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Photo courtesy of Jennifer Blackwell Photography
This month’s IBPA Featured Baby Planner is Amanda Ogle of Cherished Expectations.
What uniquely qualifies you to be a baby planning expert?
As a mother of two, I have personally experienced the joys of my first pregnancy, the heartbreak of miscarriage, and the joys and stress of a “high risk” second pregnancy. Each have taught me about life, love, and the ups and downs that go into pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. With experience as “The Corporate Mom” as well as the “Work at Home Mom”, I understand the unique challenges and opportunities that both roles offer a family.
What qualities should an ideal baby planner have?
It’s important to have the ability to truly listen and absorb what your client is saying or asking for. For many people the birth of a child is as exciting and eventful as planning a wedding. Another vital quality is being intuitive of each client’s family dynamic.
Understanding the roles that each family member plays, can make or break a baby planner. Stepping on a spouse / Partner / Grandmother’s toes can bring things to a halt quickly. It is easy to offer opinion and advice, the secret is to tailor it to custom-fit your audience.
What are your specialties as a baby planner?
My specialty is finding the highest quality, top rated products and services at the best price possible. I love searching for the best deals without compromising on quality or safety. It’s what I do for my family, and I wouldn’t offer anything less for my clients.
What is the nicest thing a client has ever said about your business?
Las Vegas is one of those ever growing cities. Most of the time I hear clients say that they have no family or close friends here, and it’s nice to have someone they can call. I’ve been in their shoes, and I know exactly how it feels to be pregnant in a new city…away from the comfort of family and friends. Being trusted by them is the greatest compliment.
How do you stay current on trends in the baby and child industry?
Being a member of the International Baby Planner Association is a great way to stay on top of new issues and new trends in the industry. We have a diverse membership, and each person brings wonderful perspective and insight to the table.
I do tons and tons of research online, from recalls to new products on the horizon. When something hits the store shelves, I get my hands on it to see what it’s all about.
Every parenting magazine that exists lands in my mailbox, and is scoured with a fine-tooth comb so that I can get a pulse check on trends. I receive information on boutique items and specialty products regularly as they come out and have tested some prototypes before they have hit the retail market. I also stay current with the American Academy of Pediatrics, keeping my eyes and ears open for any new topics that can benefit my clients today and in the future.
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Join IBPA for our first official “Twitter Tea Party” May 18th from 7-8PM PST
(and no we’re not referring to that political “Tea Party”- it’s all about safety & babies)
Grab your cup of tea or favorite beverage and log into IBPA’s first Safety Soiree ~ where we’ll discuss
“Car Seat Safety and How to Choose One” with special guests and industry experts JPMA and Britax.
One lucky tweeting participant will win a Britax Advocate Car Seat valued at $369.99.
See below for more details on how to register for the event along with a quick Twitter party overview.
IBPA “Twitter Tea Party” Highlights:
Host: International Baby Planner Association
Date: Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Time: 7-8 PM PST
Location: TweetGrid.com hashtag, #IBPABabyPlanner
Topic: “Car Seat Safety and How to Choose One”
Prize: Britax Advocate CS Car Seat
RSVP: Please RSVP by May 16th to Melissa@InternationalBabyPlanners.com with email and Twitter ID to attend and be eligible for the prize.
Special Guest Industry Experts:
Britax has been a leader in mobile safety for more than 70 years, with a legacy of leadership in developing innovations that enhance the safety of child car seats and improve their ease of installation and use.
JPMA is a national trade organization representing 95% of the prenatal to preschool industry. JPMA represents 250 companies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico who manufacture, import and/or distribute infant products such as cribs, car seats, strollers, bedding, and a wide range of accessories and decorative items.
Twitter Party Information:
What is a Twitter Party?
A Twitter party is an online discussion that focuses on a few related topics. It is simple and fun to join in the conversation by posting comments or asking questions via Twitter.
How Do I Participate?
You must register by emailing Melissa@InternationalBabyPlanners.com by May 16th with your Twitter ID. If you do not have a Twitter account you can easily create one in advance by visiting www.Twitter.com.
How Do I Join In and Keep up with the Conversation?
Join the party by using TweetGrid.com and enter the hashtag #IBPABabyPlanner to join the event. A hashtag is simply the sign “#” with a name attached to it. Tweet Grid will automatically include the hashtag on your tweets after you have entered the party. You will be able to follow the tweeting discussions in real-time.
When is the IBPA “Twitter Tea Party?”
The IBPA Twitter Tea Party will be held on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 from 7-8PM PST.
Why Should I Join in on the Fun?
The IBPA Twitter Tea Party will give you the opportunity to network with other parents, expecting couples and industry experts on child car seat safety. It will be a great chance to ask all of the questions you have about car seats and how to choose one. One lucky participant will also win a Britax Car Seat!!!!!!
IBPA “Twitter Tea Party” Rules and Regulations:
1. Be nice to other tweeters in the party! We all have opinions so let’s respect our differences and share advice.
2. This a stress free environment to tweet about important issues – relax and have fun!
3. This Twitter party giveaway is for United States and Canadian residents only.
4. You must register by May 16, 2010 via email to Melissa@Internationalbabyplanners.com with your Twitter ID and actually attend the party to be eligible to win.
5. You must be 18 years or older to participate.
6. There will be one winner randomly drawn after the party is over from the list of registered participants.
7. Winner will be notified via email via the registered email address by May 21, 2010 by a member of the International Baby Planner Association.
What is your biggest piece of advice for a new parent?
My biggest piece of advice for new parents is, they need a lot of rest and breaks. Having a new bundle of joy is so exciting but sometimes new parents new to get away for short breaks and time out to get refreshed. So where there is child minder help and family members to help with childcare they need to jump at the offer. Apart from this the next advice is having a baby is so expensive and every saved penny counts, so new parents need to cut down on unnecessary spending and save the pennies for rainy day. Going to a parenting group has a good effect on new parents, so if there are any parenting groups I advise them to join.
What qualities should an ideal baby planner have?
What qualifies an ideal baby planner is having good communication skills, being a good listener, attentive to details, equipping ones self with all latest baby and mothers news and not the least loving what you do as a baby planner.
What are your specialties as a baby planner?
My specialty as a baby planner is designing the baby rooms; apart from this I love being a personal shopper for my clients.
What is the nicest thing a client has ever said about you/your services/your business?
The nicest thing a client has said about me is am very caring and have a lot of passion in what I do. Clients have said my services are second to none and we go the extra mile for our clients.
As regarding the business in a whole some clients who have used us say they would definitely recommend us to expectant parents who have busy lifestyles.
How do you stay current on trends in the baby and child industry?
I stay current in the baby and child industry by going to all baby shows all over the world. I have been to baby shows in Germany, Spain, Turkey, Las Vegas, and China. Apart from this I read a lot of baby magazines, baby websites and join a lot of U.K baby associations which share a lot of updates on legislations and laws in the baby and child industry.
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Twinkle, twinkle in your eyes. Are you an angel in disguise? –anonymous
Finnbar Samuel Boyd is a little angel. Literally. He’s my nephew who died of SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, at just two months and two days of age. His twin sister turned three last November and we often wonder how much Finn would be like her today. When he passed away, we had so many questions about what happened, how, and why. SIDS is a baffling disease, the number one killer of infants from one month to one year of age. It’s a heartbreaker, to say the least. Researchers are working on finding the cause and have made great strides in unveiling risk factors. The American SIDS Institute points out many of those factors can be controlled. They suggest all children be put to sleep on their back, that babies not share beds with adults, that the crib offers a firm mattress with no extra bedding or toys. They also suggest no smoking around babies. Meantime, they continue research to help with the things a parent can’t control—the biological causes of SIDS. And that’s where you can help. The American SIDS Institute is currently holding its annual fundraiser, Spring for SIDS, asking those who care to put a spring in their step and sunshine in their heart. They ask that you donate what you can, with proceeds going to help pay for research of SIDS and promotion to build awareness. Since the American SIDS Institute was founded in 1983 the annual number of deaths has decreased over half. However, there are still about 2300 babies who die of SIDS each year in the US. Having lost a sweet, innocent nephew to SIDS, I ask that you give what you can so we can eliminate SIDS completely, and make sure another family doesn’t have to endure the same heartache.
You can make a donation here (http://springforsids.org/make_a_donation.php). We’d be honored if you wanted to post it in Finn’s name.
If you live in NYC or likely in the tri-state area, you know all about Big City Moms. For those outside this area, an introduction: Big City Moms is the destination for moms, moms to be and families and the premiere social event group in NYC. Big City Moms was founded by sisters Risa Goldberg and Leslie Venokur six years ago.
Big City Moms and the Bump Founders
Now with over 30,000 members, an online community and events like seminars, family fun days, mommy and me classes, expectant events held every day, BCM is the place to be all over the city. Their “flagship” event is the twice- annual Biggest Baby Shower where moms-to-be can meet and greet roughly one hundred national vendors and local service providers in a couple of hours and which boasts of new mommy seminars and most talked about, highly coveted gift bags. It’s become so popular that it outgrew its original location at the American Girl Place and this was the first time it was held at the Park East Ballroom.
The event draws lots of moms, press and, this year, baby planners! Several International Baby Planner Association members were there: Premier Baby Concierge, Sweet Pea Baby Planners, Jamie the Baby Guy, and Bottles to Britches. While we speak often on conference calls and via emails, it was great to meet face-to-face, an opportunity that is usually reserved for IBPA’s annual meeting at the ABC Kids Show in Vegas!
The seminars were well-attended, the food was great, the gift bags were bursting! All in all, Big City Moms “delivered!” It was a pleasure for me to sit in on the “New York City Mom Survival Guide” seminar by the Knot and the Bump founder, Carley Roney, and to meet her afterwards. There was an excitement in the air; and it was a success for both moms and vendors. I would definitely suggest this event to all moms-to-be, as well as baby planners and vendors, who are in NYC or can make the trip.
Want to see more? Click here to check out the Big City Moms Biggest Baby Shower April 2010 Video!
Ah, the gift bags!
Sweet Pea NYC and Premier Baby Concierge at BCM
Bump Founder Carely Roney and Shannon Choe (PBC)
