The ‘Baby Shows’ are the biggest UK events dedicated to pregnancy, birth, babies and toddlers, where visitors will find the largest collection of nursery essentials anywhere in the UK.   Before the doors had even opened there were huge queues of Mums, Dads, prams, and Parents-to-be all eagerly waiting to get inside and grab themselves a bargain!

Picture Above: Inside the London ExCeL Baby Show

All the big names were present, and of course the visitors were drawn to their mammoth stands in hoards to pick up a great deal.  Small and little known independents therefore had to work harder to attract some deserved attention. One company that did manage to stand out amongst the crowd was MaByLand Ltd, a refreshing new baby brand with some unique products to offer.  Their relatable ‘We’re Like You’ campaign intrigued parents to learn more about the company as well as the products!

MaByLand had a small yet charming stand, which frequently became swamped due to its popularity!  MaByLand had a number of fantastic show only offers, and special product launches for parents to get excited about.  The baby brand brought their ‘Essentials Range’ to the show which included their colourful Changing Bag Set collections, cute Sleeping Bags, their award winning Baby Carriers and their new Footmuff Sets.  They launched their new Floral Design Collection, their cool cotton Footmuff Sets and their much anticipated Snuggle Carrier!

Carried Away...

The new Snuggle Baby Carrier has a similar design to their Award Winning TREK Baby Carrier, and it was extremely well received at the show, as parents explained ‘we’ve never seen anything like it, so we had to have it, what a brilliant idea!’ The Snuggle Carrier differs as it features a super snuggly terry cotton blanket, which is stored in the large front pouch on the carrier.  The blanket attaches to the front of the carrier which ultimately shields baby and keeps them wrapped up tight. 

­Picture Above: Black Snuggle Carrier, with soft grey Snuggle Blanket attached.

When asking Sheena Woods (a mother of 2 and company owner) how she came up with the idea she said “When using my carrier with my daughter on windy days, I’d try and wrap my coat around her, but it didn’t quite cover her up, I also noticed lots of other parents who try balancing a blanket that they’ve wrapped around their carrier, and it just constantly fell off! So, I tried to create a simple solution!”

The MaByLand team worked hard to give everyone they could a full demonstration of their carriers, let parents and parents-to-be try carriers on, and discussed its various features in great detail.  Surprisingly, MaByLand didn’t take an aggressive approach to selling; ultimately they were so confident in their product that the team actively encouraged parents to try on the other various carriers available at the show before they purchased either their Snuggle or the TREK. Parents did take their advice but always came back!  Most customers came back stating that the TREK and Snuggle Carrier were the ‘sturdiest’, and ‘simplest to put on and use’, whereas other carriers and slings seemed a little ‘fiddly and daunting’!  

Picture Above:  Beige Snuggle Carrier includes a soft cream Snuggle Blanket. Baby facing in the outwards position

MaByLand described “We didn’t think we could top last year’s show, this was our second show and we have sold a record amount of baby carriers, it’s unbelievable! We’ve met so many new parents, and we have had heaps of positive feedback, it has just been brilliant!”

Bags of Value

It seemed every mum at the show was out hunting for the must-have changing bag, whilst the dads held their wallets close!  MaByLand’s Overnight Changing Bag was attracting attention, due to its included accessories.  The matching Changing Mat was what swayed most parents’ choice, as the wipe-able mat folded outwards and revealed handy pocket to keeps creams, wipes, nappies etc.  One Dad said “...the mat is great if you need to quickly nip out to get the paper or a few bits; I could just bring this along with me instead of toting a massive bag!”

MaByLand Print Overnight Changing Bag Set

The Bag Sets offer money conscious parents better value as there is so many practical, useful items included!  There is no need to shop around for a mat or a bottle insulator, and the best part is that everything matches and looks fantastic!

It Was All Mummy’s Idea!

Picture Above: A couple of the Mum’s from the focus group and their adorable little ones

There were so many fantastic products on offer at the Stand; there was no wonder why MaByLand was constantly swamped!   Sheena explained that she came up with her ideas from drawing upon her experiences as a Mum, this is where MaByLand’s strap line ‘Sharing Our Experience’ was coined.  She also explained that she holds her own ‘mummy focus group’, inviting friends from her postnatal classes, and baby play groups.  They all get together and casually talk about existing products and how to improve them, new ideas, all whilst their babies play happily together.

During one of the focus group meetings the mums stumbled across the idea of a ‘slim-line’ changing bag which breast feeding mums could use, as they don’t need a big bag for holding bottles.  The idea finally developed into the Luxury Changing Mat Bag! A slim satchel style bag, which folds out into a large changing mat with big pockets for nappies, creams, wipes etc, it even includes a cute attachable pillow for baby! The launch of the luxury mat was received well at the Baby Show.  The Mums really liked the delicate floral pattern and the slim modern look of the bag, also visitors loved the fact that it could fit inside their existing bag, and it could be used solely as a travel changing station.