With nearly *gasp* 12 years between my kiddos, I very much felt like a new mom when my son was born this past February. I’ve been immersed in all things tween for years so I had to pivot and learn all about new products and gear for babies, and wow, much has changed in over a decade! So when I heard about Bloom: An Event for New and Expectant Parents hosted by Boston Moms Blog I immediately bought a ticket and welcomed an opportunity to meet with various local and national brands about all things baby!
Held at the International School of Boston in Cambridge, MA, Bloom was a partnership with City Moms Blog Network and promised an afternoon of pampering, yummy food, educational resources, giveaways and swag and connecting moms and families with relevant resources. Attendees were asked not to bring babies under a year in carriers only, due to space limitations. I left baby Hunter home with Dad for the event and attended Bloom solo, though wish I would have invited a friend!
Upon arriving I received the cutest mama bag full of amazing goodies and resources including wipes, samples and coupons. My ticket also included some raffle items and the giveaway items were great. I put all my tickets in to win a year’s supply of diapers from BJs and crossed my fingers and toes that I’d win. Oh, the money I would SAVE!
Truly geared towards expectant and new moms there were around 30 vendors focused on resources for families from doulas, to meal delivery companies to kids music classes. I’ve highlighted my favorites below:
Team Glam and Go provided *free* manicures at the event, and I jumped right in line because my nails…needed some serious TLC. Launching in August, Team Glam and Go is a mobile app aimed at providing on demand beauty services. I had a blast chatting it up with owners Annie and Kerrie and learning more about their inspiration for the company which is mission driven and supports local charities like The Greater Boston Food Bank.
Hunter will be four months next Sunday (seriously when did that happen?!) and we are super excited about introducing some pureed foods to him! HappyFamily takes our same approach to feeding him incorporating organic fruits and vegetables, nutritious ancient grains and seeds without trans fat, high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors or food coloring. They have products geared towards moms, babies, toddlers and kids that include formula, fruit and veggie pouches, veggie straws and teethers. Oh and their cookbook The Happy Family Organic Superfoods Cookbook For Baby & Toddler is already in my Amazon cart! It includes age appropriate recipes and tips and would be a great resource for anyone interested in homemade baby food.
I’m newly dairy free and was super happy that the Williams Family Baking Co. provided delicious sweets for attendees that included a dairy free option – hooray! Craig and Emily were great and offer mouthwatering delicacies on their menu and are available for catering.
We’re a musical family so it was great to meet Laura, the founder of Groovy Baby Music and learn about the importance of music for babies and kids. Laura has spent years researching the role music plays and offers tons of music classes around Greater Boston as well as in-school education programs, community events and private birthday parties. Most programming for infants starts at six months, but I was excited when Laura told me that I could enroll 15 week old Hunter in a class! Rock on!!
I loved learning about Nomsly a meal delivery service for kids! Get delicious and nutritious lunches delivered right to your doorstep. It’s Lunch, Simplified!
Before I left I met the lovely Ana of Lovely Pictures Studio based in Boston and she made my dark eyes disappear in my photo! Magical!! Even better? She offered free 30 minute mini sessions to attendees! Sign. Me. Upppp!!
The event wasn’t very crowded so it allowed me to have lengthy conversations with vendors. Expert panels were also available, but I spent all my time chatting so I missed that portion.
All in all, a good event, the location appealed to me because of it’s proximity to my home. The ticket price was reasonable – I paid $15 for one ticket. I appreciated the range of vendors and opportunity to leave with some goodies. Good job, Boston Moms Blog!
