This
last weekend was a very busy weekend for me. On Saturday I attended Mommy-Con
Chicago for the better part of the day before racing home to take over so my
husband could go to the Blackhawks game (GO HAWKS!). Then I got all dressed up
and tried to navigate a snowstorm to celebrate one of my best friends’ weddings
– only to have to turn around due to unsafe roads. While I considered not going
to Mommy-con because of the snow storm that was supposed to hit, I took a
chance and attended and the weather cooperated… at least for a bit. I am so glad that I got to attend. There was
so much to see, so many great people to talk to, and a ton of really cool baby
gear to play with.
Since I
did not bring any of my babies with me to #MommyCon I was able to get more
hands on time with strollers, car seats, carriers… and more! I was even able to
snap some pictures of some pretty awesome looking products to share with you.
First
up in the line-up of fun baby gear at Mommy-Con Chicago are the strollers.
Joovy brought it and then some. As a Joovy mom I get to learn about fun new
gear but I do not always get to play with everything that comes out. This is
why I believe being at Mommy-Con and being able to walk around and play with
these strollers was a fun way for me to spend a Saturday. This year Joovy has
been bringing some fresh perspective to the stroller market. They have launched
the TooFold stroller {pictured below in Lemontree} - great as a single, stand-on
tandem, or a little shopping. They have also launched the Too Qool stroller {pictured
below in Apple} - a beautiful double stroller that has a reversible front seat
and offers a variety of color options that pop! They have also launched the
Caboose VaryLight stroller {pictured below in Purpleness} – which can
accommodate one or two children, one or two car seats, and even has an
extendable storage basket! Then there was the Peg-Perego Book Pop-Up which
comes with a bassinet that can fold while attached to the chassis and offers a seriously
large canopy when using the seat Pop-Up. I even had the opportunity to take the
Nuna Pepp on a test drive and enjoyed its one handed maneuverability.
Next up in pretty cool baby gear department
on display at Mommy-Con are the highchairs!Joovy had two that caught my eye,
the HiLo which rotates from high to low
positions as your child grows and the Nook which has one of the best compact
folding features I have seen in a highchair! Then there was the Peg-Perego Siesta
with a great little stop-and-go lock feature as well as multiple height
adjustment that caught my eye.
I really enjoyed the babywearing lounge at
#MommyConChicago. While I own several baby carriers, there are a number of baby
carriers that I have not had the opportunity to try on and play around with.
One of those that stood out at Mommy-Con was the Beco Soleil due to the
tri-lock buckle and the padded crossable shoulder straps that allow for you to
cross the straps or wear them like a backpack. It is definitely a carrier I
would like to spend more time playing with! Another carrier that spoke to me
was the ErgoBaby Performance Collection Ventus Carrier, which was ultra light thanks to the mesh lining and comes in two
color options of graphite and black. Another beautiful carrier that was lightweight
and breathable was the lillebaby Complete Airflow in Black. This carrier comes in a silver or a black color option and has all the features I love in my
Complete carrier, but with a soft breathable mesh lining that would make this a
great summer carrier!
And then there were the car seats… Two that
caught my attention were the Clek Foonf which can
rear face up to 50lbs and allows the use of Lower Anchors and seat belt
together when installed forward facing {NOTE: this is the ONLY convertible seat
at this time that does}. Then there was the Peg-Perego Primo Viaggio SIP
which can attach directly to strollers without an adapter, has a no rethread
feature, and comes in a variety of beautiful colors.
Then there were the fun products that just
caught my eye. Crane had a train humidifier that was simply adorable! Itzy
Ritzy has a fabulous nursing cover that can double as an infinity scarf. I am
not sure if you have heard but Little Tikes and Diono have teamed up to bring
consumers some bold bright baby gear, and their little baby bouncer seat
reminded me of my children’s cozy coupe I just had to share. Then there was the
Combi Go and Grow Walker, Play Table & Chairs which had me smiling from ear
to ear. It starts out as a stationary activity center, can be transitioned to a
walker, and then converts into a table with chairs as the child grows! How cool
is that?
Now that I have shared the awesome gear I had
the opportunity to check out, let me share a bit about the people I was
delighted to meet. As a blogger I get the chance to interact with companies and
fellow bloggers that I like via email and social networking, but I am not always
able to have face to face time with them. Mommy-Con provided a great opportunity
and atmosphere for me to put a face to a name and personality and voice to a
persona. I got to meet some of my favorite bloggers at Mommy-Con that I would
not have met otherwise. I got to eat lunch with a blogging bestie – Danielle from
Happenings of the Harper
Household and chat with Jamie {TheBabyGuyNYC} from The Baby Gear Guide, and visit with
Pam from Joovy. I got to meet many more fabulous
people and interact with some pretty amazing moms. It was a great day!
I was extremely excited to check out MommyCon, the seminars and workshops I attended were
informative and engaging. The people were fun and the products I saw were
pretty darn cool. Even though I had to
leave early to get home and I missed all the great giveaways that took place at
the end of the night, it was a fabulous and worthwhile experience for me and I hope to be able to attend next year!
