Attending #BritMumsLive with a baby . . .

Hoards of women, a handful of men, cute babies, big brands, PR’s, oodles of information, lots of laughter, food, drink and a fair few tears. What am I talking about? #BritMumsLive that’s what! In the lead up to the event I had thought that I wouldn’t be attending because I wasn’t sure about going with Jelly Bean (and I certainly wouldn’t be going without him) but then Coca Cola came along like my very own Fairy Godmother and made it all possible.

I would like to say that my first day at #BritMumsLive was amazing, outstanding, full of fun but it wasn’t! I’m sorry to say that I didn’t really enjoy the afternoon; trying to get around the venue with a pushchair was difficult, I felt like I was in everyone’s way. Not because anyone made me feel that way, I just did. I also had a couple of situations where I found people to talk to only to get brushed to one side as they found other people they were more keen to talk to, on a day that I was lacking in confidence, this did not make me feel much better.

During the afternoon break I took Jelly Bean back to my hotel room to leave him with my Mum. I hadn’t felt comfortable about staying in London overnight with him alone whilst he is so young so my Mum had come along with me. This also enabled me to return to #BritMumsLive without the pushchair which allowed me to move around more easily. Almost as soon as I arrived back at The Hub I ran into my good friend Jax and that’s when things began to turn around. I enjoyed sitting down to a coffee, biscuits and a good old catch up in the Fox’s Lounge (although the coffee was a bit on the cold side!). We talked blogging, children and life in general, it felt good to relax.

In the evening I texted my friend Karin to say that I wasn’t enjoying it, that I felt a bit lost at sea and she sent me a link to this post which certainly helped a little. I decided not to worry about the people who had shown no interest in talking to me and to focus on the people who did, whether that be old friends or new ones. The following day was much better, I attended the sessions that I wanted to attend to make sure that I got the most out of my time there and revelled in the joy that Jelly Bean’s constant smiles brought to everyone he came into contact with. I am a very lucky Mummy, Jelly Bean is the happiest little boy ever, he always has a ready smile and would sit in his pushchair talking to and playing with his toys which allowed me the opportunity to make any useful notes that I needed.

My Top Tips for attending #BritMumsLive with a baby . . .

• Take a lightweight sling to make it easier to get around the venue. There are lifts to help you get from floor to floor but it’s very busy in the Hub, there are lots of heavy doors, lots of chairs to manoeuvre around and a pushchair can make it hard work.
• Take your pushchair and leave it on the mezzanine level in BritMums 1 so that you can lay baby down when your back needs a rest or when you want baby to sleep (and to help you carry all your belongings). Obviously I don’t mean to leave baby in the pushchair on the mezzanine level alone – that goes without saying right!
• Before the event make plans to meet friends so that you don’t feel excluded when you arrive. #BritMumsLive can be a lonely place when you attend alone and are feeling a bit shy.
• Make arrangements for the evening (if staying overnight) so that you don’t feel left out when everyone else is heading out for the evening.
• Plan ahead and you will have a great time!!