Babyboom is celebrating its 25th birthday !!!

« Isn’t she the most beautiful baby in the world ! »
Isabelle is holding her young daughter Anna in her arms.
They had been longing and waiting for her for a long time: on one balmy, starlit night, a few glasses of heady love potion, and nine months later this bundle of joy saw the light of day. Only a few hours earlier, she was still snuggled up in her warm cocoon, but eager to put faces to these voices that she was always hearing, she was looking forward to seeing what was going on in the outside world. Anna picks her moment, gets into position and out she comes !

The walls of the maternity ward are painted a cheery yellow. The door of the room opens and a head pops around it, Anna’s grandmother, Isabelle’s mother, Marthe. The news has spread quickly : « Can we see her ? I’m not disturbing you ? »

« Oh, she’s beautiful ! » « She’s the spitting image of David, there’s no doubt about it, you’re your father’s daughter, she has your eyes! » « She looks exactly like you when you were born ! » ….
Time goes by and the stream of remarks continues, visiting time is coming to an end and the only ones still in the room are Isabelle, Anna, David and Marthe.

The baby has gone to sleep. On the shelf next to the widow is a blue bag with white spots.
« What’s that ? » asks Marthe pointing to the bag.
« The nurse gave it to me earlier, it’s the Babyboom bag. It’s full of products and information ! There’s even a guide that seems to be very well written ».
« That’s funny, I received the same kind of gift when I had you but back then it was called Télémaman and that was 25 years ago »

The Télémaman television programmes were first broadcast 25 years ago.
It was a private television network that broadcast educational programmes in Belgian maternity wards targeting new mothers and that tried to answer the all-important questions prompted by the birth of a child, such as breastfeeding, changing nappies, early-learning activities, etc.
The programme was very successful among advertisers who could not afford to advertise on the RTL channel to promote their product on television. Advertising was banned from national channels and the private Dutch-speaking Belgian television channels did not exist back then.
Some time later came the gift pack carrying the same name. It consisted of a plastic bag distributed in the maternity wards that contained various offers and samples.

At the end of the 1980s, Madonna was wearing fluorescent gloves and we couldn’t get « Beat It » out of our heads while we tried to do the Moonwalk …
The Télémaman TV programmes and gift packs gave birth to 2 younger brothers: the antenatal Babyboom guide and the postnatal Babyboom guide.
The aim was to further improve the quality of the information disseminated by means of a paper support and to accompany mums-to-be during their pregnancy thanks to the antenatal guide.

At the beginning of the 90s, the world of television was undergoing far-reaching changes: cable was becoming increasingly popular and the French channels were invading our country, the Dutch-language Belgian channels came onto the scene and the liberalisation of national television was making headway …
This trend marked the end of private television in maternity wards and Télémaman became obsolete.
As for the mothers, a few big changes also took place : the television programme was dropped, the plastic bag turned into a box , 2 new gift packs came onto the market, an antenatal and postnatal pack, and the guides and gift packs were all given the same name : Babyboom.

It was only around 1995 that the gift pack adopted its current form, a wonderfully discreet, reusable nylon bag that can be used by anyone, anywhere. The Babyboom bag as we know it today was born!
Today, it is presented to all new mums in the maternity wards and the Babyboom bag has in some way become the identity card of an entire community: new parents! Whether in crèches, at the seaside or in supermarkets, it is not unusual to come across the Babyboom bags and see the complicit smile and shared understanding of new mothers as they greet one another …

In the meantime, Babyboom extended its activity and organised the biggest baby event in Belgium at the Heysel Exhibition Centre: the Babyboom Exhibition, the exhibition for future and new parents. It met with instant and breathtaking success and in 3 days almost 35,000 visitors came to pay us a visit !!

« Today, Anna is 3 years old.
When I take her in my arms, I am the happiest father in the world. I know that nothing can compare with this feeling. I know that parents want the best for their children. I know that Babyboom can help us by answering all our questions and by bringing new developments to our attention that will offer the best start for our children. I know that behind Babyboom there is a whole team of young mothers and fathers who understand me because they are sharing the same experience.»

Long live Babyboom and happy birthday !!!