Chicago MommyCon 2017!
If you have ever thought about going to MommyCon, let me tell you a little bit about my experience!
I have been wanting experience MommyCon for a few years and it finally worked out! I am also lucky enough to live within 30 minutes of where the Chicago convention is held. However, many men and women fly and/or drive for hours upon hours to attend this conference. If it were me, I would probably not have done much more than an hour car ride to attend, but if you are going to make a mommy-weekend-getaway, this would definitely be something different to do!
Tickets:
Prices range from $35-$500, depending on the package, how many and which days you want to go. I went on the Sunday of the Chicago weekend and ended up paying about $45 after fees and using a small coupon. Add that in with $18 parking, I spent about $63 on the day.
That being said, you definitely make that investment back in one way or another. You can see that I walked away with an amazing amount of great baby gear and discounts. Will I use every single one? Nope! But I certainly used a lot! My take-home included:
- Peas Please Organic snack packs (several)
- Salted Caramel Kind Bars (lots!)
- Plum Organics Food Pouches
- Sip Cup by RePlay
- Several musical instruments (shakers, clappers, and tambourines (local music class vendor)
- PetalHeads Kids T-shirt (Bicycle Camp)
- Free passes for swim classes and family swim lessons (local swim class venor)
- Reusable Food Pouch by Sage Squeeze
- Fresh Wave Oder removing packs (several)
- Water Wipes with coupons (several)
- Noodle & Boo Lotion and Wash samples
- Florida Iron & Herbs Supplements (several)
- Teething RIngs
- 20% off at pumpandnurse.com
- 15% off at mypello.com
- 30%off at chunkabuns.com
- $25 at purpleowlboutique.com
- $2 off at cottonbabies.com
- $10 at crane-usa.com
- 20% off Postnatal Rejuvenation Class
- $40 off Hight Right High Chair at amzn.to/2lhojN5
- 30% off at chompychic.com
- 20% off at stand-ice.com
- $4 off Babyganics
- Because I went on Sunday, I was given an additional goody bag since they giveaway extras on the last day.
- And the list goes on!
Winnings:
- BumGenius reusable diaper at a presentation – I have never ventured into reusable diapers but now I use them at night!
- Plum Organics Survival Kit from signing up at their booth – This is amazing! You could win one too…stay tuned!
SessionSchedule:
Since I went on Sunday, I attended “Cloth Diapering 101” presented by Cotton Babies, “Why Toddlers Fear New Foods” presented by EZPZ and “Pouch Slings” presented by Emmeline Textiles. To preface, if you regularly attend conferences of any form (as a teacher, I frequent MANY every year) you learn that some session titles sound amazing and thrilling yet they turn out to be duds and vis versa. The same applies here. I was hoping for more personalized stories, more behind-the-scenes encounters, but I sat through more common information. I understand beginner information may have been perfect for some people, but I was hoping for more detail. That being said, don’t be afraid to session hop because a lot are amazing and you don’t want to miss out! If you go in expecting something else, you are allowed to leave and find a better session for your time. Everyone is there to learn and share!
Vender Booths:
Make sure to give yourself PLENTY of time! I had no idea how much time it would take to embrace and enjoy all of the information and experiences vendors have to offer. I missed a presentation session because I lost track of time with this section, so planning appropriately is important. Many booths have their own giveaways as well! I took the time to enter many and ended up winning at Plum Organics Vendor station!
Next Year:
Would I attend MommyCon again? Sure! Next year, Chicago will have about twice as much space in the conference center, so I would expect the conference to be even bigger and better. BabyGuy presented a few years ago and I would love to experience a big name like him in the future! Would I bring a toddler? Nope! Although a lot of people did bring little ones, many seemed to be preoccupied by kiddos. It made some session more difficult to hear the presenter and focus on content. I completely understand bringing the babes if you have to, but if you truly want to get the most learning out of the conference as possible, maybe letting your kiddo have a ‘grandma day’ would be best. However, anyone 16 years and younger attends for free! So, if traveling with baby is your jam, go get ’em! If you end up there next year, remember to say hi!
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