It was all about babies this weekend as the first ever-annual Baby Expo in Gaborone drew a respectable crowd to a fun and information packed event. The event titled Halo Nana Baby Expo was aimed at giving exposure to local products and services in the baby industry to parents and those expecting.
Exhibitors varied in brands, products and services, giving attendees an array of choices as well as taking them through the functionalities and uses of the products on display.
Director and organiser of the event, Tuduetso Mokgosi shared with Time Out that, “the expo was inspired by what we had observed in the baby products and services industry that a lot of parents travel abroad to purchase items for their babies. Some even seek medical services there, and this is all due to lack of awareness about the availability of these things locally. So the expo serves as a platform to expose local brands to Batswana.”
The products and services on display included nursery schools, apparel, maternity, photography, baby events, safety, edutainment, toys and accessories as well as health and wellbeing for both parent and child.
Another informative aspect of the expo that both expecting and new parents found insightful was the panel discussion, which was themed ‘All About Nana’. It was a 3 hour-long discussion where parents got to interact and engage with medical specialists in relation to their babies’ well being.
The special guests leading the talks were local health experts including a pediatrician, a speech therapist, a social worker and founder of Save a Child, an NGO whose purpose is to increase awareness among parents about the importance of child car seats.
Ipeleng Maiketso, 25 year old expecting mother who will be giving birth on the 14th of November graced the event with her partner, commenting to Time Out that the expo helped her a lot in preparing for her new role as a mother. “ I’m so glad that they’ve brought this for us here in Botswana because in the past months I’ve travelled to SA to get some products particularly for myself only to find out they are also available in Gaborone. The show was fun and I definitely welcome it,” Ipeleng said. “I particularly walked away more informed about child development, due to the presentation by the social worker during at the discussion panel,” she added.
Banyana Madi-Segwagwe owner of kiddies clothing store Baneng, exhibited at the expo and feels that it went well. “We had a new product we were launching at the expo called Bricks for Kids. It provided a good platform to network and also to meet customers in an environment without the pressure to sell,” she said.