As normal everyday moms we were coping with the labour pains and pressures of the economic squeeze, while Hollywood’s young hotties revelled in the possibility that their elaborate baby shopping adventures might land them on the cover of the next glossy.

Even though 2009 was financially a tough one for most and brought with it its own share of difficulties, the good news is that women have finally realised that they don’t need to fit into the media mould to be the parenting superstar. We now realise that having swollen ankles in the first trimester is absolutely fine, and we understand that being constipated is not sexy but that hubby’s attempt at homemade prune juice is sweet and it does help – a little. We recognise that back ache as well as morning and evening sickness comes with the territory, and we realise that it’s fine to just be ourselves and to discover our ‘own inner strength’ when we’re good and ready for it.

Just like you, we at The Baby Expo have reached our own milestones – we celebrated our fifth birthday this year and saw our baby outshine its classmates at three exceptional shows in Joburg, Durban and Cape Town. We have broken record upon record this year by drawing over 400 exhibitors, offering over 500 products on sale and attracting over 70,000 visitors to our shows. To say we were impressed is an understatement, we felt like rock stars with a celebrity date on our arm as we drew more people to our expos than Robbie Williams did at his Loftus concert!

The Baby Expo turned five at The Baby Expo Joburg 2009.

Moving away from our celebrity dreams and being the responsible adults that we are, 2009 also taught us about the constant need for education. This year reaffirmed that the ever growing demand for information, workshops and books on a wide range of parenting and childcare topics, was as popular as ever. Striving to be the best parents we can possibly be, we realise that we need to be equipped as we’re setting the model for what our children see as important to us. What we hold true in our own lives is expressed by the everyday examples that we set for the world, and our children, to see.

The "little things" are the big things when it comes to developing moral fibre in our children's lives. The way in which we react to their needs, the attitude we take in completing our chores, and the tone of voice we use in answering their questions, are all essential in character education. The personal values we have, help us to make those decisions, and there is no better time than now to "practice what we preach." We also realise that it’s not always as simple as that but there is always the New Year to start afresh.

Looking forward to 2010… Not only is this the big year of the Soccer World Cup™ in South Africa, it also marks the scheduled due date of our quadruplets – in Johannesburg from 13 – 16 May, Durban from 27 – 29 August, Cape Town from 29 – 31 October and back to Joburg again from 25 – 27 November, just in time for Christmas shopping!

Our exhibitions have gone through the teething stages, we’ve completed the motor development phases, we’ve exceeded the social and emotional benchmarks and have fine-tuned our communication skills. All of this just to offer you an even better experience at our four expos in 2010.