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Original poster

1 month old too young for football?

284 replies

charlottetrip · 30/07/2015 09:26

I don't know if I've posted this in the right place, but any way.
My bf wants to take our 4 week old baby to football match on Saturday. I think this is far to young to be going. However when I expressed my feelings it was if I was being irrational and over worrying for not letting him go.
I'd just like to know other people's thoughts?

OP posts:
FredaMayor · 30/07/2015 14:09

Refugees? Homeless?

FSC, LLL, and anyone else, it was to illustrate that there are some people who have no choice but to take newborns with them wherever they go, and was meant ironically. But point taken, I'll bear in mind the readership in future.

OP, no offence meant.

LazyLouLou · 30/07/2015 14:28

The readership? Oh dear! Put the shovel down Smile

Boofy27 · 30/07/2015 14:40

Since grounds became all seater, it’s a lot less crowded that it was and certainly less crowded than it looks on telly. I think that you should do all you can to encourage your man’s pride in his child and their bonding, unless he’s a Chelsea fan, obviously.

SurlyCue · 30/07/2015 14:47
Confused

Im really baffles by some of the response here. No reason at all why baby cant go (unless ill).

As for What does the 1 month old get out of a trip to the football?

That's why he is doing parenting wrong. If you're bringing kids along to your hobby they should get something out of it.

words fail me. He is doing parenting wrong? Really? Because he wants to take his baby out to something he enjoys? Unlike all the mothers who take newborns to softplay with screaming toddlers and hot coffee to be spilled on them an possible D&V floating about between all the gremlins kiddies? Hmm

SurlyCue · 30/07/2015 14:54

My cousin took her 6week old baby at the weekend to watch his dad playing football. She must be doing parenting wrong too. Hmm i believe she didnt lose her ability to detect a dirty nappy while she was there either.

CheersMedea · 30/07/2015 14:55

Depends why he wants to take him.

If it is "I really want to go to this game and we don't have any other childcare options, so if I want to go I need to take him" that's one thing. I still think it's a bad idea but if its the only option then its up for debate.

If it's "I want to get him into football at a young age" or any other reason it is utterly ridiculous.

1 month is very young and football grounds are full of the great unwashed!! By which I mean lots of crowds and people with colds, coughs, germs etc. If he needs to take him to get changed etc, there is no nice place to do that in the mens!

Why take a baby so young to a noisy, crowded, germ filled environment when you don't have to?

Typically, there are also a lot of men under the influence of alcohol at football matches ranging from the mildly pissed to the ragingly drunk. It's not a good environment for a very young baby.

Goodbyemylove · 30/07/2015 14:57

I'd be concerned for safety reasons. Matches are very well-policed these days but there can still be drunken scuffles. I think it's a stupid idea.

MissBattleaxe · 30/07/2015 14:59

Nope. Stupid idea. Very very noisy, lots of shouting and a bit pointless taking the baby. Your BF clearly just wants to play the Cool Dad card. I would say no as well.

redshoeblueshoe · 30/07/2015 15:00

Sue - yep its much less horrendous than soft play. And can I ask where are all these PL matches - its July so we are talking about going to somewhere small.

BertrandRussell · 30/07/2015 15:09

" Your BF clearly just wants to play the Cool Dad card. I would say no as well."

Two things. Why shouldn't he play the cool dad card? And why does the mum get to say no?

MissBattleaxe · 30/07/2015 15:15

How will the baby benefit from the trip? 4 weeks is so so little and they just to eat and sleep and poop then. A footy match is just really unsuitable.

CloserToFiftyThanTwenty · 30/07/2015 15:19

I think babies don't benefit from a lot of the things they do when they are little (how does a trip to Tescos help them??). But unless what is being proposed is actually bad for them, I don't think that is a problem. And I don't think that a trip to the football is automatically bad for them. Drunken scuffles are pretty rare, grounds are well policed, and other fans are also pretty good at looking out for kids when necessary. They might still cuss and blind with kids around, but wouldn't let them come to physical harm, IYSWIM

SurlyCue · 30/07/2015 15:21

Why does the baby have to benefit from it? Confused babies are hauled about to loads of things they dont benefit from. Like the softplay i mentioned upthread. Or out at dinner with its parents/lunch with mum and her mummy mates. Going along to older DC sports day. Going to a parents graduation ceremony (fucking no-one benefits from those long dull crowded events)

BertrandRussell · 30/07/2015 15:21

Why does the baby have to benefit from the trip? I took one of mine to an office party when she was 10 days old. Didn't benefit her at all! Crucially it didn't do her any harm. They don't do much at that age and they don't care where they do it.

Anon4Now2015 · 30/07/2015 15:37

Not the same as having a baby strapped to you, but the general idea is that I felt "vulnerable" and so should anyone with a baby in a sling in that environment.

Why should everyone feel vulnerable with a baby in a sling at a premiership football match just because you did with a broken foot?

As I said I took all of mine to (premiership) matches at that age and didn't feel vulnerable at all. You are sitting in a seat for 90 minutes the same as you would be in a cinema or at the theatre - except at the the football nobody cares if you get up to change the baby or if the baby cries. At the end there can be a bit of a rush to get out - but again only the same as leaving the theatre and you do just the same as anyone with young children or someone elderly does, and hang back until it's a bit quieter. There are changing facilities, they will warm a bottle for you, it's not very loud at all. And anyone who is talking about drunkeness and fighting clearly hasn't been to a football match since the 1980s.

If it is a premiership football match your DC will certainly not be the only baby there and TBH at a month old I'd be amazed if they were the youngest there. Stop worrying.

redshoeblueshoe - The premiership season starts again a week on Saturday.

RiverTam · 30/07/2015 15:47

Sling
Ear defenders if necessary
Bottle
Nappy bag

Job done.

There was a tiny baby in front of us at the Paralympics. I doubt the baby got any 'benefit' from being there but it was lovely to see her, me and my friend were gooing over her like mad.

Jdee41 · 30/07/2015 15:47

What kind of game is it? Is it at a stadium, a terrace or a park? I'd have had my DD at football at that age if I had a ground nearby. And I didn't live in Scotland...

I'd have thought you'd be happy that they are spending time together and you could get a little break while they're out?

Some of the responses in this thread are just idiotic. Taking your baby out to an activity you enjoy and spending time together now requires you to 'grow up' for suggesting it??

UrethraFranklin1 · 30/07/2015 15:48

Babies don't benefit from any trip.

surely whether anyone else would be happy to go or not is completely irrelevant? OP has a tiny baby and is uncomfortable with the idea of it going. The father seems to be being a bit of a dick about it and not really caring about her feelings. That's what matters here.
Forget about it being football. If OP posted "My dh wants to take our newborn to his mothers/the bookies/the far side of the moon for the day and doesn't care that I don't want him to" she'd be getting more supportive answers.

Fathers should be equal parents and fully involved and responsible for their children. But this means deciding things together between parents not "I'm taking the baby wherever I like and you can lump it" at FOUR WEEKS OLD.

icklekid · 30/07/2015 15:50

I asked dh to take ds at a young age and he told me youngest could take them was 4 seemed sensible but a shame as I needed rest and dh taking him made sense...I wouldn't have a problem with it (not huge club to be fair!)

Jdee41 · 30/07/2015 15:53

Fathers should be equal parents and fully involved and responsible for their children. But this means deciding things together between parents not "I'm taking the baby wherever I like and you can lump it" at FOUR WEEKS OLD.

So does that mean 'equal parents' in the sense that the mother can ban the father from taking his baby to a perfectly safe and reasonable activity?

SurlyCue · 30/07/2015 16:01

So if mum was taking baby to softplay to meet her friends and dad said he didnt want it to happen you' be grand with that?

Heathcliff27 · 30/07/2015 16:01

Just as an addition to what pp's have said, he would really need to be very careful with the clubs rules. Our local team (scottish premiership team) do not allow any bottles (glass, plastic, milk or otherwise) to be taken into the ground incase they are used as missiles and thrown onto the pitch. I learned this the hard way when I had my daughters rucksack searched by the police on entry and they confiscated, in the nicest possible way, a plastic bottle of orange squash.

SurlyCue · 30/07/2015 16:06

I think a baby's bottle might be a bit different than soft drinks bottles.

Heathcliff27 · 30/07/2015 16:07

Depends how arsey the police officer is outside the ground.

SurlyCue · 30/07/2015 16:10

True! Its be pretty harsh to confiscate that though!

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