Get to know: The Parenting Emporium

Five months into our pregnancies, Patty Laurel-Filart and I were invited by Maricel Cua and Beng Feliciano, to attend a breastfeeding seminar at The Parenting Emporium. Being newbie moms, this was something we made time for as we’ve heard stories (both good and bad) about breastfeeding and we wanted to know more about it as we were hoping to breastfeed our babies. This was the best decision ever, as we’ve become good friends with Maricel and Beng ever since and they’ve really helped introduce us to the world of breastfeeding, including all the bumps (and solutions) along the way. From learning the fundamentals to fitting our Medela breast pumps, teaching us about cup feeding and giving us advice about breastfeeding problems, like engorgement, mastitis, etc., these two ladies have been invaluable sources of information for us and are just a call away when we need them.

I’ve realized this is exactly the kind of support every woman needs when going through a pregnancy and after the baby comes out: positive, encouraging and informative. And lucky for us, this is what The Parenting Emporium is all about. Maricel and Beng, founders of The Parenting Emporium, made this social enterprise to help make the parenting journey easy for all of us, after all, we need all the help we can get. Their goal is to provide products and support services to address every family’s concerns relating to pregnancy, health, nutrition and education.

“We believe that no mother, father, or caregiver from any walk of life should stand alone. Each person can beneﬁt from the support and wealth of knowledge offered by others, especially — but not limited to — those who are considered experts in their respective fields. We also believe that each person involved in every child’s life plays an important role in that particular child’s development — and that role must be played to the best of that person’s ability.” –The Parenting Emporium

Maricel and Beng recall how their concept of a premier, expert-backed parenting resource hub came about. “Our story dates back to 2007 when we were both starting our own families and we were as clueless as any young family nowadays,” Beng shares. “Back then, even though the Internet already existed, it was still mostly dial-up, and we primarily sought the familiar support of friends and family.”

“At that time, our most difficult challenge was breastfeeding, so when the opportunity for us to carry the world’s number one breast pump presented itself, we decided to say ‘yes.’ Little did we know that doing so would lead to so many open doors and windows, not just for the business, but for helping other moms and their families. With Medela as our stage and now, one of our flagship brands, we slowly built a community around us with our particular way of selling and supporting — very hands-on, very personal, but without losing our core values of community, development, security, professionalism and transparency. So, it soon became more than breastfeeding for us. We realized that there are so many more needs out there for modern-day parents. In particular, we discovered that many parents had questions about pregnancy, health, nutrition, and education. Eventually, we found ourselves growing with these parents, but because, compared to before, there was actually too much information out there, we became very picky and discerning when it came to choosing products and experts to introduce to our mommy friends and customers. It no longer became a question of where to get the info but more of ‘Which info should I listen to?’,” said Beng.

Thus, Beng and Maricel found themselves answering the need for a support system for families that is based on the knowledge of experts in various fields, and sustained by premium, parent-recommended products and services. They also knew that they wanted the business to be about helping others, and not just making a profit. The result: The Parenting Emporium.

To give you an idea of what The Parenting Emporium has to offer, here is a list of just some of the products/brands Beng and Maricel have personally come to love and trust with their own families, as well as the families of the community that has grown around them—those that have, in a way, received their “seal of approval”:

Baby K’Tan

Belly Armor

Bios Dynamis

ChewBeads

Comflor and Bebedom Playmats

Esensya Productos Artesanales-Esensya Handcrafted Products

La-Z-Boy

Little Luli

Medela

Mother K All Natural Baby Wipes

Mustela

Nature to Nurture

Nature’s Farmacy

Nipa Foods

Snug-a-Hug

This was taken during the breastfeeding seminar facilitated by lactation consultant and nurse Joyce Ann Zaragoza-Martinez at The Parenting Emporium. Patty and I were five months pregnant here.

At the seminar, Chef Jacqueline Haessig Alleje of Moderne Culinaire Academy and Rizal Dairy Farms showed us how to make healthy meals for expectant moms.