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7 Reasons to Attend MommyCon Chicago This Year!

Happy New Year! Can you believe it’s already 2017?! I have been gearing up and chatting about MommyCon 2017 since mid-2016 and it’s finally here!

I am so excited to be a part of MommyCon’s media team this year. I am extremely passionate about MommyCon and what it has to offer, not only mom’s, but the entire family. I have been TWICE! Once while pregnant, in Chicago and once with little Miss Amelia (who met TheBabyGuyNYC!!!) in Minneapolis. Whether you are planning a family, expecting, have multiple kiddos running around, MommyCon is for every family.

MommyCon Chicago is going to be extra special this year. Check out my top 7 reasons why you should attend!

MommyCon Chicago + WEAR Conference. For the first time ever, these two amazing conferences are coming together during the same weekend in Chicago. This means three amazing days filled with all things natural parenting AND babywearing!

Great place to research! If you are planning a family, expecting, or already have children, parents are always researching! “What is the best car seat? Should I go with a home birth or hospital birth? Should I use cloth diapers or disposables? WHICH cloth diapers should I use?” All of these questions and so much more can be answered for you at MommyCon. You can ask whatever questions you may have and get the facts before making your own decisions!

Shop, Shop & Shop! You could pretty much go to MommyCon and purchase everything you may need for your baby, toddler, and yourself 🙂 Just kidding. But, really …. SO MANY VENDORS, with so much to offer. Make a list of things you may want to look at while you are there (such as cloth diapers, baby carriers, car seats, cribs, postpartum items, etc.)

Meet other moms & families. The idea of natural parenting is growing and becoming more popular, but sometimes it’s hard to find other families that think and parent the same way as you do. MommyCon is a great place to come together and make connections. Parenting is hard and sometimes much harder when you are doing things a bit different then the norm, but MommyCon is a very welcoming place!

Everyone is invited! The term “natural parenting” can sometimes scare new parents, but MommyCon is for everyone. You don’t have to baby wear, use cloth diapers, not vaccinate and have a home birth to be included. These are all topics that may be talked about, but as a parent you make your final decisions. MommyCon is a place to become educated and make the best decision for you and your family.

Educated & knowledgeable speakers. They don’t just grab the average “Joe” off the street to speak 🙂 Although, the schedule has not been released yet, some speakers you may be able to hear include Abby Theuring – The Badass Breastfeeder, Dr. Bob Sears – Very well-known pediatrician, Jamie Grayson – Baby Gear Expert, and more!

BABYWEARING! Everything you want or need to know about babywearing! Ask questions, learn about different carriers, actually see and feel different baby carriers before buying and much more! Just the WEAR Conference alone, consists of 48 sessions, 24 speakers and 3 days filled of everything babywearing.

Okay, have I convinced you yet?! How about if you won 2 tickets to MommyCon Chicago? Lucky you, I am giving away 2-FREE tickets! Enter below.

 Enter here!

Disclosure: These tickets are only good for General Admission for MommyCon only. WEAR Conference tickets will need to be purchase separately!

Central Iowa Great Cloth Diaper Change 2016

I am so excited to be participating and helping with the Great Cloth Diaper Change this year!Great-Cloth-Diaper-Change-Logo-03

What is it?!

The Great Cloth Diaper Change was created and began in 2011 by Judy Aagard. She had the desire to celebrate Earth Day by holding an event within her community, which quickly grew into a dream that set a Guinness World Book Record of the most cloth diapers changed simultaneously. Shortly after, the cloth diaper lovers everywhere wanted to continue this annual event to spread awareness that cloth diaper’s are a real option for every family.

When is it?!

Each year it is held on the Saturday around Earth Day! This year the Great Cloth Diaper Change will be held Saturday, April 23rd!

Where is it?!

If you are local to Des Moines, Iowa this year’s change will happen at Uplift Fitness Studios located in Grimes. We are so gracious of the owners to donate their space for this awesome event.

If you are not located near Des Moines, check here for a location near you that may be participating.

What will happen?!

Registration will begin at 10:30 am on Saturday, April 23rd. Bring yourself, kiddo and a cloth diaper! We will have goody bags for the first 30 attendees! We will also be giving aways some awesome prizes and there will also be a few speakers such as a representative from the Central Iowa Babywearing International group!

Make sure you are following our Facebook page for updated details on giveaways, speakers and more!

Help us spread the word! We want to break our local record and spread awareness about cloth diapering!

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Do you know of a family who may be in need of cloth diapers and cannot afford diapers? Please check out information about Share the Love!

MommyCon Chicago 2016

MommyCon has kicked off their tour across America and will be in Chicago March 4th – 5th! I was able to attend the MommyCon Chicago two years ago, while I was pregnant with Amelia. I had a blast and learned so much.

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The great thing about MommyCon is you can attend a conference every year, or go more then once a year, and you still learn so much at each event. No conference is exactly the same. Each MommyCon may differ by speakers, vendors and exhibits.

The Friday before the main event, are the VIP sessions! Check out this years VIP sessions at MommyCon Chicago! For additional cost you can attend once of these sessions and receive a majorly awesome swag 🙂 Last year, I attended the Cotton Babies session and met Jenn Labit!

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This year, MommyCon Chicago is adding something new! They are offering Little Make + Play Camp! This is the perfect option if you are wanting to attend the conference and have children ages 3 years and older.

82B1F8F5-DA66-5452-1D8960765866E764You can sign your kiddos up for a whole day full of sessions which include:

  • Hand and finger puppets
  • shadow puppets
  • paper beads & tassel play
  • making things that fly, and more!

Other activities include: 

  • Large-scale building
  • Stories with dancing, singing & yoga
  • Gross motor art and movement activities
  • Quiet corner available
  • Snack central

You can pay $15 per session (if you pick and choose) OR you can purchase a whole day pass for $50. Sounds like an awesome deal! Check out the entire details here!

I am so bummed I am not able to make this year’s Chicago MommyCon! I would love to sign Monte up to check this out! Hopefully, if everything goes well this year, they will offer it at their other MommyCon conferences next year!

 

Don’t forget you can use Midwest16 to receive $5 off! 

MommyCon 2016

I am so honor to be a MommyCon Sisterhood Blogger, again!

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I have been to this amazing conference two years in a row and truly believe this is the best conference for expecting mothers, new mothers, or moms with toddlers! AND it’s not just for moms! Spouses can learn so much too! The focus of MommyCon is to focus on natural parenting methods. Whether it be babywearing, cloth diapering, breastfeeding, or car seat safety there is a topic you can learn more about.

There are five main components to a MommyCon Conference:

  1. VIP events are hosted the Friday before most of the MommyCon Conferences. For an additional amount of money (amounts vary) you can attend a smaller, more intimate seminar to learn more about a company or topic. You will also receive another awesome swag bag! 🙂 Check out when I attended the VIP event with Jenn Labit from Cottonbabies last year!
  2. The swag bag. This is just one of the many ways you can receive amazing freebies! There have been blankets, cloth diapers, full size samples, and so much more. A swag bag is included with every MommyCon ticket!
  3. There are awesome seminars to attend through out the day that may include Cloth Diapering 101 with Jenn Labit (love her!), Babywearing 101 with Beco and Ergobaby, The In’s and Out’s of Natural Birthing, and more. Each conference location differ with seminars and guest speakers!
  4. The shopping is fun! Throughout the day, there are booths set-up that may include cloth diapers, babywearing carriers and accessories, bottles, clothes, games and toys, breastfeeding support, breast pumps, car seats, and much, much more. A lot of the booths giveaway freebies and it’s a great place to touch, ask questions, and test out products before you buy!
  5. At the end of the day is a massive giveaway to all attendees for the conference! EVERYTHING and EVERYONE is free game! You could win an entire car seat travel system, crib, breast pump, gift certificates, and so much more. It is so much fun!

You have several chance to attend a conference AND maybe you can attend two 🙂 Check out the dates and locations below! Check out specific details about each event here!

  • MommyCon Atlanta: Saturday, February 6th
  • MommyCon Chicago: Saturday, March 5th
  • MommyCon Seattle: Saturday, April 2nd
  • MommyCon Austin: Saturday, June 25th
  • MommyCon DC: Saturday, July 23rd
  • MommyCon Orange County: Saturday, August 20th
  • MommyCon Orlando: Saturday, September 3rd
  • MommyCon San Jose: Saturday, October 29th

This year there are two additional conferences that focus on infant feeding and babywearing! You will NOT want to miss these either!

  • WEAR: Babywearing Conference in Chicago: May 27th – 29th
  • MILK: An Infant Feeding Conference in Orange County: Nov 11th – Nov 12th

If you are planning to attend, make sure you use the discount code Midwest16 to receive $5 off your ticket for any conference!

If purchasing tickets make sure to use my code for $5 off!

Keep your eyes open! I will be giving away tickets to the MommyCon Chicago conference very soon! 🙂

MommyCon Minneapolis Re-Cap

I went to MommyCon Minneapolis a little over a week ago and had so much fun! I am so excited to share some awesome things I learned, new products I saw, and some amazing people I met. To give you an idea of what is to come, here is a little re-cap …

1. VIP Session with Jennifer Labit from Cottonbabies! She is an amazing mother and business woman! I learned so much from her AND because of her, I am now a Share the Love host! More details to come 🙂

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2. Babyganics AWESOME products and I have a bunch to test out, share my thoughts and GIVEAWAY!

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3. The Great Cloth Diaper Change was an awesome experience!

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4. I learned lots about the Diva Cup, from who else? Dirty Diaper Laundry’s Kim Rosas.divacup

5. I met The Honest Toddler!! Bummi Laditan is hilarious! I am excited to read her new book and give away a signed copy by her!

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6. I listened to TheBabyGuyNYC talk about strollers and carseats AND Amelia got her picture taken with him.

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I had so much fun meeting awesome people, learning about new baby products, and so much more. Please keep your eyes open for my reviews and some great giveaways coming your way!

MommyCon Minneapolis Tickets Giveaway

Let’s have another giveaway!!! 🙂

I will be giving away 2 FREE tickets to 2 separate winners to MommyCon Minneapolis!

MommyCon Minneapolis is Saturday, April 18th.

Here are some blog posts, I have already posted with some great information about what you can expect!

MommyCon Minneapolis 2015 – What is MommyCon?
MommyCon Chicago 2015 – Chicago Schedule announced!
Cloth Diapering Resource Center
Great Cloth Diaper Change: MommyCon Minneapolis

Update: MommyCon Minneapolis has changed venue! It is now being held at the Marriott City Center. Check out here for information on booking a discounted room.

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I will announce a winner on Saturday, February 28th!

MommyCon Chicago 2015

Guess what?! I found out that my discount code Midwestmom15 is not only good for the MommyCon Minneapolis Conference, it is good for any conference, nation wide! I am so excited. That means I can offer this code to anyone, anywhere!

Did you know that there is a MommyCon Conference much sooner then April, in the midwest? Yes, there is one Saturday, February 21st in Chicago. If you are in the Des Moines area, that really isn’t too far. So, if you cannot wait until April, I highly recommend making the trip to Chicago.

I attended my first MommyCon conference last year in Chicago. My best friend and I were both pregnant and we made it a fun, long girls weekend! The hotel was great and there were lots of yummy places to eat for us pregnant girls 🙂

I just received the MommyCon Chicago schedule and it looks awesome! Some speakers, workshops to look forward to …

  • Cloth Diapering 101 presented by Cotton Babies
  • Mom Body Fitness with Stephanie Lee
  • Babywearing 101
  • Books, Babies & Toddlers
  • Papa’s Perspective (Yes, bring your significant other!)
  • Nursing in Public presented by The Badass Breastfeeder
  • Becoming a Babywearing Educator
  • Car Seat Safety with The Baby Guy NYC (LOVE him, YOU will LOVE him)
  • And lots more!

MommyCon Chicago is being held outside of the city in Rosemont, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center from 9 am – 5 pm on Saturday, February 21st!

There is a hotel block available at Hilton Rosemont for $99 a night. The cut-off to book a room for this rate is February 3rd! Rooms are almost sold out, so book quickly if you are planning to go! Use code “MCN” when you book online or if you call just let them know you are coming for MommyCon.

You can purchase tickets for MommyCon Chicago here. Make sure you use code Midwestmom15 when checking out to receive $5 off!

 Please let me know if you are going! I would love to know what you think!