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…?

My son remembers dancing with Kylie when he was four, or as he used to call her, the gold dress lady and seeing his uncle play on the pyramid stage.

Well that’s a pretty amazing memory - no such star studded headliners at this one I’m afraid!

Some of these comments. Kids aren't at risk at most even vaguely family friendly festivals. The one we go to is so safe I have no doubts for their safety. You can only get in and out through the designated streams (it's small enough there are only two of these) and they'd never let a small kid out alone. Mine, as they've got older, have been able to experience a level of freedom they didn't have at home.

And laughing as I've just ordered 18 mug shots to take with us this year 🤣

I used to think it was ok but have done a total about turn having seen too much shit festival parenting. Another one I saw two toddlers asleep in a trolley in the dark surrounded by people off their faces lurching around raving. Wtaf were those parents thinking.

I’m in two minds. On one hand I think it’s really cool. On the other, it sounds like a total living nightmare.

I can see how it’s doable with a baby, who presumably will sleep, a lot, and wear ear protectors. I can see how it’s doable with an older kid, who’s sensible and streetwise and will get something out of it.

A 2.5 year old who can walk, wander off, has no concept of risk….. good god, sounds a nightmare! Best of luck though!

We sold our house, moved into a short-term rental, renovated a buy-to-let and emigrated to the other side of the world with a 2YO and an 18MO (they aged about 3 months apiece over that period). So we’re fairly hardened when it comes to cracking on with things, with a toddler and a baby in tow and no family support (family in other countries).

DH and I both love festivals. And we also really like our kids, and spending time with them (we have nice kids).

But there’s no way we’d have taken ours to a festival at those ages. Later - absolutely.

At those ages - no.

So take them at four/five onwards. Two year olds don’t care.

Sorry, 2YO and 6MO (there’s an 18 month age gap between them).

Personally i wouldn’t fancy it op. But guess it depends how chill you are as a person in terms of lack of sleep, mud, germs, drunk people etc

I have children this age now. Sounds like utter hell to me

Took my daughter to her first festival last year aged 3. She loved it.
Definitely buy a cheap camping trolley

I also bought a bungee cord with wrist bands on so she didn’t have to hold hands at all times… but was attached to me/ someone in the group.

If you are taking a camping stove, I took hot water bottles (not too hot of course) to keep us cosy overnight)

lots of snacks.

activities/books etc to keep her occupied in the mornings while getting ready/making breakfast etc.

face paints/stickers

I took glow sticks, head bands, bracelets for the evenings- she loved them (cheap off the internet or somewhere like Home
Bargains

ear defenders

I took a cheap camping loo for in the tent so we didn’t have to trek anywhere in the middle of the night if she needed a wee.

We’re going to a festival next month and she can’t wait. She loved it last year and can’t wait to do it again! Fingers crossed for sunshine tho!

There were also plenty of families there with young kids and the adults definitely made more noise at nighttime (talking/snoring etc) than the babies did! Enjoy!

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!

Its not that you’ll have a better time without children to look after although you will.

The children at their ages will have a better time too. Take them in a few years

So? Mine enjoyed themselves plenty at the time at 2. Even if they don't remember it now why does that matter? Mine got plenty at 2 out of face painting and playing with their friends at the campsite and the theatre and having ice cream twice in one day.

Why would I wait another three years for them to be able to do that stuff? Makes no sense.

One 3YO is infinitely easier than a 2.5YO and a 9MO. 😉

have fun - if it isn't much fun with/for the children you can always leave early
(or decamp to the nearest travelodge if it's just the camping aspect that's not working for you)
Travelodge is my option for a festival for a festival next weekend, friends took the piss a bit before I said they could come over and use my shower😀

FFS @TheaBrandt I get that you saw this and experienced this. But for the third time -

I do not parent like that. I will not be parenting like that.

If I need to take the kids back to the tent at 8pm because they are tired and overwhelmed, I will. If they are happier pottering around the family area and spending all weekend on the bouncy castle and having their face painted, I will do that also. I am a good parent and I’m not sure why I would suddenly become a shit parent just because I am camping at a festival for the weekend 🙄

I am a good parent and I’m not sure why I would suddenly become a shit parent just because I am camping at a festival for the weekend 🙄

I've seen loads of shit parenting on buses. Funnily enough it's never made me think buses are inappropriate for children or made me a shit parent when we are on one. But apparently that's too sensible a position for some people.

If they are happier pottering around the family area and spending all weekend on the bouncy castle and having their face painted

The two year maybe- just about. The 8 month old won’t have a clue

My 2 year old is closer to 3 than two. And I can’t leave the baby at home by herself so she’s along for the ride…

Beautiful Days was an absolute nightmare. We ended up camped next to what looked like a hardened festival family with tons of kids, the baby cried through out the night, setting off the toddlers, then the older kids and it spread from tent to tent with people telling everyone to shut the fuck up.
The next morning, we moved to another field.

I now hate seeing young kids at festivals, I want to relax, drink cider at lunchtime, slur my words and swear without worrying about little ears.

I want to switch off my maternal gene, not trip over your trolley in the dark

So? We took ours for a week in Malta when he was 8 months as well. Should we not have done that because he didn't have a clue where he was?

Get a good quality tent with a double zip so the 2.5 yo can’t crawl out at night. That’s what happened to my cousin’s toddler at a festival once. They didn’t even realise he was missing until a neighbour woke them up to hand him back.

I’m sure it will be fine, loads of people take kids and babies to festivals. I wish I had taken mine when they were younger, I am taking them this year for the first time (they are teenagers but dd2 is severely autistic). Here are loads of child friendly festivals, most have children’s entertainment, circus skills, face painting and bouncy castles, your toddler will love it.

That depends on the festival! If you've only been to Reading or Download you might think that's what festivals are like.