Festival with a 2.5 year old and a nine month old…

[Hiphopopotamonster]

So next month my DH and I are taking our toddler and baby to a festival. It’s a medium size one (a few thousand people I think) and seems family friendly ish although it’s not particularly marketed at families. We’ll be camping in a tent. It’s seemed like a brilliant idea when we booked it a few months ago but im getting a bit jittery now and wondering if it’s just going to be awful.

So - is this a terrible idea? Will it all be ok? And does anyone have any tips to make it more ok…?

Sure OP you just listen to the answers you want. An 8 month old baby in that environment is all types of wrong. Let's just hope you can control the environment around you.

Family camping tends to be well policed in terms of only allowing families with children, the expectation that it’s quiet after a certain time (enforced by stewards). I’ve done family camping at festivals for years without an adverse environment.

Yeah I thought this might be said!

Its not about listening to the answers I want, but I am putting more weight behind the answers from people who have actually taken their young children to festivals, rather than the ones who haven’t but think it just sounds bad. I’m choosing to listen more to the people who have had the actual experience of doing it. Surely that makes sense?

You’re listening to those who have taken 4 and 6 year olds. Not your kid’s ages. Both of yours are likely to scream through the night, waking up fellow family campers and ruining their kids sleep, having them cranky for the next day. They’ll love you I’m sure 😂

I am a bit worried about that but the baby is usually pretty good at night. Almost never screams or anything. And she’s still breastfed and is used to co sleeping so I’m hoping we can just snuggle and feed if she’s restless

And me who has also taken an 8 month old, 16 month old, 3 year old, 20 month old and a 6 and 4 year old.

Nobody minds babies crying, it's a fact if family camping and hardly that disruptive in the context.

We had a brilliant time at Bestival with my 3 yo a few years ago. She loved it, especially seeing Mr Tumble and Andy from CBeebies on stage! We stayed in the glamping area though! There were lots of younger babies there, often napping in those wagons while the older family members were out late. We were a bit boring and went back to our tent after DC's bedtime. We have a 14mo now and I think we won't attempt it again until she's out of nappies (DC1 was toilet trained when we went).

Ok the baby is a risk as I’ve said but I’m not sure why my almost three year old would be screaming all through the night. 😂

Our daughter was eight months at her first festival (glastonbury) our son was 18 months for his (also glastonbury).

It’s fine, family camping areas are always good at festivals. One thing I would advise for ease is a toilet tent, no walking to the loo in the night, but also great for getting changed if you can’t stand fully upright in your tent. Headphones are a must, both of ours were used to wearing them at sports matches, so when needed they were fine wearing them at festivals. If yours aren’t used to headphones they need some decent time to get used to them. When you zip the tend do not lock/tie it, just zip the zips to the top where the toddler can’t reach it, although saying that tents are so crinkly you’d hear them moving about anyway.

We used a collapsable washing basked as a baby bath, it was also something fun to splash in during the day. It can also be used to wash pots etc.

Even when its hot the nights are cool, so I’d go a tog about what you think you need where sleeping bags are concerned, again, if your children aren’t used to them, start before you go.

A trangia is probably the best option if you intend to cook food, we typically cook a breakfast, lunch is shop bought stuff and dinner we buy there.

It will make your own festival experience rather boring . If the kids have a grandparent then I’d leave them at home and go and enjoy myself 😂

Op you'll have a great time. I first took mine at 8months. We take them to festivals every year (except covid yrs). Lots of great tips here, have a fab time!

I think it’s irresponsible. I know the “we are so cool” crowd say it’s not with their trollies etc but actually it really is. Festivals are loud full of drunk drugged up partying people kicking back. Not an environment for young children. On numerous occasions I saw scared tired very young children being dragged around in drunk crowds late at night. Leave them with granny or don’t go at all and take them as teens

There’s no point commenting if you don’t like festivals anyway ! If it’s your idea of hell then obviously you won’t bring kids. But Op you’ll be FINE. It’s a camping holiday with more stuff to do. Our kids loved festivals and the eldest is gutted now he’s the i between age . You got good tips here , bring lots of dry clothes and eat lots. Go with the flow. Nothing like being in a (warm) field with your pals, one beer or wine in hand, kids getting loads of fresh air, happy out

Festivals are loud full of drunk drugged up partying people kicking back. Not an environment for young children. On numerous occasions I saw scared tired very young children being dragged around in drunk crowds late at night.
Some festivals are. Some aren't. And in 15 years of going to festivals (including many before I had children when I was massively more judgemental of parenting because there's no parent as perfect as one who.isnt actually a parent) I've never seen drunk crowds at all, let alone children in the middle of one.

Did you miss my previous post when I responded to that point? We won’t be dragging scared tired children around hoards of drunk people. We just won’t.

Me neither, but I guess the lack of horror and drama isn’t stimulating enough for some.

Also 🙄 to the MN assumption that everyone has sets of willing GPS. We didn’t and we’d have never had a holiday if we hadn’t taken a few risks. We now have capable, travel hardened kids

And the assumption that everyone is keen to ditch their kids with relatives, some of us enjoy spending time with our children even if they can be irritating.

I love festivals myself been to several over the last few years. Just shocked at the “parenting” I’ve seen at them. Seriously weird judgement calls made by some parents.

Family in front of us 2 Young primary aged kids right at front to see headline act midnight lots of shouting lots of people not entirely sober kids looked a combination of terrified and bored obviously desperate to go to bed.. Sorry but really you think that’s a good environment for them? Mine were 14 minimum before they went to a festival.

Yep. We even took them on (gasp) planes to hot countries. Was it difficult? Yes but worth it and now we love travelling as a family and have it down to a tee

Of course that's not a good environment, but nor is it compulsory! As plenty of us have said, and OP has clearly stated too, you can go and have a lovely time for all ages and be back in the tent in the evening or with DC asleep in trollies quite content.

It's just silly to consider an entire festival as one experience and that experience to be a negative one.

This is what I’m hoping - a camping holiday with more ‘stuff’ to do!

Some of these tips have been so helpful and I’m feeling a lot more confident.

And actually the negative posts have helped too because they’ve made me see that actually there’s a lot that I was already feeling pretty confident about. And yes - the assumption that I’d have a much better time if I palmed my kids off elsewhere is an interesting one - I actually really like spending time with my kids and seeing them have fun and that’s a big part of what I’m looking forward to. I have no desire to go without them - we either all go, or none of us do!

I was at a day concert last month at Hyde Park and a couple brought their maybe one ish baby. It was heaving, mostly with adults sitting and drinking so there wasn't much space for the baby to run about. It screamed when put in its pram, although couldn't hear it over music. In all it just looked like hard work for the parents who were constantly trying to corral the child and neither of them looked like they were enjoying themselves.

In our case, grandparents come with us to the festival, so no chance of leaving the kids behind!

The one we’ve been to most recently has an Ofsted-registered school on site for the kids to attend on the Friday of the festival. The horror!!

It's is actually okay to do things for yourself as a parent occasional you know.

Never done it with two we only have DS but camping trolley and rains for the kids. Controversial but we once watched a family with two kids on rains but a extendable dog leash on them, it gave the kids the ability to be 1-2m ahead walking together without the risk of them running off.

Take things they can do sat down when you want to watch an act so colouring books, stickers etc it means you can hang back to the sides and still see and get the vibe but little ones are happy in the trolley or on a blanket you can then move onto something they want to do etc

DS used to fall asleep in his pram even as an older toddler it never did him any harm.

We are doing Leeds/reading with a 9 year old this year and he's picked bands he wants to see.

Also, our kids have had amazing musical experiences at festivals. Eldest had a proper spiritual moment watching Patti Smith. And youngest met the singer of her favourite band just walking around the site and still talks about it 😆