Expectant mothers in their third trimester were hosted to a Baby shower by the organizers of BabyFest as part of activities marking the 2022 edition of BabyFest, a pregnancy, mother and child-focused fair held in Lagos at the weekend. The Baby shower was one of other activities that brought the 3-day fair to a close alongside the baby crawling competition, diaper changing competition all aimed at making the fair fun-filled.

Dr Folasade Fadare, Medical Director, Ibeju-Lekki General Hospital, Akodo represented the First Lady of Lagos State at the fair and was full of commendation for the BabyFest initiative, the Baby shower and all other activities such as the Rose Awards, Baby Crawling competitions, Diaper Changing competitions by Dads and the master classes which were lined up to make the fair a success. “The Baby Shower, Masterclasses, Diaper Changing competitions by fathers and the hilarious Baby Crawling Competition which we just witnesses will encourage family focused offerings. I congratulate the winners of all the competitions as well as the organizers of BabyFest.” She stated.

Pregnant women in Lagos who are in their third trimester were invited to register for the shower if interested and a good number of them did. One of the expectant mothers, Mrs Sharon Agaehi, stated that she is excited about the event and very glad she attended. “Ever since I heard about the BabyFest through a friend and later on Instagram, I looked forward to it. Eventually I made it to the event and I am so glad I did. I loved the treat. We were given baby shower garlands and sash upon registration at the venue. I enjoyed myself, even the games we did, livened me. It was also an opportunity for me to shop for baby items at the fair. I want to encourage BabyFest to keep up with what they have started. It’s a huge impact because I will always remember this experience even when my baby is born and growing. It also has a huge impact in the society because for me, it is a way of encouraging responsible child bearing in the society”. 

After child bearing comes parenting, hence a Masterclass was organized at the fair on parenting. Tagged ‘Empowered Parenting: Tools, Tips, and Tricks for raising today’s child, the four panel discussants did justice to the topic. The discussants were Mr Jesutola Ajao, Founder of Lagos Dads; Mrs Kemi Olawoye, Founder of Babymigo; Dr. Yejide Okungbaye, a Medical Doctor at Neo Child Care and Mrs Tomilola Olatunde, Founder of the Cuddle blog.

At the panel discussion, all mothers, including the new and expectant mothers, were encouraged to evolve in their system of children upbringing and become more intentional, especially in this computer age where children are getting more exposed and smarter than the past generations. Exposure comes from social media, airwaves, school, church, home, environment and all, and these makes them ask lots of questions rather than accept the status quo. Mothers are advised to get information at parenting conferences, so they could learn the tricks of their children and tips to manage them in this fast-paced world.

The BabyFest was supported by Unilever, Hayat Kimya and Studio 24.

BabyFest is a pregnancy, mother and child focused trade fair for new and expectant mums and families. It is a social impact initiative of CAST PR.