Bento Making At Spaces By Babyland

Ever since I married, I always pass by Babyland along Shaw Boulevard, but for some strange reason I never had the chance to check it out. But I remember my mom used to buy things she needs for us at Babyland. I still remember the plastic bag that has the word BABYLAND written on it. Back when all things wooden (furnitures for the kids that is) were the norm. Fast forward to two kids and I find myself finally visiting Babyland along with the SoMoms & SoKids one afternoon, that’s all about Bento making.

Babyland was a pioneer in offering merchandise for infants and juveniles in the ‘70s. It had six stores in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the most prominent of which were in Pasay Road in Makati and in Quezon Boulevard. PJ Castro, Tess Rodriguez-Alba’s son expanded ownership of the brand last year by inviting parents passionate about raising their kids.

Babylan’s Spaces is located at the second floor of their Shaw Blvd. showroom. It has a play area as seen in the picture and can also be rented for intimate gatherings.

Spaces by Babyland is a venue for mom-certified events such as Mad Science presentations that make science engaging for kids, mom and kiddie yoga, sessions on putting together attractive and nutritious lunch boxes by Nanay’s Lunches with Love.

Chesa la ‘O-Arcenas, Marketing General Manager and Kathleen Lopez-Pajarillo, Merchandising General Manager of Babyland hosted the intimate event and clued us on how Babyland started and how they are bigger and better than ever.

With the help of social and other media, retail specialist Babyland recently repositioned itself as an outlet for products here and abroad that are highly rated by independent consumer bodies and relevant to mothers.

According to Chesa, they were able to research about products and connect with other like-minded moms globally through the Internet and other media. They select many of their merchandise from listings of top products created by passionate parents and other groups. They realized that through new media, they can influence the creation and growth of products helpful to us and our loved ones.

Here are some of the brands Babyland carries:

Medela Breastfeeding Pumps

Philips Avent products

Halo SleepSack

Manhattan Toys

Boogie Wipes

Grandma’s Secret Products

Bamboo Dappy

Next 9 Ring Sling & Cloth Diapers

Two Tots Furniture

Saya Baby Carriers

Little Luli Apparel And Accessories

The store with four  branches throughout Metro Manila founded by visionary mom Tess Rodriguez-Alba  recently invited new shareholders to support growth plans. In addition to new merchandise, Babyland  has also expanded its flagship store on Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong as a venue for “mom-certified events” as well as birthday parties and other celebrations. It has since hosted programs for infanticipating parents, baby sign language, meal preparation, among others.

 That afternoon was all about Benti making which we learned form Des of Nanay’s Lunches With Love.

Some of Des’ bento boxes for her sons.

What you need to know about bento making:

It should be healthy and balanced.

Keep it simple yet tasty.

Make it colorful, fun and attractive.

Try to stay away from pre-made, processed food.

Pay attention to safety and hygiene.

Plan ahead and keep costst down.

Here are some tips & techniques when it comes to bento making:

Try to put something they have never had before.

Try to incorporate new food ingredients in several ways.

Balance flavors.

Exert big effort to lay off sugar and salt.

Here’s Des with her son beside her, showing us how simple it is to start bento-ing.

Bento-ing need not be expensive. The number one rule is to find food that is already in your pantry. Introduce one new food to your child so that he or she can get the hang of it before introducing another kind. Also, it pays to make an effort to give your child a complete balanced meal by providing little servings from each food group.

Presentation is the key. Kids really are genuinely interested the moment they find something appealing. Create meals that are pleasing (read: cute) to the eyes so that they are encourage to eat more.
A simple sandwich packed with cut out fruits and some cute silicone cups and sticks will do the trick.

Halloween inspired bento box.

How cute is this Fischer Price food container that you can actually use to create a bento meal for your family? Thank you for my kids’ bentos Babyland!

SoMoms and SoKids with Kit, Chesa, Des and her son. Thank you so much Babyland for the fun bento making afternoon!

To know about the rates for Spaces by Babyland and their complete list of products like Babyland Store on Facebook.

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