lo-wren

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MommyCon 2015: Cloth Diapering in DC

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mommycon-2015

I am finally recovering from the whirlwind weekend in DC, celebrating all things natural parenting at MommyCon 2015. I am struck by how much this amazing convention has grown since its first year! Cloth diapering, breastfeeding, babywearing, oh, MY! The vendors are better, more cloth diaper companies are present, and even more natural products are being showcased. And the babies, the babies! Everywhere I looked there were little ones nestled in their mom and dad’s carriers. Ack, the sweetness!

Save $6 on MommyCon 2015 tickets with promotional code: LOWREN15

As a Smart Bottoms Ambassador, I planned to spend most of my time at MommyCon 2015 working at the booth, talking about Jax & Jill and showing people just how amazing Smart Bottoms products are. I met Van from ‘Lil Tulips, the retailer selling Smart Bottoms at the conference, who was an amazing Smart Bottoms advocate, salesperson, and all around great guy. What I didn’t anticipate was just how popular the Smart Bottoms booth would be — we were slammed all day! Word has gotten out, my friends.

While I was unable to attend any sessions, I’d attended them before and can vouch for the abundance of information to be gleaned from them. MommyCon 2015 was really all about cloth diapers for me.

@smartbottoms is bumping! Come see @firsttimemommn & me! #smartbottomsambassador #mommycondc @mommycon

A photo posted by Lauren Stevens (@lowrenblogs) on

I finally got to meet Bert, Smart Bottoms’ Marketing Coordinator Extraordinaire and the blogger behind First Time Mom, who I’d “known” for the past three years from being in the same blogging circles and working with businesses she’s worked for. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to be able to spend time with people you interact with virtually all year long! Blogging and freelance writing can be incredibly lonely, so it’s a treat to be able to interact with peers at events like this.

#MommyConDC #ClothDiaper Resource Center. Maria from @chgdiapers talking to an attendee.

A photo posted by Lauren Stevens (@lowrenblogs) on

While Bert and I were located right across from the MommyCon 2015 Cloth Diaper Resource Center, where Kim Rosas (Dirty Diaper Laundry) and Maria Moser (Change-Diapers.com) were talking about all things cloth diapers, I didn’t really get the opportunity to chat with them until the convention was over! We did make a point of getting a group photo, as I’ve been in a blogging group with all of them for the last three years. While I got to spend time with Kim at a blogging conference last summer (Blog University), I’d not had the chance to meet Maria, who I’ve been working with in many capacities for years. These are the things that made MommyCon 2015 incredibly fun for me.

#MommyConDC is a wrap! @chgdiapers @kim_rosas @firsttimemommn @lo-wren @MommyCon @liltulips #clothdiapers

A photo posted by Lauren Stevens (@lowrenblogs) on

I got to meet some of my amazing readers, and even “bumped” into an old colleague who is expecting her first child [in a matter of weeks!]. If you’ve not had the chance attend MommyCon, or are on the fence about it, I encourage you to jump in and grab tickets — you won’t regret it! Not only will you get to meet like-minded parents, and sit in on amazing seminars full of resources (and your favorite “personalities” in the natural parenting world), but you’ll get to talk to the people behind some of your favorite products (cloth diapers).

Save $6 on MommyCon 2015 tickets with promotional code: LOWREN15

MommyCon-Montage

While I’ve had experience with most of the products being showcased during the convention, I did discover a brand that I’m really excited about: Re-Play. I’m planning on sharing a little more about this company when I have more time, but I bought a few products and am loving them! All of their tableware is made from recycled milk jugs, my friends – so cool!

Have you attended a MommyCon event this year? What were some of your favorite takeaways from the conference?

Smart Bottoms + MommyCon = Limited Edition Print

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MommyCon

With MommyCon 2015 kicking off in Chicago on February 21st, excitement is brewing! Some of your favorite bloggers and baby biz folks will be in attendance (Dirty Diaper Laundry, The Leaky Boob, Badass Breastfeeder, Baby Guy NYC, and more), offering sessions about everything from Cloth Diapering to Potty Training.

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Our MommyCon Philly Experience

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The other weekend my family had the opportunity to attend MommyCon in Philadelphia.  I was eagerly awaiting this event, and had purchased our tickets last April (when we were still living in the area).  Despite moving 2 hours away, I was determined to make it — a natural parenting convention with lots of speaker on breastfeeding, babywearing, cloth diapering and lots of natural parenting vendors — yes, please!
We arrived at the venue about an hour or so after the start time and were immediately overwhelmed.  The check-in desk was a small desk, crammed with people, in a tiny area in the main lobby (I feel bad for the guests trying to check in/out or generally make their way in/out of the building).  The cramped quarters were to be a precursor to the rest of the day.  We made our way to the second floor where the convention was taking place.
Excited kiddo at the beginning of the day

I wish that I had photos to share of the vendors & surrounding rooms, but there was literally no way for me to take photos, as the area was unbelievably overcrowded.  Unfortunately, I suffer from anxiety in crowds and in tight quarters, so I was unable to really move about the hallways and the area where the vendors were located.  I ended-up spending the majority of my time in the main speaker room (which is what I was there for anyway), to avoid pushing through crowds.  The only way to be able to ‘shop’ the vendors there would have been to go while discussions were taking place, but then you would end up missing the speaker.
Crowded areas aside, it was great to see some of the people behind the blogs that I’ve followed since my days anticipating getting pregnant:
January, from Birth Without Fear

Above is January, the mama behind Birth Without Fear.  She inspires (and cheerleads) women to seek out the birth that they want, no matter the obstacles.

Jessica from The Leaky Boob

Jessica, from one of my favorite blogs and Facebook pages, The Leaky Boob, talked about normalizing breastfeeding and breastfeeding support.
Unfortunately, I have no photos from my favorite, and most educational session — Car Seat Safety with Alyssa from The Mommy Dialogues.  Of all of the sessions, the car seat safety was the most beneficial for us, already having 13 months of parenting under our belts.  We use Britax seats, and just assumed that weight was the gauge for D outgrowing his seats…but found out that D’s height will most likely be what outgrows the seat way before the weight limit!
Baby Guy NYC
Baby Guy NYC led the gear talk & giveaway.  It was the end of the day, with lots of babies in full-on meltdown mode (my little man included), and Jamie made things quick and breezy, giving a couple of great tidbits about each piece of baby gear that was given away (and there was a lot of great gear given away – I just have NO luck!).
End of the convention, people anxiously waited to hear if they had won in the 5pm prize re-draw
In summary, as the mother of a 13 month old and active in the natural parenting community, there was not a great deal of information in the sessions that was new or overly beneficial for me.  For seasoned parents, this convention is a good opportunity to network with like-minded parents.  My suggestion, for future MommyCons, would be to add sessions for experienced parents, maybe on holistic/natural healing/remedies, parenting with patience, etc.  For expecting parents who don’t do a lot of research beforehand, this convention is great and will inundate you with information!  In the absence of accessible brick-and-mortar cloth diaper stores, you are able to check out each of the types of cloth diapers on the market and try out babywearing with carriers that aren’t crotch-danglers.  
Pooped kiddo after a long day! D was a champ – he cut 2 new teeth that weekend!

I am really glad that there was such an astounding turnout for MommyCon in Philadelphia, it just wasn’t a large enough venue to be comfortable for my family.  The fact that there is this much interest in a convention centered on natural parenting makes me hopeful, and I will enjoy watching the convention grow in leaps and bounds!  My final thought?  I have never seen so many babies being worn or boobies being proffered in one place…and it made me smile.