Parenting the Minions : April 2014

For this guy.......

The end.

Just kidding. But who would pass up the chance to meet, talk to, and hear "TheBabyGuyNYC" - Mr. Jamie Grayson talk about baby gear? Not this girl. So when I heard Gearapalooza was coming to NJ and it was only a few towns away I was there. Gearapalooza is a tour put on by Bump Club and Beyond - touted as the "Ultimate Baby Gear and Registry Event". It didn't disappoint. Not only did attendees get to talk baby gear with Jamie, they also had a chance to talk to different baby gear vendors about their products. At this stop of the tour, tables were set up with reps from Dr. Smiths, Bugaboo, Cybex, Nuna, Chicco, Quinny, Uppa Baby, 4 Moms, Beco, and others. We were all able to walk around the store - Nesalee Baby - mingle and have our "baby bingo cards" stamped by the vendors after checking out their wares. I had a lot of fun talking strollers and car seats with the Chicco rep (new stuff coming down the line people!) as well as hearing all about the new infant seat from Nuna - the Pipa (which is amazing and I would totally be buying one if I was in the market for another infant seat).

After I spoke to all the reps there I walked across the hall where they had chairs and food (BROWNIES! SCORE!) set up for us. I sat down and spoke to two lovely woman (I am terrible with names) who were there representing JPMA . Now if you don't know who JPMA short for Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association are, you really should. They are the folks that certify the the stuff that you use everyday and make sure they are SAFE to use for your child. When shopping for your kids you should try to always buy stuff that is JPMA certified. It is really important. JPMA is getting ready to launch their new Baby Safety Zone which is a information hub for parents and caregivers to join together. It really sounds like it is going to be an awesome and informative site. Keep your eyes peeled for the launch. (Check them out on Facebook at the link above.)

Jamie was already in the room getting ready for his presentation. He is a really funny and personable guy. I had a conversation with him about our old mutual employer and there were a few laughs with some of the other moms that had made their way over. Finally it was go time and Jamie was hilarious. If you can attend an event with him as a speaker, please do it. He made car-seats and strollers entertaining. Jamie talked about registering and shopping for a new baby. What to buy, what not to buy, and things to look for when you are buying. He gave us some great safety tips when it came to car-seats and even demonstrated with his side-kick "Angry Baby".

Angry Baby taking a ride in the Cybex Aton 2

What the Foonf????

Jamie gave us his top picks, answered a ton of audience questions on safety and registering for baby gear. Then it was raffle time. There were tons of amazing prizes given away to the audience. Top of the line strollers, car seats, baby carriers, and much more. I was lucky enough to win a Summer Wifi Video baby monitor (which is what I needed!) and that alone retails for $260 and it was one of the lower MSRP prizes. That gives you an idea of the amazing raffle prizes. They really did give away a TON of prizes. But for folks that didn't win a raffle prize the swag bags were insane. Holders of the regular Single Tickets (which were in the $50 range) received a gift bag worth $150 which included a Maxi Cosi foot muff and a Stokke Folding bath tub. For platinum ticket holders ($100 range) you received the gift bag that the Single ticket holders received as well as a Beco Soleil baby carrier (which retails for $130). Everyone was a winner.