By Karen Wolitzer
There will be an incredible wealth of information for mom and dad and lots of entertainment for the little ones, including inflatable rides, clowns, and face painters.A brand new baby can be a little overwhelming for a first time mom and dad. Which diaper is best? What kind of formula should I buy? Is my stroller the best? Do I need the best of everything? These are just a few questions that can be answered at the expo.You can meet with representatives of diaper companies, stroller companies and baby food companies and ask them to tell you why you should purchase their products. The bigger companies are there to inform--not to sell you their products.The exhibitors include Apple and Eve (the juice people) who will be giving away a year's worth of apple juice to one lucky winner. And Babies "R" Us will be conducting new parenting seminars all day, everyday. Did you ever wonder where parents get their babies first pair of shoes bronzed? Well, The Bronze Shoe Company will be on-hand to answer that question. Folks from Cedar Works Playsets, Creating Keepsakes, Creative Memories, Discovery Toys, Procter & Gamble, Earth's Best Baby Food, Friendly's Restaurant, Fun Stuff Toys, G&G Apparel, Kiddie Academy, Long Island Parenting News, Graco, and Greentrees Country Day School will all be there to tell you about their companies and what they can do for you and your children.There will also be hair salons (at what age should your baby get his/her first haircut?), photography studios, life insurance companies, financial groups, hospitals, furniture stores, sports academies, schools, and many, many more companies giving out free advice. (And some of them will be giving away free samples, too!) It's worth coming for all the free stuff!Don't miss the Crayola booth, they're celebrating their 100th anniversary, and last year they gave away thousands of sparkly markers. Since 1903, when the first box of eight Crayola crayons was introduced in schools, the brand has become an American cultural icon and symbol of childhood that's stood the test of time. You can look for a traveling 100th birthday party called the "Crayola ARTrageous Adventure," which is making its way cross-country. On and around the ARTrageous tour bus, children will discover and interact with new and unexpected Crayola products. Ask the Crayola people about it.Pampers will be giving away samples of diapers. Last year, over 4,000 babies were changed right there at the Expo. They're also having a contest. The winner will receive six months worth of diapers...which any new parent can tell you is worth a lot of money! There's also a contest to win 4 tickets to Sesame Street and breakfast with Big Bird.Come down and talk to camps, schools and daycare centers and check out the smaller companies...a lot of them have manufactured some really innovative products...like Sprout Spout--a cover that fits on any bottle and turns it into an instant sippy cup. There's something for everyone!
