pregnancy & baby festival

O'Reilly Hall, UCD, Dublin
22-23 February 2014, 10am - 5pm

WaterWipes Competition

This competition is now closed!

We’re delighted to have WaterWipes at babytalk festival and thrilled to have a fantastic prize of 3 MONTHS worth of WaterWipes to give away!

To win simply comment on this post or like and comment on the corresponding post on facebook. Winners will be announced next Wednesday – good luck!

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Some tips on baby skincare from the WaterWipes team

When you have a new baby, you may be wondering how to take care of their beautiful fragile skin. Babies have skin that is very thin and sensitive, compared to adult’s skin.

Everyone loves the feeling of a baby’s smooth skin, but it can be under-estimated the care that goes in to keeping your baby’s skin this way. Here are five tips to help take care of your newborn’s skin without worrying about injuring the skin.

1. Harmful Products
Take caution when handling products that you are using on your newborn’s skin. Be aware of any chemical in baby wipes that may cause irritations to the skin. There are many nasty chemical contained in a number of baby wipes that can cause irritations. Try use a baby wipe that is as natural as possible, with very few chemicals because it is recommended by midwives to use cotton wool and cooled boiled water, the most natural cleaning agent.

2. Bath-time
There is no need to wash your baby every day. Too much washing can dry out a baby’s delicate skin leaving it susceptible to rashes or infections. A quick wash down of the baby’s neck, arms and diaper area with a washcloth is sufficient enough most days – unless your baby is running through muddy puddles every day. When you bath your baby make sure you choose a wash that is fragrance –free and only use small amounts. Stay clear of products that contain ‘Sodium Lauryl Sulfate’ in the ingredients due to the harshness of this detergent for a newborn’s skin. Once bathing time is over, dry your newborn and gently use a fragrance free lotion to moisturise the skin.

3. Burns easily
A newborn’s skin is not fully developed when born, especially the melanin which helps to absorb the sun rays. Therefore this means that a baby’s skin will burn quicker than older children or adults. Keep your newborn out of direct sunlight as much as possible. If out in sunlight keep the baby’s head covered with a hat and arms and legs covered if possible. Babies have more skin surface than adults, so they will absorb a higher degree of chemicals. This can increase reactions and irritations of the skin. Where possible avoid chemical sunscreens so your newborn’s skin cannot absorb any of these nasty chemicals contained it them.

4. Watch out for diaper rash
The chances are at some stage of your baby’s life you will encounter diaper rashes. The materials that diapers are make from that prevent leaking also prevent air circulating, which creates a damp environment prone to rash development. The cleaner and dryer the skin is then there is a lower chance of irritations occurring. Clean your baby’s skin with cotton wool and cooled boiled water or a baby wipe during every change. To avoid diaper rash occurring allow the skin to completely dry before applying power to minimise the rash.

5. Be careful with choice of clothing
When choosing clothing for your newborn it is important to be careful with your selection. Many materials can be harsh on the sensitive skin of a newborn and can cause irritations. Opt for clothing that is made from a soft material, such as cotton, that will be gentle towards the skin. When washing your baby’s clothing, be careful that you do not use harsh laundry detergents as these may irritate the skin when clothes are worn after a wash.

In general it is best to use the purest, most natural products on a newbons skin as these will be less likely to cause any reactions.

The purest baby wipe is manufactured by Irish Breeze, a leading producer of cotton products and baby care. WaterWipes is the first chemical-free baby wipe brought to the market. Free from chemicals and preservatives, WaterWipes are 99.9% water with 0.1% grapefruit seed extract, making them safe for newborns and infants. They are the only baby wipes approved by Allergy UK. This states that the have been tested to prove it is efficient on reducing or removing allergens.

For more information on WaterWipes visit www.waterwipes.com.

The Ultimate Parenting Panel

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Here at babytalk HQ we’re thrilled to be featured in a double page spread in the new edition of Easy Parenting Magazine! Why not pick up a copy now or click on the image above to read the full article.

We’ve really enjoyed working with the Easy Parenting Team and are looking forward to visiting them in the gorgeous Easy Parenting Cafe over the festival. They will have exciting hourly competitions so pop over and say hello to them!

The Easy Parenting team will also be signing Mums and Dads up for their Ultimate Parenting Panel over the Babytalk Festival weekend.

Ultimate parenting panel

The panel will be made up of real life Mums and Dads just like you. Once you sign up – which is very easy to do, you will be asked to take part in focus groups, surveys and the best part – product testing! Sound like fun?! Well to make it even more appealing, they are also offering to pay for your opinions!

To find out more or to sign up to join the panel, just pop an email over to editor@easyparenting.ie or text “Ultimate Parenting Panel” with your name to 087 1376574 (normal charges apply), or pop over for a chat when you visit the festival.

Irish Mammies at Babytalk!

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We’re delighted to have friend of the festival comedian Colm O’Regan performing his hilarious “Ireland’s Got Mammies” show at Babytalk festival!

The show is based on the popular @irishmammies twitter account and the best selling “Irish Mammies” books.

Exploring topics ranging from teatowel hierarchy to the importance of a Safe Place for things, the show will be taking place in our talks room on Saturday and Sunday at 1pm.

Festival tickets include entry to the show so book now!

eumom’s the word!

a guest post from our web partner eumom

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eumom.ie are delighted to be involved with Babytalk Festival as the official web partner of the event.

As a community of moms, we see on a daily basis the advice, support, knowledge and friendship our members receive from each other. It’s a wonderful thing to see moms supporting each other, because no one else knows how tough (and wonderful!) new motherhood can be.

For more than 10 years, eumom.ie has supported moms and families in Ireland. This focus has given us an in-depth understanding of parenting and means we are completely in tune with today’s modern, busy moms. From big announcements to joyful arrivals, from first steps to first days at school, we empower moms to connect, share and engage with each other – and this has made eumom.ie the largest, best loved and most trusted parenting community in Ireland.

With so much information to process when you start on your parenting journey, finding your way through all the old wives’ tales and misinformation can be exhausting and overwhelming. eumom.ie takes all of that worry and confusion away, leaving you with all the essentials you do need to know – and that’s why our partnership with Babytalk Festival is so exciting.

This great weekend of events for parents-to-be and new parents is all about demystifying conflicting advice and preparing you for the journey ahead. We’re looking forward to it!

Emily Manning, editor of eumom.ie , will also be taking part in a panel discussion on ‘Good Information vs Bad Advice: online parenting support and information’ at Babytalk Festival on Sunday February 23rd at 4pm. Up for discussion are the online options for parents and parents-to-be in Ireland, as well as the positive aspects and drawbacks of the online parenting world.

See you at Babytalk!