After three whirlwind days, the UK’s leading parenting & pregnancy event has come to a close. The crowds brimmed with excitement at the show’s opening on Friday morning, snaking around the NEC eagerly waiting to see Mothercare, Cosatto, Cheeky Rascals and the like – hoping to find all sorts of wonderful & innovative goodies for their new or imminent arrivals. And The Baby Show did not disappoint.

With everything from pushchairs & carriers to nappies, cots, swaddles and beyond, the range of exhibitors at the show really did cater for all lifestyles and needs. Whilst competitions like Chicco’s £250 Prize Draw, Mothercare’s Xpedior Pram Giveaway and Waterbabies Balloon Mini Challenge gave visitors the opportunity to win some exclusive show-only treats!

It wasn’t all shopping though. Feature areas like the tommee tippee Feeding Area, Fisher-Price Creche and Pampers Changing Area provided essential facilities to help everyone’s day run nice & smoothly.

Then there was the expert advice; little nuggets of baby-related gold helping reassure and educate visitors on a range of important new-born topics. Talks from the like of excellent Prof. Robert Winston, baby sleep expert Jo Tantum, teething & tooth specialists Brush-Baby and breastfeeding aficionado Clare Byam-Cook added another dimension to the show, giving guests invaluable tips & advice on The Baby Show Stage.

All of this over just one weekend. We hope that everyone who came had a fabulous time and enjoyed their day out in the Word of Baby. Next stop – London’s Olympia in a little over 5 months time – hopefully we’ll see a lot of you there too!                               

Bond with your baby before they are born

By 24 weeks your unborn baby can hear sounds from outside. This means for most of the pregnancy, your baby can hear your voice.  They will know who you are and already be bonding with you.

Once Baby is born, when you talk to her, she will recognise and respond to your voice from the times she heard it during pregnancy. Therefore, obviously the more she has heard you speaking during pregnancy, once she is here your voice will be more familiar to her. This is brilliant in terms of being able to calm her when she arrives –making it easier for you to calm and soothe her when she is here in your arms.

Attend antenatal appointments

As long as your partner is happy with you being there, attend as many of these as you can. The antenatal scans in particular are a great opportunity to see your baby and how they are growing. They will help you start to visualise your baby and bonding with them. As men, we find it hard to attach to things we can’t see, hear or touch.

 Find and go to antenatal classes which suit you both

You and your partner should have a chat about what kind of birth preparations you would like to do, as there are a wide range of antenatal classes now available to help you prepare for the kind of birth you would like to have.  Research what classes that are available in your area and make sure you attend the ones that suit how you feel the about your birth – if you are hoping to have a birth without using medical drugs, then it makes sense to attend a class which specifically teaches ways of making this more likely through learning specific techniques and skills.

Have a birth plan

Ignore those that tell you ‘there is no point having a birth plan’ as this simply isn’t true. Work on your birth plan together and research the choices available. Trust me, there are more decisions available to be made in relation to pregnancy and birth that you can probably imagine.

From where you would prefer your baby to be born, to whether you would like delayed cord clamping after the birth – a birth plan isn’t all about pain relief or type of birth. Your role is to try and support, as far as is reasonably possible, the birth plan to be heard but you can only fulfill this role, if you have a plan to start with.

Take as much paternity leave as you can  

Paternity leave is always something I don’t think many of us give enough consideration to in the build up to the birth of our children. Start planning early, talk to your employer and see how flexible they will be. Legally, we are entitled to two weeks paternity leave on the birth of our child, but think about extending this by using holiday entitlement.

So many of us dads are left with a hollow feeling when it is time to return to work and mums can suddenly feel very lonely and overwhelmed that all of a sudden they will be on their own.

If you do have to return to work soon after the birth, make sure you stay in touch with mum, ring her each day to see how she and baby are doing, and see if there is anything you can do on the way home. On that first day you are away, take her home some chocolates or flowers, so she knows you have been thinking of her.

Dean Beaumont is founder of the award-winning antenatal programme for men, DaddyNatal and author of The Expectant Dad’s Handbook – come and get your copy at The Baby Show, Birmingham NEC.

A first trip away with a baby is a special and exciting time but there’s no denying it can be stressful as well. Chicco, the leading baby multi-specialist, share their top tips for travelling with a baby.

• Take a stroller or travel system that is practical for a family on-the-move. Chicco’s Lite Way Plus Travel System is compact and light, but still offers comfort and protection for your little one.

• Pack a small bag of your child’s favourite toys and books, alongside some new ones that can be discovered on your journey. Chicco’s Bilingual ABC range of toys are great to keep your child entertained in the car, whilst encouraging development of their linguistic, cognitive and creative skills.
• Take a travel highchair with you, as not all hotels, restaurants or self-catering places provide them. Chicco offers a handy booster seat that allows baby to be a part of mealtimes. The MoDe Booster Seat is height adjustable, easy to clean and folds up neatly with a carry strap.
• Pack a baby carrier to keep your hands free. Chicco’s You & Me Baby Carrier has been developed by a team of international ergonomic experts, not only offering both security and safety for baby but maximum comfort for the parent.

Join the Chicco team at stand O50 and fill in an entry card for a chance to win £250 of Chicco products.

Another thing, and I won’t hide this one, is becoming a cloth nappy user can be a bit of an addiction. So many beautiful colours, designs and brands you just cannot help yourself at times. But don’t worry I’m here to give you the top five nappies you can find at The Baby Show NEC that are super cute, easy to use, light on your wallet and even worth you giving night time cloth a go too!

gNappies – Stand M18
gNappies are a sized nappy which comes with an outer case and then a waterproof breathable pouch. The pouch holds the insert and the bonus of gNappies is you have the option to use cotton inserts to reusable over and over again OR disposable ones. You may think that’s odd to go cloth and use disposable inserts but gNappies disposable inserts decompose faster than a banana skin! You will have to buy different sizes as your child grows but the bonus is they will fit perfectly and if you’ve not had a leak then you can just place a clean pouch and insert in to the outer part of the nappy and use it again!

Fuzzibunz Perfect Size – Stand M30
The Fuzzibunz Perfect Size nappy is simple to use and will give a nice slim fit. If you are looking for quick drying and easy to use then this could be the nappy for you and your little one. You can choose from an assortment of colours that suit girls, boys and even unisex for those who are having a surprise.

Close Parent Pop-in – Stand K26
A one-size nappy which means usually it will fit from birth to potty age. The Pop-in comes in a choice of minkee or bamboo inserts with the minkee being quick drying and bamboo being great for big wetters. Close Parent also do a night time booster which you can add to your Pop-in nappy to make it a night nappy and have the option of all sorts of lovely colours and 4 different prints.

Tots Bots Bamboozle Stretchies – Stand M10
A two part nappy which means this requires a wrap, something Tots Bots also sell. Bamboozle Stretchies come in different sizes and colours but all of them are made with bamboo and this is why I have picked this nappy on this list and recommend it as a night time nappy. You can also buy bamboo boosters but chances are you’ll find the nappy and the insert it comes with to survive a night with no problems.

Bum Genius Freetime – Stand K20
I have chosen this nappy for this list because it’s a great example of how easy cloth nappies are. No need to worry about the inserts as they are sewn in to the nappy and you can change the size or turn them over to have extra absorbency in the middle, back or front. This is a one-size nappy so will last a good long time and not only comes in so many colours and designs but also have the option of aplix (which is like Velcro) or poppers depending what you prefer.

See the full list of Exhibitors that will be at the NEC here

Kate Middleton

The bump is starting to show now! The Duchess visited a Manchester primary school last week wearing a rather fitted print design dress from Erdem complimented by a pair of simple, dark-blue pumps. 

 Coleen Rooney

Mrs Wayne Rooney has always been devilishly stylish when pregnant and it was certainly the case again this last week. In a photo taken from the Liverpudlian’s photo-shoot with Littlewoods – for whom she is designing a babywear range – the mother of 1 looked chic as ever in a black animal print collared LBD.

Rochelle Williams

The Saturdays singer Rochelle Williams is always on point and that hasn’t changed since her pregnancy.  Pictured out in London, Rochelle looked effortlessly stylish in an ASOS mesh contrast skater dress.

The method centres on parents being able to recognise when their baby is about ready to ‘eliminate’ and to take them to the bathroom accordingly.

Advocates of EC or ‘Diaper Free Baby’ as many in the US refer to it – where it’s actually already rather popular – see the method as a way to strengthen the parent/child relationship by creating even greater understanding from birth, and many see it as a way to accelerate a sense of independence in their child too.

But is it really a practical approach? Yes the notion of having a nappy-free new-born may be nice, but surely the realities would be much tougher? Even greater attention required? More chance of accidents when out-and-about? Such a time intensive process to start?

Watch the clip here and tell us your thoughts below…

It’s here! Peppa Pig World, a UK exclusive and world first – Peppa Pig ‘s very own theme par, with 7 fun rides and attractions!!

For your chance to WIN a Family Day Out to the all new and super fabulous Peppa Pig World, simply Share and Comment on The Baby Show’s Facebook post promoting the competition!

To do so, click here!

#winwednesday

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Quote TM002 to save over 35% on standard tickets prices!

And if you’ve already bought tickets to the show in May, do not fear… you’re automatically entered too!

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DUPLO® Valley, a brand new land at LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort will be opening in May.

There will be exhilarating water play in the DUPLO® Splash Safari where rangers large and small will discover their favourite supersized DUPLO animals. Also new in DUPLO Valley, Drench Towers, a truly unique and by far the largest outdoor water play structure in the UK! Are you brave enough to face the mighty surge from the giant tipping DUPLO brick?

There is plenty to explore in Brickville, our all new interactive play village. Fight fires at the Brickville Fire Station or bake cakes at our Clown’s Cake Shop.

Visit www.LEGOLAND.co.uk for more information.

Fergie

The Black Eyed Peas star, married to Hollywood heartthrob Josh Duhamel, looked stunning in this relaxed yellow print number, set off nicely with chunky glasses, black-rimmed hat and bag to match!

Danielle Lloyd

Mum-of-two and senior WAG Danielle Lloyd is a regular in our Bump Watch, but she’s dressed down here. Sporting a fab printed onesie, the former Miss England winner was enjoying a girly night in with friends when she shared this bump pic on twitter!

Halle Berry

Oscar Winner Halle Berry has finally confirmed rumours that her and fiance Olivier Martnez are expecting their first child. Snapped soon after the news broke, the Monster’s Ball actress looked radiant in her dark layered tops, ankle boots and standard jumbo shades.

Leading a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy – exercising, eating a balanced diet, avoiding stress  – all these can potentially help pregnancies take a smoother cause but now research shows that practising yoga whilst pregnant may trump them all.

New research shows those having hourly sessions (3-times-a-week) of the flexible fitness session were less likely to incur high-blood pressure and diabetes from their pregnancy.  Also, the number of premature births was much lower in the women who had yoga classes than those who did not.

The study conducted for the Preventative Medical Journal revealed that regular yoga sessions could reduce the number of complications occurring in high-risk pregnancies.  Undertaken in India, 68 high-risk pregnant women were recruited from two maternity hospitals in the city of Bengaluru with one half having yoga classes and the other having regular antenatal activities during weeks 12 -28 of gestation.

Although the benefits of Yoga upon normal pregnancies has been noted in the past – relaxes the body and reduces stress – this latest research shows how it could be beneficial during more high-risk births. Did any of you take Yoga classes during your pregnancy, if so how useful was it?