All About Babies- The Prego Expo
Last weekend I had the privilege of being asked to go out to Dallas and experience The Prego Expo with some free tickets and the expectation of sharing about the convention on my social media and blog. So, early on a Sunday morning, I packed up my husband and little boy in the SUV for a road trip to the big city- and what an experience I had!
I had not heard of this expo until they reached out to me and introduced themselves. Man, do I wish I had known of this when I was pregnant with my first! It was the equivalent of a bridal show, but about every and anything baby related. There were vendors of many varieties as well as a stage set up that had different seminars going on throughout the event.
This event was held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas. It was a very nice facility with plenty of space and most importantly- plenty of air conditioning. For being downtown, it wasn't too busy to gain access to as the event was on a Sunday morning so the traffic was relatively minimal. The security guards were so helpful there and saved me (and likely many other mamas) from a lot of unnecessary walking by assisting with going through the right entrances and parking in the closest parking lots. The people at the check-in were very helpful and kind too, so getting into the actual convention itself was not stressful, and I really appreciated that.
Having been gifted VIP tickets, my guest and I got to enter the expo early, which was actually really helpful. There were a lot of people in the ballroom already, and plenty more waiting to enter one the doors were opened! We got a good head start visiting the vendor tables and talking to the representatives, who were all eager to talk and listen to our questions about their products. There wasn't a single vendor there that I felt put-off or ignored by. They all seemed experienced handling crowds and sharing their time equally with potential clients.Many of the vendors had special sales going on that were exclusive to attending the expo that you could use then and there, or on their websites after going home from the convention. They had some incredibly handy products being sold and promoted at the convention. Even as a second-time mama, I was taken by surprise with some items I only wish I'd had the first time around! As an initiative to participate and connect with the vendors, if you downloaded the MyRegistry app at the check-in table or before the expo, you could receive a bonus raffle ticket and then if you scanned at least three items to your registry while at the convention, then went back to the check-in table and showed them your scans, you got more tickets! I did end up downloading the app for extra tickets, however, the items I scanned were ones that I wanted to remember to save to my own personal registry I'd already made when I got home!
The Vendors
There were a LOT of tables to visit and people to talk to at this expo. The options were so well- rounded too, making this an event for people on all sides of the pregnancy spectrum to be able to relate to and learn from. There were fertility specialists, a breastmilk donor table, a chiropractor, an exercise organization, and everything in between. They had cloth diapers being sold and even had a resource to learn how to use them! I LOVED this promotion! I wish we could go back to the days of using cloth and save the environment. We've had such a great experience using cloth diapers and loved that this was shared at the expo. I loved getting connected to the breastmilk donor bank because this time around I hope to use my oversupply capabilities on a larger level to serve other mamas and babies. With my first, I donated milk to a few friends and new moms from church and it was such a special way to give to others that I would pump twice as much to be able to do it again!
There were a few vendors that I really loved visiting with and clicked super well with! In the order that I met them (not by my level of favorite) the first was Legendairy Milk- a breastmilk supplement supply company out of Austin, TX. I have loved this brand since my first was born and was so excited to get to meet the brains behind the brand in person! Being that I followed them on Instagram, I received a free bottle of supplements too, and I can't wait to use them! I got the sunflower lecithin product, to help prevent clogged ducts, which I got often my first time breastfeeding and would do anything to avoid this time!
The next vendor I loved getting to meet was Little Astro Tot, a family-run company that sells baby products from around the world! I had a great time connecting with their representative there, who was so friendly, and got a travel potty that I can't wait to try out and review with my oldest in a few months!
The third vendor I clicked with was Good Buy Gear, a company from Colorado that is actually opening up a new location in Dallas soon! This was totally up my alley, as I am all about buying secondhand to not only save money but protect the environment and make money from things we don't need anymore by selling them after we've gotten all the use we can from them. I met Khira and Megan and they were so sweet! Stay tuned for my next post, because I'm going to be sharing more about this company next week!
The last two vendors I enjoyed getting to meet as well as learn about the products they were selling were Studio Tekhni, a company that sells babywearing slings, and Lil Mixins, a company that creates mix-ins to expose babies to allergens when they begin eating solid foods. I love to wear my babies and expect to get a lot of use out of my baby slings with my second baby in order to keep up with my toddler! These slings were so soft and the colors so vibrant! They also had a demo to teach moms how to sling, which was so great because it's really not as hard to do as it looks! The second company, I only wish I had known of them a year ago, as my oldest child has a plethora of food allergies that could've potentially been avoided had we been lead through the exposure process better. I pray our new baby will be able to avoid that and can't wait to use this product when she gets older!
The Swag Bags
The Prego Expo offered two different bags to the participants- the general admission swag bag and a VIP swag back. They were a great treat to open and go through after the expo. The general admission bag held coupons, samples of bottles, an OXO baby bib, and some more sample goodies. The VIP bag was full of great gifts. There were bath toys, more of these awesome OXO bibs, more bottles a pacifier, natural teething gel, and more baby products and samples!
All to say, The Prego Expo was a fun time, and I'm so glad I got to go. I would definitely go again and would recommend new mom's and dad's to visit the convention if it's traveling to their city! You won't regret it!
