Metro Baby Expo

CEBU, Philippines - Those who were keen to know more about what’s best for their babies learned valuable lessons in parenting and child-rearing from no less than the experts themselves at the first ever Metro Baby Expo, which took place from Friday, the 16th to Sunday, the 18th of August, at the Ayala Activity Center.

While there were great deals from over 40 exhibitors of top child-care brands, what made the Metro Baby Expo special was that it went beyond sales and bargains and treated parents and mall-goers to a variety of inspirational and informative activities.

On the opening day, the highlight of the Metro Baby Expo was a parenting talk by well-renowned actress, TV host, author, mother of five, and Philips Avent brand ambassador, Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan. She also officially launched her third children’s book, “Kuya Na Si Bunso” to kick off the baby expo. “Kuya Na Si Bunso” was inspired by her own son’s predicaments of becoming an older brother and certainly resonated with the audience composed of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and future parents who seemed to be taking mental notes of the lessons imparted by passionate parenting advocate.

Also on the first day was the “Food for Expectant Moms” cooking demo from the Philippine School of Culinary Arts (PSCA), followed by a talk on “Balancing the Career and Family” by Philips Avent.

Day 2 provided more educational talks on breastfeeding, infant immunization and newborn screening from doctors from the Vicente Gullas Memorial Hospital. There was a helpful lecture on vaccines by the Philippine Pediatrics Society, and a talk on safety cosmetics for babies by Johnson’s Baby.

On the last day, the Philippine School of Culinary Arts (PSCA) treated the audience to another cooking demo, this time teaching moms to cook healthy and nutritious meals for their toddlers. There was also a much-awaited and eagerly anticipated appearance by Breeze’s SIGEmom Dawn Zulueta.

While the moms and dads were learning, the kids enjoyed themselves too as there were kiddie shows, mascot appearances, daily games and raffles. With the event’s success, it is safe to say that while this was the first ever Metro Baby Expo, it probably won’t be the last.

(I’d like to thank Metro Department Store for helping put this article together.)