Advice for taking baby to day music festival, will be out late

[Frazzled37]

Has anyone experience of taking baby to a concert or festival? Or keeping them out late?

We are going to see Pearl Jam in Hyde Park in July, it was booked for 2 years ago but due to covid has been delayed. We now have a baby who will be 8 months old by then, and I'm not sure if it's feasible for us to go. We're going up the day before so he can have a morning nap in the hotel before we go to Hyde Park. He may have an afternoon nap in the sling there (I'm hoping) as he does still have the odd sling nap. I will of course get him ear defenders.

I'm just so worried as he's never been a sleep anywhere baby, and does not just fall asleep in my arms when tired. He normally goes into his crib with black out blinds and white noise. The concert will finish well after his bedtime, so this is my main concern. Is it likely I can get him to sleep I the sling at bedtime, and still put him to bed okay at the hotel? Of course I know all babies are different, but does anyone have experience or advise please?

If we do go and he kicks off I will just take him back to the hotel. Just wondering if my husband should just go with a friend instead though!

Why not try it out one evening at home? See if he will fall asleep whilst you’re wearing him around the house late one evening.

How will you manage the crowd jostling and the noise ? I did bring mine to family friendly events from about 3. Is there any chance of someone able to mind junior in the hotel?

We take our baby to lots of stuff like this - we just put her asleep in the buggy with the snooze shade and ear protectors on

If she didn’t sleep or kicked off we just took turns taking her off for a stroll around / distract her with something

It she enjoys a good dance anyway so mostly enjoyed the buzz of concerts anyway

I think you are massively overthinking it just go with the flow and see how you get on

Bring lots of snacks for the babs also 😂

This would be my idea of absolute hell so I’m not sure I can help much. Noise, crowds, drunk people, London transport and etc etc.
July is still ages away in the short span of his life so far. He and his routines will have probably changed so much by then it’s almost impossible to predict how he will cope with something like this.
Personally I’d have found the whole thing so stressful I would have been waving my DH off with a friend. BUT I’ve never been the kind of person who would have enjoyed a Pearl jam concert in the first place.
I’m sure there will be plenty of people who have done similar.

Or yea the baby carrier is a must!!

Surely this is what babysitters are for?

Also you need to just accept the routine is gone to shit for that day / night it’s not a big deal

You can get the routine back tomorrow 🙈

I went to the BST Roger Waters gig a few years ago and its not a rowdy festival. I think it will be fine. Id make sure the pram was comfy and get some kidz ear defenders and a canopy for shade. Id maybe even see if you can upgrade to the VIP bit for comfort.

Can't you get a trusted family member to babysit? That would honestly be my idea of hell, I'd want to watch the band, have a drink and a dance and relive my youth 😁 not lug a baby around with all the accompanying stuff they need.

You can get nannies who will babysit the baby in the hotel. Either contact local agencies or you can use the sitters app.

I would go for it and just accept that it might throw off his routine and you could have a couple days of bad sleep after it! Sometimes life just happens, you can get back on track after! Maybe you could try making his bedtime a bit later the week beforehand to try and prepare him a bit? Of course babies often wake early no matter how late bedtime is so that might not work.

He might just suprise you. We had to get our baby up for a flight at 2am recently, I was prepared for a terrible day but he adjusted really well! Would he ever sleep in his buggy?

Take a sling and buggy (put those flashing bike lights on the front wheels and handles of the buggy so others don't trip over it once it's dark) and it'll be fine. Baby will sleep at some point provided he's warm enough, has been fed etc. DC2 came to various things like this with me and I always put them in one of those fluffy all-in-one pram suits before it got colder so I knew I could put them in the buggy and they'd be comfy for a good while. Ear defenders are a good call but a bandana type thing over the ears first will make it more comfortable.

It will likely be finished by 10.30/ 11pm.

Thank you all for your comments, I know I'm definitely overthinking it but that's just me! 😂

I don't really want a babysitter as it's an afternoon thing that goes on into the evening, and I think he'd enjoy the day. Also he adamantly refuses a bottle so far, so I cannot leave him with anyone at the moment.. although by then who knows! My family are nowhere near London though so that wouldn't be an option. @Testarossa44 I didn't know that, so that's good to know for other occasions, thank you! I've been to BST before and there is space to picnic etc so we won't be in the crowds.

Unfortunately he is not a pushchair sleeper, but he does currently love a snooze in the sling so hoping he still will by then! @SE13Mummy good call on the bandana with ear defenders, I'll do that. @Fupoffyagrasshole and @shivawn glad to hear you've dealt with things like that, and it all goes okay. You're right, I should just go for it and accept a possible shit few days after... we have many shit days anyway even with routine do what's the difference?! 😂😂