First Baby Expo in Whitecourt a complete success

Whitecourt’s first ever Bump, Baby & Beyond Expo was held on Saturday from 9am-4pm at the Whitecourt Community Centre.  Filled with 29 exhibitors, the show provided a smorgasbord of information to attendees and helped connect new parents and parents-to-be with the resources they are looking for.

 

The idea for the expo came from Brigette Moore, after she attended a similar expo in Calgary “I was pregnant and found it very interesting.  All the info I didn’t know about or didn’t know I needed, all there.  Given that Whitecourt is such a young community with young families, I thought they could benefit from this type of event.”  It wasn’t just about having a shopping experience either, “I didn’t want this to just be a place to come shop but rather a place that people could come and see all the support available in our community” said Brigette.

 

Several demonstrations occurred throughout the day including baby wearing with Cj Huber, massage by Footprints Massage and Wellness Inc., car seat checks by Buckle Up Babies and belly paintings by Stardust Designs.  Also on hand, chatting with local residents, was Dr. Andrew Halladay from Associate Medical Clinic, who is enjoying his first year in Whitecourt, “it’s a young community with a lot going for it.  I like it here”.  During the expo he helped reverse some misconceptions that residents may have about birthing locally including that Whitecourt does in fact offer C-section births, which is something not everyone realizes.  “We offer a lot here” said Dr Halladay, adding that events such as the expo help promote local services and it helps “get the info out.”

 

Last year, there were between 150 to 160 local births and many more parents utilize out of town facilities for a variety of reasons.  That’s a lot of newborns each year and a lot of new parents potentially looking for information, which is exactly why Brigette wanted to bring it here.  “We hope to grow the event next year and look forward to adding more demonstrations and exhibitors.  We are also looking for sponsor help so that we can do more.”

 

The first 50 people through the door scored a gift bag filled with goodies and there was also food on site.  Attendance was great considering the weather and Brigette is already looking forward to next year’s show.  For more information or to join next year’s event as a sponsor and help it grow, head over to www.bumpbabyandbeyondwhitecourt.com