I was thrilled to attend and be apart of Babypalooza NYC last month and I wanted to share my experience not only on the panel that I got to speak on, but also some of the brands that I got to meet while I was there!
Babypalooza is a conference where the attendees are mostly digital influencers (bloggers, vloggers) and some traditional media who get to meet up close with some of the coolest new baby products on the market. It’s not your traditional conference with booth after booth and millions of people. I love that it’s more intimate and selective not only about their attendees but also their vendors.
Armitron: Time to Find your Voice – Babypalooza NYC Influencer Panel
I was invited to speak on the Armitron Panel called Time to Find Your Voice. We covered so many topics mostly about authenticity, staying true to yourself and your brand. I was also able to share how I, as an influencer, have been able to grow and navigate my voice through the changing world of social media.
On the panel
The other panelists that joined me on stage were all really incredible women who I was honored to be included with.
- Rebecca Dube is the editor of TODAY Parents and leads the TODAY Parenting team where she is building a community of parents powered by parents, no matter what stage their children are in. She works with writers and influencers to share stories and videos.
- Lauren Wessler, the New York Regional Director of Girls Leadership, a national nonprofit that equips girls with the skills to exercise the power of their voice. Girls Leadership works with girls as well as with their primary influencers – parents, teachers, and caregivers– to create sustainable impact on their social and emotional development.
- Cece Olisa, a Lifestyle Blogger, YouTuber, and one of the founders of theCURVYcon, a lifestyle conference for curvy women celebrating body positivity and plus size fashion during New York Fashion Week.
- Rachel Fredman is the Director of Public Relations at E. Gluck, the makers of Armitron Watches. In addition to Armitron, E. Gluck creates watches for Anne Klein, Juicy Couture, Nine West, Badgley Mishka and more. As Director of Public Relations, Rachel works on a variety of marketing programming including working directly with influencers and media.
- Margaret Wheeler Johnson, director of features and brand initiatives at Bustle. Bustle.com is an online community providing a fresh spin on news, entertainment, lifestyle, basically anything women would be interested in. It is best known for reaching a younger audience and giving them a voice.
The panel was before the conference started. It was a pretty full crowd and I’m so grateful for everyone that attended!
What was discussed on the panel
I am not good at public speaking if I were to have to prepare a speech, but on a panel like this I don’t get too nervous. We had a game plan of what topics we were going to talk about so we all were aware of the main topics beforehand. I don’t like to prep too much in advance as I think that gets me more nervous. I just go with the flow especially in a panel like this where it was more of an open discussion.
I really loved how Cece, who was our moderator, led our panel in a conversation about authenticity, being bloggers, dealing with trolls and how we are all addressing all the major issues going on in the world in our own platforms. It was such an engaging discussion and I was really happy to be a part of it.
Some of our awesome attendees that I got to meet! Thankful for those of you that came up to me after the panel to speak, it was so nice connecting with other mom bloggers and influencers who really relate to what I do!
They made the event space so cute! Loved this background that was the perfect spot for photos.
THE BEST BABY PRODUCTS AT BABYPALOOZA NYC 2018
I met with so many great brands and wanted to share some of my favorites. A big thing that I’m thinking about right now is baby feeding and baby bottles as I know how important that is. I do plan on breastfeeding but bottles are still really important as I want to make sure that my husband and my daughter can help with feeding the baby.
BABY BOTTLES REVIEWS
Keep in mind that I have not used these before but after speaking with the brands I’m excited to try them out to see how they work for my new little one.
Pop Yum makes it so easy to make formula bottles with one hand! As a new mom you know that you will be doing a lot of stuff with just one hand so this is such a great product. As I mentioned, I do plan on breastfeeding but if we need to supplement with formula, I will for sure be using this bottle.
I love the unique shape of the nanonbebe bottle and that it preserves breastmilk nutrients. You can even pump directly into the bottle which is SO awesome if you know how annoying it is to pump into a bag and then have to transfer the contents into the bottle.
The Baby Brezza Bottle is also a great anti-colic bottle. It’s got a wide neck with a nipple that resembles the breast for an easy transition between breast and bottle. I also love that it’s only got two parts so it’s very easy to clean!
Multi-tasking baby feeding products
When I came across b.box I instantly loved how they thought to make so many of their products do multiple things. I’m not big on overstuffing my diaper bags so I love any products that can multitask. The snack pack is great for when I’m making baby food and don’t have to pack the silverware separately. And I love that the 3 in 1 bowl comes with a lid and straw so that it’s perfect for snacking on the go or can be turned into the perfect bowl for soup!
BABY HEALTH AND WELLNESS
A few other things that are important to me are to make sure that my baby stays healthy during the winter. My due date is end of October so I’m concerned about having a newborn during the colder months. I used a lot of Boiron products for my first and plan to use them again! I’m not huge on using medicine on my baby/kid but I love that Boiron products are made from natural ingredients.
I started using Babyganics when Layla was a baby and I still use their products on her. They are gentle and non-irritating to her skin. Our favorite it the lotion and bubble bath!
I’ve never tried oils before but have heard so much about them from friends so am really excited to try these oilogic roll ons for both the baby and Layla.
And I even got some for myself! I’m all about self care now that I’m pregnant so I’m going to start out with these two to help with my allergies and headaches.
YOTEL NEW YORK
I also had to mention that I stayed at Yotel which was in a great location and it was perfect for what I needed in New York since I was on such a jam packed schedule. After Babypalooza I had a few meetings and then went to a toy conference called Sweet Suite which I will be sharing about later on! It was the most crazy but fun day in NYC and I honestly am so grateful for my job and all the amazing opportunities that I get to be a part of!
All photos at Babypalooza credit to: Studio Brooke
