Mrs Lighty has been lucky enough this year to have won tickets to both February’s Baby Show at the Excel Centre and October’s Baby Show at Olympia (well, if I’m honest, I actually won two sets to the February show and three sets to the October show, but they all got distributed to worthy recipients! I know, I know, I should play the Euromillions…).

Apart from the venues, there has been one noticeable difference between the two shows for me: in February I had a 6 month pregnant bump, whereas in October I had a Baby Lighty!

So when it comes to the Baby Show, when is the best time to visit? It’s time for Bump vs. Baby: The Baby Show edition!

The Baby Show at Olympia in October 2015.

Bump: Although tiring, when visiting with a bump we had a lot more ease with which we could carry our myriad of purchases home. Our hands belonged to us and us alone; we could quite literally shop until we dropped under the weight of the bags we were carrying!

Baby: This time round, not only did we have our many purchases to contend with, but Mrs Lighty also had Baby Lighty in the sling and Mr Lighty had a rucksack full of baby paraphernalia. With our load therefore somewhat heavier to start with (all 13lbs of dinky Baby Lighty for me!), it made carrying those impulse buys bargains home with us that little bit harder.

Oh how we lamented not parking at the Westfield White City shopping centre for the day, and just hopping on the train one stop! Instead we had to lug our purchases across town, as Olympia is the ‘wrong’ side of London for the Lighty Family. Apparently, according to Mr Lighty, Poddle Pods aren’t all that light!!

2. The Brands

Bump: Everyone knows the big brands when they’re pregnant. And there’s nothing wrong with this; in fact many of the products that Mr & Mrs Lighty love are big brand favourites. But I did find in February that there were some brands there that I simply didn’t know what they did or were about, and so I passed them by, and when looking back I found that I should’ve invested in some of the more unusual brands on offer.

Baby: After experiencing parenthood for a few months, even though you may still feel like you don’t have a clue what you’re doing, you will probably know which brands and products you favour. This means that when you return to the Baby Show with your very own baby, you can gravitate towards the brands that suit you better, or the ones that you want to know more about, because you accidentally bypassed them with a bump (even if you still don’t have a clue what you’re doing).

3. The Buys

Bump: The problem with going to the Baby Show with a bump is that you just don’t know at that point what will suit your baby and your parenting style. Should you stock up on equipment for bottle feeding, because you might get on perfectly well with breast feeding? Is there any point in buying lots of swaddle blankets if your baby turns out to be one of the ones that likes to break free of the swaddle? Are you a reusable nappy kind of parent or a disposable nappy kind of parent? We definitely got some fantastic deals at The Baby Show in February, but we also bought a couple of things aimlessly which we just haven’t used, and similarly didn’t buy things that looking back we wished we had’ve done.

Baby: This time round, we had a list of things we wanted, and I think it’s safe to say that we ticked those things off of the list! As well as the aforementioned Poddle Pod, we also targeted Morrck for another of their lovely car seat blankets, Funky Giraffe bibs, Tommee Tippee for their nappy bin cartridges and sippy cups, and The Gro Company for the next size up of Grobag. Mrs Lighty also subscribed to Prima Baby Magazine and took advantage of their free Grobag offer and goody bag!

I think we did alright at The Baby Show in October, don’t you?!

Bump: Apart from taking advantage of the freebies on offer, the best bit about going with a bump – especially a first time bump, I should imagine – is the excitement. For us, it was the first time we’d really bought things for Baby Lighty, and it really started to feel real for us.

Baby: This time round, it was great knowing that we were getting good deals on brands that we trusted. We also thought the set up of the Pampers changing area was fantastic; as you walked in, you were asked what size nappy you required, and the relevant size nappy was promptly delivered to your change station, which was already equipped with wipes and a Tommee Tippee nappy bin. Apart from the nice touch of the free nappy & wipes, it was great when you were laden down with bags not to have to dive into your change bag to find the bits and pieces you needed!

The Prima Baby Magazine stand. The goody bag was definitely one of the highights of both shows for Mrs Lighty!

Bump: As far as Mrs Lighty’s baby brain addled mind can remember, there were no blunders back in February. We were still in that hazily excited state that was just Mr and Mrs Lighty plus bump, blissfully able to do whatever we wanted as a two-and-a-halfsome still. Even the trains behaved, despite it being a Sunday!

Baby: And now we come to the reason I included this section! Nothing, it appears, is straight forward with a baby, even attending an event designed for babies. Although if I’m honest, these events happened before and after attending The Baby Show.

Firstly, Baby Lighty decided that he would projectile vomit all over himself. And Mrs Lighty. Whilst on the train. So the train seat got it too (sorry fellow passengers! We did clean it up as best we could!). I then had to strap Baby Lighty back into the sling and wear him. Yep, covered in sick!

Secondly, if you plan to break your journey at Westfields to feed your baby on the way home, don’t drop the lid of your bottle mid-feed, as a cleaner will sweep it up. Nothing is ever straightforward, is it?!

So who wins in Bump vs. Baby: The Baby Show edition? Well after reading that last section, I’ll let you decide…!

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