Did you attend the Montreal Parents and Kids Fair?

So, did you brave the thousands of parents, parents-to-be, grand-parents, toddlers and babies to attend the 21^st edition of Parents and Kids Fair this past weekend? I swear, since I had my first child over five years ago, the baby business has BOOMED!! Parents nowadays have so many choices to make and products to choose from. In the interest of keeping up with the times, I decided to take my three kids – and drag my husband – over to the Fair to check things out. Now that could have been pretty daunting, but the organizers seem to have thought of everything.

Here’s what caught my eye:

1.Scouts

As you may know, Place Bonaventure is not the most baby-friendly place in Montreal, so the scouts were on hand to help with the hundreds of strollers going in and out of the Fair. What a great idea!

2.Mom, can we go now?

Now I, for one, prefer keeping the kids at home when I attend events like this, but this being the KIDS fair, I thought we would test it out. They – and I – were pleasantly surprised! They spent a lot of time in the spacious daycare, playing with some great new toys and having their faces painted. There was also a humongous sandbox, an inflatable structure and some fun shows to pass the time.

3.Baby Care

Tassi et bébé has created an all-natural, fragrance and paraben free, body/hair wash and lotion made only of Quebec organic shea butter and maple syrup. Doesn’t that sound sweet?

Ddrops – I love these vitamin D drops! They are tasteless and odourless, and contain no preservatives, no artificial flavours and no added colour. They are also wheat-free, gluten-free, soy-free, corn-free, sugar-free, milk-free and peanut-free.

4.Shopping

There were lots of children’s stores, and many of them have on-line boutiques, which is almost a must these days. I just love products that are created here at home and there were lots to choose from. A few that inspired me:

Atelier cheval de bois is a must for those of you who love wooden toys. Colourful trains, cars, animals, figurines, and assembly toys – something for everyone, and all made in Quebec with respect for the environment.

Boutique Ciconia is a lovely boutique with over 3000 products to choose from. Cute hats – love the fedora for baby – and some great little shoes for boys and girls.

Electrik Kidz is a cool shop selling funky clothing and accessories for kids 0-3 years old.

Glup makes colourful scarves, bandanas, drool bibs, full-leg no-skid baby slippers and their famous balaclava – a two-in one hat and neck warmer.

And do you know that there are dozens of different types of cloth diapers?? Yes, dozens – plural. You can take a look at more than 20 types at Câlins et popotin. Our babies’ bottoms have never had so much choice.

5.Photography

Want some souvenir of the kids and family? Take a look at photograph-i! This is not your run-of-the-mill studio photography – this photographer is original, very creative and each photo tells a fun story. Love it!

When it was time to go, I found my husband in his usual spot – next to the food – trying out some tasty hummus, cupcakes and mango purée. At one point, I did have to ask him to leave some of the Natrel Baboo milk for the baby though…he said it tasted like cream. For someone who generally stays away from trade shows, I enjoyed my time talking to all the lovely people working towards making life easier for moms and dads. Perhaps next year I’ll have my own Rock the Cradle – Montreal Doula Services booth. See you then!

Sylvia

Don’t miss my next post – subscribe to my blog! 
Follow our adventures on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter!