Blue Almonds welcomes Baba West to new London boutique
It’s official. Blue Almonds have moved into a brand new boutique in Kensington and you won’t believe your eyes - two whole floors of tranquil nursery inspiration and beautiful baby products. The space is light and airy and is everything a luxury baby boutique should be.
Baba West inspires at launch party
To celebrate the opening of our new boutique, we hosted an intimate party and invited power-duo Leonora Bamford and Zita West to deliver a talk about the conception of their brand and the importance of the first 1,000 days in a child’s development.
Leonora Bamford of course is the founder of My Baba parenting website and Zita West is a renowned expert and founder of the famous London holistic fertility clinic. They have joined forces to create Baba West - providing optimum nutrition for babies and children.
We thought they would be the perfect speakers to help celebrate the opening of our new store, and highlight the first step in Blue Almonds new mother and baby wellbeing section which we will be expanding over the next few months with innovative new products and talks from special guests.
The first 1,000 days
Baba West’s informative talk captivated our guests who learned that from conception until two-years old, nutrition and the gut microbiome play an essential role in laying the foundations of health later in life.
The first 1,000 days are now known to be the most significant period in a child’s development, as, during this time, children build their microbiome up from the 100 different strains of friendly bacteria they are born with alongside the development of their organs and body systems which grow rapidly during this time. They are also highly responsive to nutritional influence, and research has shown an association between an unbalanced gut and different types of diseases, such as diabetes, allergies and obesity.
The gut and immune system develop rapidly throughout the first 1,000 days, as babies move from a protected environment in the womb to one where they are exposed to lots of immune challenges from other people, places and childcare. Nutrition plays an important role in influencing the gut microbiota, shaping the development of both the gut and the immune system during this time. From birth, microbes in the gut perform essential duties:
- The digestion and metabolism of food
- The production of neurotransmitters that affect behavior and cognitive function. The gut microbiota exerts influence over anxiety, mood, sociability and cognition
- The development and activation of the immune system. The gut is the centre of the immune system – 70-80% of the body’s immune cells are in the gut
- Supporting the maturation, diversity and condition of the gut microbiota through optimal nutrition in the first 1,000 days is fundamental for the development of a healthy immune system, protecting against harmful bacteria, reducing risk of disease, and safeguarding future health.
From this week we now stock their unique range of vitamins and supplements which will be the foundation of our new mother and baby wellbeing area.