Babies and Glastonbury (again)

[Hugh Jass II]

Feels like every year I’m starting threads about kids but here we are again…

What is the youngest possible age you could take a baby to Glastonbury?

Mrs J is pregnant with our third child and due 1st June (chances are it will be earlier in May) we knew this when the sale happened but decided to get her a ticket anyway and who knows what can happen between now and then. She’s still desperate to go as our other two kids absolutely loved it last year, but of course it all depends on when baby comes and how she’s feeling afterwards.

I’m planning to take our older two myself and camp onsite with them. But we’ve booked a hotel in Taunton where Mrs J and baby can sleep in proper beds and cots and then just come to site for a little bit during the day. Obviously it’ll depend on weather - if it’s too hot or wet or muddy we’ll abandon. Obviously it goes without safely that if we can’t do it safely or responsibly we wouldn’t do it at all.

It’s quite possible that we abandon this closer to the time (hotel is free cancellation) and Mrs J and baby stay home but right now that’s the plan.

Has anyone been on site with a baby that young before?

 

[Wooderson]

3 minutes ago, Hugh Jass II said:

Feels like every year I’m starting threads about kids but here we are again…

What is the youngest possible age you could take a baby to Glastonbury?

Mrs J is pregnant with our third child and due 1st June (chances are it will be earlier in May) we knew this when the sale happened but decided to get her a ticket anyway and who knows what can happen between now and then. She’s still desperate to go as our other two kids absolutely loved it last year, but of course it all depends on when baby comes and how she’s feeling afterwards.

I’m planning to take our older two myself and camp onsite with them. But we’ve booked a hotel in Taunton where Mrs J and baby can sleep in proper beds and cots and then just come to site for a little bit during the day. Obviously it’ll depend on weather - if it’s too hot or wet or muddy we’ll abandon. Obviously it goes without safely that if we can’t do it safely or responsibly we wouldn’t do it at all.

It’s quite possible that we abandon this closer to the time (hotel is free cancellation) and Mrs J and baby stay home but right now that’s the plan.

Has anyone been on site with a baby that young before?

 

Morning mate. Congrats on growing family! Have had babies/kids at the festival for past decade. Admittedly neither of ours as young as a month old... 

If you can manage ear-defenders I thought you should be OK.

[Crazyfool01]

Firstly congrats in advance , can’t help too much but it’s about 1 hour each way from Taunton … I reckon leaving around 10.30 first morning would get her in without too much queuing based on last couple of years and gate A queues . 

[Hugh Jass II]

3 minutes ago, Wooderson said:

Morning mate. Congrats on growing family! Have had babies/kids at the festival for past decade. Admittedly neither of ours as young as a month old... 

If you can manage ear-defenders I thought you should be OK.

Cheers mate.

There’s too many variables right now to know for sure whether Mrs J will actually come or not (and annoyingly we’ll know after ticket refund deadline) but it’s important for her to at least have the option to be able to go at this stage.

[Hugh Jass II]

1 minute ago, Crazyfool01 said:

Firstly congrats in advance , can’t help too much but it’s about 1 hour each way from Taunton … I reckon leaving around 10.30 first morning would get her in without too much queuing based on last couple of years and gate A queues . 

Cheers, that’s good to know.

On a related note, any hotel within a ten mile radius of the festival is at least four figures for the weekend!

[Hugh Jass II]

Worst case scenario I’ll be single dadding my way around the fest next year.

[Alvoram]

1 hour ago, Hugh Jass II said:

Feels like every year I’m starting threads about kids but here we are again…

What is the youngest possible age you could take a baby to Glastonbury?

Mrs J is pregnant with our third child and due 1st June (chances are it will be earlier in May) we knew this when the sale happened but decided to get her a ticket anyway and who knows what can happen between now and then. She’s still desperate to go as our other two kids absolutely loved it last year, but of course it all depends on when baby comes and how she’s feeling afterwards.

I’m planning to take our older two myself and camp onsite with them. But we’ve booked a hotel in Taunton where Mrs J and baby can sleep in proper beds and cots and then just come to site for a little bit during the day. Obviously it’ll depend on weather - if it’s too hot or wet or muddy we’ll abandon. Obviously it goes without safely that if we can’t do it safely or responsibly we wouldn’t do it at all.

It’s quite possible that we abandon this closer to the time (hotel is free cancellation) and Mrs J and baby stay home but right now that’s the plan.

Has anyone been on site with a baby that young before?

 

Congrats Hugh Jass

We took a one year old with us last year, our friend's baby. I thought she was brilliant, well behaved, barely a bother. But our friends, the parents, hated it. Completely changed their Glasto (they've been going for much longer than us.)

They also spent a lot of time protecting the buggy from drunken idiots climbing over it or moving it out of the way in crowds, despite being near to the back. (Hence why parents feel the need to build a protective circle of chairs around babies.) They found the experience so scary that they're not taking her again until she's at least 9 or 10. 😕 

[Scrump]

1 hour ago, Hugh Jass II said:

Worst case scenario I’ll be single dadding my way around the fest next year.

I've keep promising my 2 (7 and 9 years old) that I'll do this. But when p comes to s, I'm just not prepared to.

Would you mind if I drop mine off with you in the Thurs and pick them back up on the Monday morning? 4 kids isn't that much different to 2, right?!😜

[Scrump]

@Hugh Jass IIOh and congrats on number 3!!

[Neil]

took my son at 7 month, sterilising bottles (in the tent) and a travel cot, he'd just started crawling and it was a very muddy one ('97) he missed being able to crawl. it was bloody hard work and might have been my least favourite glasto.

[Avalon_Fields]

Congratulations @Hugh Jass II ! You’re a braver man than me. Taking my son when he was 16 was enough of a challenge for me!

[Twiggy553]

The best tactic is to go with someone else who doesn’t have kids and alternate years with your partner

[bob323]

5 hours ago, Neil said:

took my son at 7 month, sterilising bottles (in the tent) and a travel cot, he'd just started crawling and it was a very muddy one ('97) he missed being able to crawl. it was bloody hard work and might have been my least favourite glasto.

we took our kid - almost at the same age 9mo in 2007, which was also a very wet year

it was very hard work, although our kid was being breast feed, which made it easier

avoiding all the drunken people having fun whilst stumbing on to us or kicking up the watery mud everywhere, was NOT fun at all

 

I took him on my own when he was around 2 yo 9months. it was fun for both of us - the person running the helta skelta slide in the kids field was not happy with him since they discovered his nappy was very full just at the very top (I had to let them take him up, i was not allowed) they still sent him down - it closed for a bit shortly afterwards for some reason?

 

I took him on my own again when he was nearly four and he managed to get lost in the kidz field every single day - I suspected the free biscuits and juice at the lost kidz cabin may have contributed

Edited December 17, 2023 by bob323

[Talcroft]

Not a parent but work with newborns. 

Met a woman breastfeeding her 5-day old in 2017 on the walk from Pyramid to Other. I actually think a newborn is probably easier than a chunkier baby... Stick em in a sling and make sure mum's wearing high vis -  tons easier than negotiating a pram with a bigger kid. They sleep, feed and not much else at that age. V tiring obv but she'll be tired anyway. Choose your tired.

[Ayrshire Chris]

10 hours ago, Hugh Jass II said:

Feels like every year I’m starting threads about kids but here we are again…

What is the youngest possible age you could take a baby to Glastonbury?

Mrs J is pregnant with our third child and due 1st June (chances are it will be earlier in May) we knew this when the sale happened but decided to get her a ticket anyway and who knows what can happen between now and then. She’s still desperate to go as our other two kids absolutely loved it last year, but of course it all depends on when baby comes and how she’s feeling afterwards.

I’m planning to take our older two myself and camp onsite with them. But we’ve booked a hotel in Taunton where Mrs J and baby can sleep in proper beds and cots and then just come to site for a little bit during the day. Obviously it’ll depend on weather - if it’s too hot or wet or muddy we’ll abandon. Obviously it goes without safely that if we can’t do it safely or responsibly we wouldn’t do it at all.

It’s quite possible that we abandon this closer to the time (hotel is free cancellation) and Mrs J and baby stay home but right now that’s the plan.

Has anyone been on site with a baby that young before?

 

Congratulations, and that sounds like a good plan! 

[Mark H]

Congratulations!

I have two kids, never taken them to Glasto so don’t have first hand experience. But I think what you are proposing is totally doable.

As you will be well aware from your other two kids, one month olds really don’t do anything!! Strap it to the Mrs and it will spend most of the day asleep or having the odd feed.

With the comfort of a clean bed and coat waiting at the end of the day this sounds 100% achievable  to me.

TBH I think looking after the other two on-site is the bigger challenge.

[Neil]

4 hours ago, Twiggy553 said:

The best tactic is to go with someone else who doesn’t have kids and alternate years with your partner

best tactic is to take a mate to be the evening babysitter. 🙂 

[Derby_Dave]

14 hours ago, Hugh Jass II said:

Feels like every year I’m starting threads about kids but here we are again…

What is the youngest possible age you could take a baby to Glastonbury?

Mrs J is pregnant with our third child and due 1st June (chances are it will be earlier in May) we knew this when the sale happened but decided to get her a ticket anyway and who knows what can happen between now and then. She’s still desperate to go as our other two kids absolutely loved it last year, but of course it all depends on when baby comes and how she’s feeling afterwards.

I’m planning to take our older two myself and camp onsite with them. But we’ve booked a hotel in Taunton where Mrs J and baby can sleep in proper beds and cots and then just come to site for a little bit during the day. Obviously it’ll depend on weather - if it’s too hot or wet or muddy we’ll abandon. Obviously it goes without safely that if we can’t do it safely or responsibly we wouldn’t do it at all.

It’s quite possible that we abandon this closer to the time (hotel is free cancellation) and Mrs J and baby stay home but right now that’s the plan.

Has anyone been on site with a baby that young before?

 

A friend of mine took her daughter in a tent in the mid 90’s.

She’d only be a a few months old but the managed pretty well with planning at best but yours would certainly be the youngest I’ve heard of going.

 

 

[sedra]

I spoke to a family camped near us a few years back - baby was 6 weeks old. There are plenty of people on site to support mum in Kidz camping field with a quiet nursing area  etc. only issue maybe noise and protection of ears but baby sling carrier easier than buggy. It will all depend on how Mrs J feels travelling back and forth which could be tiring. Campervan maybe easier /quieter option?? 

[Justcalledtosay]

Congratulations HA2. Everyone's different and each to their own but that sounds absolute bonkers to me. There'll be other Glastonburys.

Edited December 18, 2023 by Justcalledtosay

[Hugh Jass II]

There's been an amusing range of responses to this, both here and in the world. Some have considered and concluded "yeah that's doable" and others have looked on in abject horror.

[Skip997]

10 minutes ago, Hugh Jass II said:

There's been an amusing range of responses to this, both here and in the world. Some have considered and concluded "yeah that's doable" and others have looked on in abject horror.

It's certainly "doable". It just depends on how much of the festival you're prepared to sacrifice.

[Nduja]

I think it's probably more viable at that age than when they start moving around.

From a rationalist perspective, it's quite a lot of money and effort to go to the festival, plus the commuting time to and from Taunton, and probably not see most of the highest quality acts. But then again, the experience will probably feel quite special and compensate for that, and like for her, it might be a priceless thing to get to do this so soon after giving birth.

[giantkatestacks]

It really depends on how mum is. I wouldn't have wanted to do it - I think that period is for nesting and feeding but everyone's different. 

[stuie]

From babies perspective, how cool to say you first went to Glastonbury when you were a few weeks old! 

They will be saying it's not as good as it used to be by the time they are 18 🙂