Taking my 3 year old son, any advice?

[blackg1000]

This will be our fourth Glastonbury and wondered what it would be like taking our wee boy? We would love to go next year again but wondered what the best area to camp would be or any general advice? 

We always remember seeing parents with kids but never really thought of doing for ourselves but we think he would love it. 

[marathonsteve]

There is a family campsite I think its in Cockmill meadow very near to the Kidz area

[ian the worm]

Buy him a cart / trolley and some kids ear defenders. Then enjoy. 

[Stone_Love]

My predicament is that my beloved newborn daughter was born on 28th June 2018. Which of course will be Glastonbuy Friday.

My partner will not let me take her next year. And I haven't missed a Glastonbury since my first in 2004. I'm 34 now.

My predicament is what to do for the weekend. I usually get coach and ticket combo and that's been very successful for us since 2013. I won't be missing her birthday so I think I'll have to risk trying for a weekend ticket and head down early Saturday morning. Do Saturday and then straight back after the Sunday headliner.

Our daughter was three weeks early as well. I feel so selfish for thinking like this but I haven't missed a Glastonbury since I was 19! 

Edited September 23, 2018 by Stone_Love

[Field of Avalon]

Yeah, Cockmill Meadow is a lovely campsite for family's, stayed there the last 2 festivals. Good view if you camp further up the hill but it does get full quite quickly. Tickets permitting will camp there again next year.

[One Tonne Baby]

1 - Get tickets

[mashedonmud]

Take a very very responsible babysitter.

[Gnomicide]

How much can he carry?

[Radi0Head]

Do security check nappies?

[semmtexx]

Take less drugs than normal! You might want go to bed at 6am - they'll still wake up at 6am! Other than that it's great fun, we've taken our two and had a good time, different but still good fun. You need some sort of buggy/cart and you're good to go. The NCT tent at the back of the kids field has free baby baths, hot water, towels, food etc, massive sand pit. All they ask for is a donation. Really good. Kiddie food snacks so when they wake up you can quickly give them something to eat.

Edited September 23, 2018 by semmtexx

[Crazyfool01]

9 minutes ago, Radi0Head said:

Do security check nappies?

yes .. no soiled nappies allowed though the gates ... 

[Homer]

51 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

yes .. no soiled nappies allowed though the gates ... 

This why I cunningly usually avoid shitting my pants until about 3am in the naughty corner ?

[fatyeti24]

.

Edited September 23, 2018 by fatyeti24

[giantkatestacks]

My solution for kids at Glastonbury is grandparents. I took the 12 year old one year and it was just so restrictive in what we could see and do that the good bits of it didn't make up for the restrictions. We take the kids to smaller festivals (Green Man, Shambala, Womad, etc) and save G for us.

[zico martin]

Yeah we've always avoided encouraging the kids to come to for this reason. They are now 15 and 19 and want to come next year which I'm happy about and will have little effect on how much we party. We probably won't see them that much but would like to at least camp next to them as an easy way to catch, any recommendations on where to camp which isn't too boisterous and isn't for young kids?

[semmtexx]

Whilst I agree (in some ways) with the people who've said taking older kids restricts you I'm not sure the younger kids really do. I had as much fun with the two children as I did without them. Once they got to school age we stopped taking them and started taking them to other festivals. What difference did that make to my glasto experience? Well the hangovers have certainly got worse. I think taking older children (who won't fit into a cart/buggy but who aren't old enough to stay up late or look after themselves then that would stop doing lots of late night stuff. 

[JoeyT]

Friends of mine bring down their kids Tuesday and then take them home Thursday evening after they've had a blast in the Kidz field.

The children then stay at their grandparents for the rest of the weekend.

Doing this means we're able to park / camp in the East Camper family fields which are a bit closer to the Gate C entrance which is great.

Having said that this is only really practicable because we all live 20 mins from the site.

 

[giantkatestacks]

I think the restrictions for all ages happen for me because I actually now like watching lots of music at G - if I want to see something at the Acoustic then race up to the Park then back down to WH, all well and good.

If I want to sit with a 3 year old in a sandpit for an hour or watch then doing hand printing then I can do that anywhere. 

Likewise see putting up with Bastille as the 12 year old wants to see them <shivers>

[vinylvictim]

We've been taking our kids since they were 3 and 2, they still come now at 13 and 8 and have a fantastic time. There hasn't been one time I've ever regretted having my kids with me.

It does become a different festival with kids but it is no less enjoyable, so long as you accept you will need to slow down and change your own expectations of what you'll get out the festival.  Moving around is even more difficult with youngsters.  Even with transport (we went for a trolley but there are plenty different options) moving around site is slower, and you need to think carefully about how to avoid the biggest crowds and emptying fields.  In a wet year the mud slows things down even more. 

Cockmill meadow is perfect with really young kids because it is so close to Kidz Field, but it does fill extremely quickly and the last time I was there, there wasn't much room between tents to negotiate with a trolley or buggy at night. We've been using Wicket Ground on the other side of the site since 2010. It is a longer walk to Kidz Field but there's a lot more space and plenty room for the kids to play first thing in the morning. 

Remember to take ear defenders, and plenty blankets and warm clothes so they can sleep in whatever transport you take. That way you do get some time to enjoy music later in the evening. 

[semmtexx]

2 hours ago, giantkatestacks said:

Likewise see putting up with Bastille as the 12 year old wants to see them <shivers>

Nailed it. 

[zico martin]

I think my 15 and 19 year olds would be ok to mainly do their own things hopefully, whats the best area for us to camp in though you reckon?

[Quark]

On 9/24/2018 at 10:22 AM, vinylvictim said:

We've been taking our kids since they were 3 and 2, they still come now at 13 and 8 and have a fantastic time. 

I need more coffee this morning.  My first thought there was genuinely "how have they aged at different rates?"

[scaryclaireyfairy]

There's another family field near gate A if you don't arrive quick enough for Cockmill. We were there a couple of years ago and it was pretty empty. It's further from the Kidz Field but the stroll through The Wood and along the back of the Pyramid isn't a killer.

Things I've learned from camping with parents:

A bike trailer is like a little cosy den on wheels and can handle terrible ground conditions (2016).

Start training kid to tolerate wearing ear defenders now. It may be a long path.

Those big rubbery garden bucket-bag things with the handles (I may not be making sense) are good for carrying bits on and off site and using as a bath arrangement for toddlers.

Pack more kid snacks than you would imagine you'd ever need.

You'll need almost as much money for milk as you do for adult beverages.

[vinylvictim]

2 hours ago, Quark said:

I need more coffee this morning.  My first thought there was genuinely "how have they aged at different rates?"

? We keep one in cold storage for half the year to cut down on food costs