AIBU to think music festivals are unsuitable for babies and toddlers?

[ShesRunningOutTheDoor]

Taking babies, toddlers and small children to music festivals is not good parenting.
A) loud - permanent hearing damage
B) drugs / drink mean - especially when darkness falls - it’s not a good environment for children to be in
C) dust. The dust gets in your nose and throat and lungs and is very harmful for more vulnerable babies / toddlers. All the adults I was with yesterday had sore throats and blocked noses from this
D) selfish. You might want to be there but your baby does not
I love a festival but seeing babies there makes me sad for them

What are they baffled by? They don't live in a permanent bubble or Bluey and soft play. What baffling about kids of slave to run in around, music, fair rides etc

Like grass soil dust rather thackeray didn't dust the tent dust. I can imagine some of the fields are barely holding on atm with the heat

I hate seeing children being forced into the tents with their hands over their ears crying. I've seen this at several festivals.

General festival noise and utter lack of anything at all to entertain them. Running around at a festival is not a good idea. Try reading my post about the kind of festivals I go to.

Family friendly smaller local events targeted at families - like the ones you get at your local part - sure

Large events that do not consider children’s teens based on the type of entertainment available (no fun fair, no cute local stalls, no candy floss) - the. I wouldn’t want my child there at all - I think it’s way too overwhelming, gets crowded and it’s just too loud.

I think a lot of people don’t put themselves in their children’s shoes, and instead put their children in their shoes.

Was going to post exactly this. Ive encountered the same , crowd moving forward to watch the main bands and then there’s kids asleep or sat playing on picnic blankets. Complete stupidity as you can’t see them until you are virtually on top of them.

I've only ever been to family friendly festivals and they were very much set up for children. Ear protection, nearby campsite, lots of activities, and sitting at the back rather than the front - we had a great time. We didn't go this year as I thought the heat would be too much, and I definitely wouldn't take a small baby. My daughter went to her first one at 3.5.

She did go on her first steam train ride at six weeks...

I always go to Shrewsbury folk festival and am taking my 6 year old this year. Loads of stuff on for children - in fact they have a whole “children’s festival” programme. Feels really safe and noones doing drugs though (as far as I can tell!)- certainly not the group I go with. I’ve never been to the festivals mentioned here but sounds like a very different vibe.

Personally no I could not think of anything worse than taking my own baby to one how on earth would I enjoy it?

Babies have been raised on farms with noisy equipment, or in traveller families, on boats and in huts or caves with no harm there is more to the world than a little bubble babies should be kept in

so this faux 'why won't people think of the poor children!'' need to stick every judgmental thing into a cute little box and judge is getting old hat - I hope people are not also doing the patronsing heald tilt and pouting as they judge?

YABU. If a festival allows children, children are fine to go.

If you personally don't like children, find an adult-only festival.

Festivals can be great events for kids, if it's the right event and the parents are attentive obviously.

The dust this year is bad. I wouldn’t want my baby breathing that in. It was really affecting the adults - sore throats, coughing, blocked noses. Dust contains pathogens too so can enter little vulnerable lungs and cause disease / irritation. Just a big no from me.
maybe if these dry summers continue festivals need to test air quality and ban babies / toddlers to protect them if the dust is bad