Recently I was fortunate enough to be asked by the lovely Bump, Baby & You community to attend a Mamas & Papas Parent To Be event on Sunday 24th June 2018 on their behalf.

Obviously I jumped at the opportunity and as it happens I actually wasn’t aware these events even existed, so it was an experience I graciously accepted. In all honesty, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the event or if I personally would benefit from it, but when Sunday morning came around, I dragged my 35-weeks-pregnant mass of flesh to the shower, threw on a passable/comfortable/one-of-very-few outfits that still fit on, and off I went, anticipation in-tow.

Me & bump, ready to go and enjoy the event!

When I arrived I was greeted by two very welcoming ladies with an abundance of smiles, they gifted me a goodie bag containing numerous small baby items such as a baby vest, bib and rattle along with some discount leaflets and a little healthy snack. I was then guided towards their blackboard, and informed about the specialised talks that were planned for the morning and the times of these. I noticed quickly that there were many staff on hand, all equally as welcoming, presentable and approachable for each and every visitor that day. The store was very well kept and all the displays were very picturesque, clearly a lot of hard work had gone in to preparing for the event, which is always appreciated by visitors/customers.

The store displays were beautifully arranged.

I really appreciated that while the event did have some structure in the sense that there were three set talks about pushchairs, car seat safety, and setting up the perfect nursery. There were also prenatal & baby yoga and hypnobirthing experts present for us to talk to!

There was still plenty of time throughout the event to browse the store and to ask the staff for any information or advice on products, in which they were all expertly knowledgeable and confident in discussing whether the product be Mamas & Papas own brand or any of the others stocked within store. There was even the option to have a personal shopper to assist me!

The talks were well signposted and very well organised.

Their specified talks lasted around fifteen minutes with a fifteen minute rest period following each and all were hosted by a confident, well-equipped staff member. After listening to the pushchair demo, I was ready to place my order of the new Mamas & Papas Ocarro Signature Edition travel system* because it truly looked amazing, along with the Joie 360 spin* after listening in to the car seat safety talk – the ladies hosting showed off their practicalities and enhanced safety adaptions very well.

The Ocarro travel system & the Joie 360 spin really caught my eye and were discounted for event attendees! The exclusive discount is as follows;

£50 off when you spend over £500

£75 off when you spend over £1000

£150 off when you spend over £1500

£300 off when you spend over £2000

£400 off when you spend over £2500

This discount makes the Mamas & Papas Parent To Be events well worth attending if, like me, you have a baby on the way. You can get everything you need and save up to £400!*

Along with the great reception within the store and the eager-to-help attitude of the staff, there was also a gorgeous little table of FREE refreshments which is almost essential for keeping pregnant women happy! I helped myself to a lovely little chocolate cupcake and bottle of juice, being honest I could have returned to the table many times but as I am a lady, (far from it…) I refrained.

As I devoured my cupcake, I stood and listened to a lovely First Aider who showed us all in depth how to react if the situation ever arose that our child was choking and unable to breathe. A course I truly believe every soon-to-be parent should take the time to attend as choking is a leading cause of death of toddlers and children in the UK, a mostly avoidable cause of death. I felt this was possibly my most memorable and important experience from the day which I feel very lucky to have caught.

Along with car seat safety and infant first aid, there was also a lot of information given about infant safe sleep and the different options for infant bedding and night time dress, another massively important factor that new parents need to be educated on because of the prevalence of SIDS in today’s society and the fact that many people are completely unaware of the dangers of simple, common added extras; cot bumpers and stuffed teddies for example. While I feel I was already quite educated in this department, I did learn a few tips and additional guidelines I was not already aware of which I will definitely now implement when baby #2 arrives in due course.

All in all I was so, so impressed by my overall experience. I feel like I came away from the event having been treated fabulously, with more knowledge on many aspects of infant sleep safety and first aid. I definitely have more items to add to my to-buy list and also have a new-found appreciation for the knowledge and expertise that the Mamas & Papas staff have for all of their products. I was so impressed with how confident they all were when voicing their opinion and adjusting their product choice to suit the customer’s individual needs.

You can register to attend your nearest Mamas & Papas Parent To Be Event here! The sign up process is so quick and simple.

I would definitely recommend to all parents to be to find out when their local Mamas & Papas store is set to host their next event and get themselves along because they will NOT regret it.
Jen X