First published in 2011, these tips for taking babies and toddlers to festivals are still just as vital as they were four years ago. These great tips, by Lisa from Boutique Babysitting, are all about how to make the festivals enjoyable for both parents AND children, so that the whole family have a fun, stress-free time.
1. Happy Kids = Happy Parent
What we as parents think make the festival great (headline acts, real ale, sunshine) isn’t necessarily what makes it great for kids so focus on achieving a balance of things you really want to do and things that they really want to do. I asked my 3 year old what makes festivals great for her (she will have been to over 20 by her 4th birthday) and without hesitation her answer was: my sister, my wagon, glowsticks, face paint, bubbles and my favourite blanket! The most important thing is to go with the flow and forget a rigid routine but be very mindful of their energy levels and work with it rather than against.
2. Be weather ready
When you go out in the morning pack for the day, take a rucksack full of all the things you might need. If the weather looks changeable be prepared, layering is a great way to do this. For the sun, make sure you have a hat, suncream and clothes that cover shoulders. In the rain, an all in one waterproof and wellies will make it fun for them in the mud ! A big golfing umbrella is useful in the rain and to make shade in the sun too. At night when it gets chilly, pop them in a merino base layer and they will be snuggly. My absolute top tip is pack a few cotton sarongs, they can sit on them, protect themselves from the sun and even make an outfit out of them - very versatile.
3. Think about movement
Festivals involve a lot of walking and moving around, so if you can stretch to a radio flyer or similar wagon you will not regret it! You can use it to carry your stuff from the car to set up your tent and then everyday to move your kids and all your stuff around. It will make getting from place to place in the mud a lot easier. Also pick a stage and stay there rather than trying to dash around to catch specific acts - who knows you might see someone you have never heard of that then become your favorite new act.
4. Keep them entertained
The best family festivals have amazingly creative kids areas, spend some time here and get involved in the activities, also take some simple things with you like bubbles, face paint or dressing up outfits. When you want to have some ‘you’ time to go and see a band, remember to take some of their favourite toys and a blanket so that they can snuggle down and play or sleep. Check if the festival offers babysitting or a type of kids club - if they start to flag after lunch or in the evening book them in to a session and then they can hang out with other kids and you can have some grown up time, best of both worlds!
5. Health and Hygiene
It's not very rock and roll but neither is a poorly child at a festival! Make sure they are drinking lots of water; take a hand sanitiser (alcohol free) and some healthy nutritious snacks and fruit to keep their energy up. It is also really important to protect their ears so get them some ear defenders and reward them for wearing them. The food at festivals is great, but remember you might have to queue and kids sometimes can’t wait so pack their favourite snacks too.
Here are some further suggestions from Born...
6. Set up early
Try to get to the festival early to set up when you’ll have plenty of choices where to pitch – it’s really not great trying to find somewhere when all that’s left is the space near the loo’s or on a hillside miles from the music (unless that's where you want to be)!
7. Go with friends
If you know friends are also going try to arrange to pitch near or next to each other, especially if they’re with babies or young kids. It means you can share child care duties, fetching water or queuing for veggie chilli burgers
8. Avoid
Avoid taking babies to Pendulum, Muse, Foo Fighters or any other ear bursting acts – if it’s too loud for you it’ll be ear splitting for your little one (unless they have
ear protectors!)
9. Find a spot
If you’re going to a large, multi-stage festival we’ve found it much better to stay at one stage throughout the day, rather than moving between them in an attempt to catch all your favourite acts. By staying still you may miss a couple of acts you wanted to see but you’ll probably enjoy the day far more.
Everybody loves the sunshine, but finding a shady spot is a much better option – it’s safer plus you’ll feel less weary in the evening. And’s there’s no excuse for not taking a good
sun cream for your little one and after sun lotion!
10. Sleep patterns
Festivals are all about breaking free of normal routines, but you may be doing yourself no favours if you try to change your children’s sleep patterns - so if your baby or toddler enjoys a afternoon nap at home, they should take afternoon naps at the festival. If they go to bed at a certain hour, making that hour a wind-down time at the festival is a good goal. This will maintain the kids' sanity and make them more likely to make it through three or four days without a breakdown. Festivals are extra-exhausting, so getting kids to rest might actually be easier than you'd think.
