling. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take pictures, because I was immediately distracted by all the things to check out.

This is also my first time to attend the expo with other expectant moms. I was accompanied by two friends who are also first-time pregnant moms, and I'm guessing we were quite a sight, one in her first trimester (looking around to see what's available), another in her second trimester (definitely in shopping mode), and me in my third trimester (looking like I could give birth at any second).

While some mommies prefer to bring their little ones and their husbands to the expo, I prefer to go by myself. For one thing, J would most likely wreak havoc in the tent, what with all the cool things he can fiddle with there. For another, this really isn't Big C's cup of tea, and he'd be much happier browsing through True Value while I roam to my heart's content. Yesterday, the three of us were accompanied by our husbands, but going alone to these expos is the recommendation I gave my two friends. Our husbands have been friends since college, and while the three guys gamely followed us around and carried all the loot bags we got from the exhibitors, after half an hour, we found the three of them huddled in a corner, talking shop and god-knows-what.

I was looking for a cute outfit for Little C's one month birthday, body washes and/or shampoos for J, mosquito repellent, and a ring sling. Out of that list, I was only able to buy was the ring sling, which I got from the Mama.Baby.Love booth. A big, big thanks to Jonie of Mamaway, who was kind enough to assist me and one of my friends by giving us a thorough demonstration of the ring slings. My friend and I ended up purchasing one each. She got a Mamaway ring sling, while I bagged one of the Next9 ring slings. I was attracted to the prints of the Mamaway slings, but the huge pocket in the Next9 sling sealed the deal for me, since I always need a place to stash my keys and my phones.

I also stopped by the Cradle/Cycles booth to pick up a refill pack of the bottle and nipple cleanser and a bottle of the toy and surface cleaner. Another important stop was the Medela Moms, Inc. booth as well. My friend who's in her second trimester is looking for a good breastpump, and from experience, I recommended that she purchase a Medela. It's a great pump that's easy to use, plus Medela Moms offers a great warranty coverage and hands-on service for each customer.

I wasn't able to get the other stuff that I needed, because the place was already very crowded and with me in my last trimester on a scorching Sunday afternoon, I was already baking inside the tent, so we left after visiting our targeted booths. (The venue was very well-ventilated and the airconditioning was working fine, so I'm guessing it's just the pregnancy temperature spike that got to me.)

And of course, my favorite part of the Expo is the freebies and samples you get from the exhibitors. Child care products are often costly, and samples of products to try are always appreciated to help in making purchasing decisions. While Expo Mom always has a lot of goodies for attendees, this year, the expo was organized in such a way that promotions for the event was linked to more prizes for moms. Posting photos of this year's theme to promote the event gives you a chance to pick a prize from Mommy Mundo, while liking the Facebook pages of the exhibitors entitles you to freebies. In addition to that, by having your ticket stamped when you visit the booths entitles you to another prize.

I wasn't able to take pictures of all the loot bags, because I was so excited to dive in and explore what was inside. This year's haul, in addition to what I bought, yielded disposable pads from both Pigeon and Avent, samples of Pigeon fruit and vegetable wash, a breastmilk storage cup from Avent, sample diapers from Sweet Baby, and lots of interesting reading material, including the latest issue of Urban Mom, featuring the moms of the #RealMom campaign.

So while I wasn't able to get all the things I needed at this year's expo, just the chance to look around at all the cute stuff they have for our little ones, and for me as well, was a fun experience. I hope it was a good afternoon for my two friends also, and I'm already looking forward to next year's expo.

To Mommy Mundo, thanks for a great event! See you again next year!

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