Salon Baby Show in Torremolinos

We had a great time at the Salon Bebe show in Torremolinos. Many thanks to our suppliers Baby Kangaroo and Babybjorn / BabyDan who helped kit out our stand! It was also great to meet so many of our Spanish customers and to find out what kinds of products the Spanish were interested in.

We were delighted to have Sasha from Baby Kangaroo with us during the weekend to demonstrate how the Baby Kangaroo sling works.

Although we are already familiar with the product it was really great to see it in action and the customers loved the sling because it was so easy to put on and so flexible. It's a great sling for the hot summer months in Spain as it's very lightweight and comfy to wear. It was also really interesting to see Sasha carrying around her two and half year old toddler in the sling. Proof ( not that it's needed ) that the slings are indeed strong enough and versatile enough to carry not only a baby but a toddler too .... and Sasha's little girl loved it! The slings were flying off our stand and it was great to see so many happy customers wearing them while they walked around the rest of the show!

If you didn't get a chance to buy a Baby Kangaroo sling at the show don't worry, we are still selling them on our site at the fantastic price of 39€ .... check them out here ....

Top 5 Baby Show Sellers!

The most popular items over the weekend were ....

* Baby Kangaroo Sling

* Dream Genii Pregnancy Support Pillow

* BabyBanz Sunglasses

* Imse Vimse Swim nappies

* See Me Driving Mirror

Customers also loved the ....

BabyDan playden, Trunki, Babypotz, Flexibath and the Indybel Portable Chair ....

Congratulations to our prize winners too .... 1st prize was a gorgeous Dream Genii Breastfeeding pillow, second prize a Cuddlebug toddler towel and third prize a bag of Bio D goodies!

Many thanks to Daphne for her amazing organisation and looking forward to the next show!

Spain ends Baby Cheque

There have been rumours for a while but it is true that as part of a new drive to economise the Spanish government has ended the Baby Cheque.

The Baby Cheque which was started a few years ago was a payment given to new parents of 2,500 euros to help with the costs of having a baby. Those who had twins received 5,000 euros. To claim the payment, mother's had to prove they'd lived and paid into the Spanish social security system for at least 2 years.

The Baby Cheque will now be ending at the end of this year. Any babies born after midnight on Dec 31st 2010 will NOT receive the cheque, however all those born up until this time WILL receive the cheque ....

I reckon there will be a lot of raspberry leaf tea being drunk, curries being eaten and long walks being taken during the month of December 2010!

Salon Bebe - THIS WEEKEND ....

Don't forget the Salon Bebe baby show in Torremolinos this weekend ....

Events include the first ever Baby Olympics ...

Plus there will be lots of stands, a kids play area, a cafe and eating area, baby changing and feeding areas and lots of pampering for mums too!

For more information visit www.salonbebe.es

Lots of Indybel Special Offers on the day!

See You There!

Big Brother Social Workers ....

I heard on the radio today that in the UK there are proposals to send social workers into every home where there is a child under 5 so that they can monitor how well you look after your child and offically rate whether or not you are a good parent.

As a parent of an under 5 ( thankfully not in the UK! ) I find this idea incrediably scarey. I understand that after cases like Baby P social services feel they need to get into homes more but I don't think this is the right way to go about it .... Surely it's going beyond normal civil rights and is an invasion of family privacy ... we have nothing to hide, but I still wouldn't fancy someone going through my fridge and washing basket in order to decide whether or not I was a good parent. And surely good parenting comes from inside as much as from the outside and no amount of poking around the kitchen can really determine how loved and safe a child feels when just cuddling up to mum and dad .....

Family Fun Day in Calahonda for LIVE

We went to this event last Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it .... it was a really well organised event in a great venue where the children could roam around relatively safely without the risk of running into a road or leaving the park. There were plenty of attractions for kids including a bouncy castle, face painting and fairground games. The stalls were nicely laid out and good quality and the atmosphere was lovely.

We were really impressed by how well organised and well publicised the event was. I hope they made HUGE amounts of money for LIVE and look forward to the next family fun day .....

Battery Park in Torremolinos

Last week we finally made it to Battery Park in Torremolinos .... I say finally because we tried once before but got completely lost ( it's not the easiest park to find ) and then when we finally got there we couldn't go in as we had our dog with us and it's one of those parks which don't allow dogs .... ( not happy about that ! )

Anyway on Friday we followed a friend ( without dog ) and finally got to embark at the park. And it was def worth the wait. The children's play area is fantastic. Divided into 3 sections, there are areas for really little one's, toddlers and older children.... Each area is really nicely set out on fake grass ( did get a bit hot, must be really really hot in the summer ) with a number of 'different' attractions including huge slides, big bowl type swings for several children, large and small trampolines and climbing frames.

A small walk away is an ornate man made lake where you can purchase rowing boats ...

There are toilet facilities at the park ( but only two toilets so be prepared to queue ) and vending machines with drinks and snacks ....

I'm glad we finally got there and think I could now just about find it again ... def a good one for wearing out the kids!

Family Fun Day Out in Calahonda

We were recently contacted about this family day out in Calahonda ... it sounds fab and all the proceeds go to the L.I.V.E charity which supports the children's Orphanage in Malaga ...

Here are the details ... we'll defnitly be going!

Family fun day in Calahonda
Saturday May 15^th
Location - shaded ‘Parque Infantil’, Avenida de España, Calahonda.

There will be lots going on for all the family to enjoy including a bouncy castle, face painting, games and activities, great prizes to win, entertainers and live music throughout the day as well as food and drink.

There will also be a variety of stalls of children-related products to browse as well as a jumble sale and second hand toy stall.

Entrance to the Fayre is free of charge.

If you have prize you would like to donate, jumble or second hand toys to sell or are interested in taking a stand, please contact Nicola Erlich on 616399382 or email info@live-spain.org

All proceeds go to the charity L.I.V.E (www.live-spain.org) which is a local registered charity working with the local Children’s Home in Malaga.