Babies?

[Sawdusty surfer]

We have taken our children every year. (They're now 19 and 21) We always had a motorhome, see my sig pic, and there were no problems. Having said that, if you have the option of leaving the baby with babysitters, I'd go for that option. You may not be able to have a child free Glastonbury again, so go for the fun filled blow out. It could be your last for quite some time.

[OBface]

BTW I hate the attitude that Glastonbury is not a place for children. One of our group of three took this stance and, even worse, when drunk would go up to parents and tell them her thoughts!! Absolutely mortifying!! Needless to say she wasn't invited this year.

[Cheesey]

BTW I hate the attitude that Glastonbury is not a place for children. One of our group of three took this stance and, even worse, when drunk would go up to parents and tell them her thoughts!! Absolutely mortifying!! Needless to say she wasn't invited this year.

I think I've only encountered one person like this the entire time we've been taking the kids - a pissed up teenager who reacted very negatively to the presence of the bike trailer for no reason whatsoever. She was ignored. Maybe it was your mate

Everyone else, of all shapes, sizes, ages, backgrounds and mental states, has always been extremely helpful and really nice, often stopping to say hello to the kids and express some positive thoughts.

[cham08]

_{What kind of creature have you spawned...?}

Ha, really need to learn how to type - or proof read. Im sure I know what I meant.

And really not trying to say I am better than anyone for taking my child with me. Everyone does what is correct for themselves and their family. And OBface how on earth have you managed to leave your partner at home. I would love to go solo with a few mates one year but not a chance Mrs Cham would allow that.

One final point if it is muddy avoid the other stage at all costs. I nearly had a breakdown getting there for the Subways on Sunday to the thick, glupey mud that was there. Fortunately the rest of the site was pretty much dry.

[JennieT]

You say the baby will be 3 months old? So you haven't actually had it yet and is it your first?

I'm just asking because as a parent of many years I still remember how unprepared we were for the reality of having a baby the first time and I'm thinking you might feel differently about bringing a young baby once you know what it entails

. Plus you could really feel the need of a break at that stage and a few days away without the baby could be a better option.

Though as others have said you can decide for definite just before the festival if you have a baby sitter on standby/ can pack for the baby quickly.

Personally we starting bringing ours when they were 5 years old which works for us but younger children work for others

Yep first one and yep not here yet! Im really in 2 minds. Depends how we cope running upto June, as you say we might be glad of the break lol.

[OBface]

And really not trying to say I am better than anyone for taking my child with me. Everyone does what is correct for themselves and their family. And OBface how on earth have you managed to leave your partner at home. I would love to go solo with a few mates one year but not a chance Mrs Cham would allow that.

Errr I don't really give him an option Plus we honestly are much happier if we pursue our own things a few times each year (we're not a couple of steps away from divorce, promise!).

Edited October 7, 2014 by OBface

[SamJ]

Hi - we took our little 'un when he was 1 and 2, planning on taking him this year too. He had a fab time both times, though obviously he's that much older. I just wanted to add one thing to most of parents on here, which is that a normal routine is nearly impossible at Glasto. That can be fine or quite difficult depending on your style and your child's personality. it's hard to know in advance. For us, knowing the festival really well helped make us comfortable and ok dealing with the occasional stresses.

[midnight]

What kind of creature have you spawned...?

Heh heh, these willies made me laugh almost as much as the "virginal delivery" in the Some News thread.

But on topic, I took my son to his first Glastonbury when he was 13 months old, in 2009. It was great fun, we had a biggish tent, a 3-adults-to1-baby ratio, and a nice quiet camping area. Didn't bother with a buggy, I carried him in a sling and we let him groove and cruise around in the less crowded areas (accoustic, theatre etc), I have pictures of him dancing in front of the Avalon bar with his little green ear defenders, these photos are absolutely priceless to me.

I would have loved to go with him in 2008, when he was just one month old (the temptation was particularly strong because tickets were miraculously not selling out until June in that year), but I was recovering from a c-section, still couldn't lift much, and I must admit, I was terrified of taking the precious newborn into potentially muddy conditions, having experienced the mudbaths of 98 and 07 (14 was a doodle by comparison, honestly).

Each to their own, if baby and parents are fit and breastfeeding works out fine (I, for one, would not want to mess around with bottles at a festival, I'd be too nervous about the hygiene aspect), it will probably be a good experience, it is definitely do-able. Easier than it will/would be with a toddler, in my son's toddling years I went to WOMAD with him instead.

Trouble with the tickets is of course that you'll have to decide in April. Good luck with everything!

Edited October 7, 2014 by midnight

[JennieT]

Heh heh, these willies made me laugh almost as much as the "virginal delivery" in the Some News thread.

But on topic, I took my son to his first Glastonbury when he was 13 months old, in 2009. It was great fun, we had a biggish tent, a 3-adults-to1-baby ratio, and a nice quiet camping area. Didn't bother with a buggy, I carried him in a sling and we let him groove and cruise around in the less crowded areas (accoustic, theatre etc), I have pictures of him dancing in front of the Avalon bar with his little green ear defenders, these photos are absolutely priceless to me.

I would have loved to go with him in 2008, when he was just one month old (the temptation was particularly strong because tickets were miraculously not selling out until June in that year), but I was recovering from a c-section, still couldn't lift much, and I must admit, I was terrified of taking the precious newborn into potentially muddy conditions, having experienced the mudbaths of 98 and 07 (14 was a doodle by comparison, honestly).

Each to their own, if baby and parents are fit and breastfeeding works out fine (I, for one, would not want to mess around with bottles at a festival, I'd be too nervous about the hygiene aspect), it will probably be a good experience, it is definitely do-able. Easier than it will/would be with a toddler, in my son's toddling years I went to WOMAD with him instead.

Trouble with the tickets is of course that you'll have to decide in April. Good luck with everything!

Thanks for your reply. Might sound selfish but there is no question of me handing my ticket back. Lol. We will have to have granny's on standby baby sitting in case we leave him/her at home. Tough decision.

[Cheesey]

I don't think a baby can enjoy the festival and wont even be aware of what's going on

Babies up to the age of about 5 or six months aren't really aware of what's going on even in "normal" situations, let alone at Glastonbury. That doesn't stop them from enjoying what they experience - they smile and laugh plenty from about 3 months onwards.

Glastonbury is an incredibly stimulating environment for anyone - especially a baby. There's so much for them to see, hear, smell and feel. I for one think that's a positive thing.

[bimblebee]

I took my son in 2013 when was just under 6 months. Yes it totally different festival that what we were used to but I have to say I think I enjoyed it more. It was great to spend time together as a family and he enjoyed all the sights and sounds.

More planning was required before going and when getting ready each day. We took a off road three wheeler pram and it coped fine, even with the day of mud. The NCT tent in the kidz field was great. We bought a caravan and it made things much easier then it would have been in a tent.

I had decided he would be going before he was even born. At the time my husband disagreed but once we were there he told me he had been wrong and was really glad that I had insisted. We never had any issues with any other festival goers. In fact loads of people came to speak to us to tell us they thought it was great we had brought our son. Our pimped up pram got lots of comments to)

We would have taken him again this year if we had managed to get tickets. However we were successful for next years festival so he will be attending his second Glastonbury at nearly 2 and a half.

Would I have taken him at 3 months? Yes I would.

[Guest]

If I ever had children I can't imagine taking them to Glastonbury until they were 4 - 5 years old. I love seeing children and babies at Glastonbury - it gives it a nice different feel however I couldn't imagine coping unless I had a caravan - especially if taking a baby. I don't think a baby can enjoy the festival and wont even be aware of what's going on

If their eyes are open, I can't imagine them not enjoying it

[worthyraver]

As has been mentioned babies are actually much easy than older children, that said I would never tale a baby to Glastonbury or any other festival as I dont see what the babies get out of it.

We waited until they were toddlers, then they can really interact with people and take in their surroundings, also slightly better when they are still in nappies for obvious reasons lol

[mr gumby]

If I ever had children I can't imagine taking them to Glastonbury until they were 4 - 5 years old. I love seeing children and babies at Glastonbury - it gives it a nice different feel however I couldn't imagine coping unless I had a caravan - especially if taking a baby. I don't think a baby can enjoy the festival and wont even be aware of what's going on

We took our baby boy of six months to Glastonbury in 2013. He's generally a very happy little lad anyway, but I don't think I've ever seen him happier than during those 5 days! The people, the colour, the sound, smells and energy of the place were just perfect for him. This year I was there solo and working, so he had to stay home with his Mum, but we're definitely taking him next year!

[midnight]

Tbh, I think it's more about what the parent wants to do than what the baby gets out of it. If you really want to go and don't want to separate from your babies you take them along. They want to be with you at that age, no matter where. There's plenty of things you'll have to compromise on once you are a parent - why compromise where you don't really have to? Or if you have a lovely granny who is keen to take over on stand-by, great.

My son would have been just as happy to go on any old camping trip or some 3-day-funfair (any unusual noise or light triggered a cute "owwwhhhhhh" sound), but I was glad I could take him along and didn't have to miss out.

[storm]

Ha, really need to learn how to type - or proof read. Im sure I know what I meant.

.

It's the auto-correct. it changes wellies to willies every time, many people have been caught out by this before.

Yep first one and yep not here yet! Im really in 2 minds. Depends how we cope running upto June, as you say we might be glad of the break lol.

Congratulations

If I ever had children I can't imagine taking them to Glastonbury until they were 4 - 5 years old. I love seeing children and babies at Glastonbury - it gives it a nice different feel however I couldn't imagine coping unless I had a caravan - especially if taking a baby. I don't think a baby can enjoy the festival and wont even be aware of what's going on

As has been mentioned babies are actually much easy than older children, that said I would never tale a baby to Glastonbury or any other festival as I dont see what the babies get out of it.

We waited until they were toddlers, then they can really interact with people and take in their surroundings, also slightly better when they are still in nappies for obvious reasons lol

Same as us, ours were 5 and 6 years old the first time they went, it suited us best.

Tbh, I think it's more about what the parent wants to do than what the baby gets out of it. If you really want to go and don't want to separate from your babies you take them along. They want to be with you at that age, no matter where. There's plenty of things you'll have to compromise on once you are a parent - why compromise where you don't really have to? Or if you have a lovely granny who is keen to take over on stand-by, great.

My son would have been just as happy to go on any old camping trip or some 3-day-funfair (any unusual noise or light triggered a cute "owwwhhhhhh" sound), but I was glad I could take him along and didn't have to miss out.

^^ this, it's well doable but it has to be up to the individual (and their children of course) whether it's a good idea or not.

[amfy]

There that picture of the little baby st Eddy Grant that shows how much a tiny baby can enjoy the festival.

i've never had a baby or child to take, but I love seeing them there, & I've loved reading this thread.

[Pipine]

I was considering taking our little one who will be one at next years festival but decided to wait another year or two til they can appreciate it more, I was planning to use a sling and camp in the family camping area, I know people who have taken babies and had a great time. Sounds like you've got some excellent advice from this thread.. Hope it goes well if you do decide to go with the little one I'll be making the most of my last glasto with my friends as our son will be with my other half at home, I'm going to miss him so badly!

[JennieT]

Thanks for all the replies. Definately nice to know so many people are there to offer advice. My husband is still saying no but we will see what happens. X

[Woffy]

This needs sorting out on Jeremy Kyle.

[JennieT]

This needs sorting out on Jeremy Kyle.

No need to be nasty.

[Woffy]

Was joking; soz!

As a Dad who has taken his kids to Glasto when they were v.young, I think you should go for it, FWIW.

[Wooderson]

Bringing kids to the fest ain't easy - but it's an experience & certainly a family memory you'll all cherish.

[Woffy]

Its a completely different festival but one i've enjoyed.

No hangovers and quiet early mornings becomes a quite pleasant experience.

And the kids field is utter bliss; beautiful place in it's own right.

[Woffy]

Edit: double post.

Edited October 12, 2014 by Woffy