Glastonbury with a toddler

[Charlotte555]

I've never been to Glastonbury before, so I was hoping I could get some tips. I'm taking my 2 year old. She loves music and dancing, so really excited to see her reaction to it all, my only concern is the volume of the stages damaging her hearing. I will of course put ear defenders on her, but she is too young to understand not to take them off. I was wondering which stages you could get a distance from, so it wouldn't be too loud if she did take them off & still be able to see (kind of!) & not get loads of interference from other stages? 

Thanks  :) xxx

[Chris_R]

Quite a few of the larger stages like Other and Pyramid during the afternoon you can stand a huge distance from and have a whale of a time with the kids with bit of room to dance or even sit around on the grass and still enjoy it without being blasted - except when the "big" acts are on. If the Pyramid is rammed with people for a headliner, you can go to literally a dozen other stages and find similar space for the kids to enjoy the festival. We do the same as adults too 😉 

[Neil]

3 hours ago, Charlotte555 said:

I've never been to Glastonbury before, so I was hoping I could get some tips. I'm taking my 2 year old. She loves music and dancing, so really excited to see her reaction to it all, my only concern is the volume of the stages damaging her hearing. I will of course put ear defenders on her, but she is too young to understand not to take them off. I was wondering which stages you could get a distance from, so it wouldn't be too loud if she did take them off & still be able to see (kind of!) & not get loads of interference from other stages? 

Thanks  🙂 xxx

if shes like my kid wasthen she'll lead you away from anything too loud.

 

 

[IFinallyGotATicket]

Just stay away from west holts ... It's loud as fucccccccccck

[shutthefrontdoor]

We have taken our kids with us for the last few years - you'll have such a good time! During the day and early evening the main stages have lots of space at the back where you can chill out on a blanket and still enjoy the music. Later in the evening for the headliners they tend to be fuller with less room but the smaller stages and areas like Circus and Theatre are always really roomy with interesting stuff going on and nice bars. At that point our two are usually asleep in the bike trailer that we take so its easier to stick it out at the back of headline crowds if we want to see one - make sure your buggy has lots of lights on so people don't trip over / crash into it in the dark. My kids have always been happy to put the ear defenders on once it gets noisy - they sort of have to experience it to understand why they would want to keep them on! I also always sneak them on once they are asleep. 

[Skip997]

59 minutes ago, IFinallyGotATicket said:

Just stay away from west holts ... It's loud as fucccccccccck

Correction

It used to be “loud as f*ck”

[cb4747]

Definitely use ear defenders!
 

I took my son who was 1.5 last June. I won't sugar coat it - it was hard work, but perhaps made harder by our very strong willed 5 year old who was less happy to be dragged around and listen to music, and just wanted to be in the Kidzfield. 
Unfortunately both my children didn't tolerate the loud noise well, but they did well with keeping ear defenders on once they realised what they did. We found chilling at the very back of the Pyramid field okay for not being too loud, and they could run around a bit but anywhere else was a bit loud for them. 
Good luck! I hope you have a better experience of Glasto with kids than I did 🤣

[Neverneverland]

If she's anything like my 2 girls you'll be spending the majority of your time in the kidzfield which is no bad thing. You'll have a blast and so will your little girl, enjoy.

[bob323]

I've taken three kids on my own over many years

 

as said before, it's going to be hard work. I don't want to put you off, since I've loved taking my kids and would do it all again, but there's been a few stressful times

 

The festival is bloody huge - almost every new (to glasto) person I've said that to, always came back and said I didn't realise it was that huge!!

 

You have to think logistics for all equipment you need for all weathers (torential rain, sun/ hot, wind and cold) and carry all that suff on site from your car to one of the family fields. which could be 1-2miles (worse case) over farmland (dry/ wet/ mud?).

 

you'll need to transport your little one around the festival in a: off road pram/ sling/ or back pack again in all weathers and over very uneven ground.

 

during the day the kidz field will be likely the goto place, but on wed/ thurs the field will be masively full and almost over crowded - less so, from fri onwards when music starts, try and venture out to different areas, eg green fields, circus area etc..

 

other items to contend with: becareful of crowd pinch points between sets - when one band finishes sometimes there's a mass exodus to other areas, whilst people are trying to get into same area. This can be very scary for adults and kids - especially when a few people, who may be fairly drunk, get stressed/ angry and start pushing "hard".

 

in the late evening the level of very drunk people could be a concern - espicaily if your pram is medium to low and its darkish and crowded.

 

most of my stress in going to festivals has been when it's been muddy, you'll be fighting to stay on the walkways with what seems like every person in the festival, made worse with various people who think it's great fun to jump, kick and splash mud everywhere (I'm talking about "huge" amounts of mud may come your way).

You then will have to try to dry your clothes for the next day, which in general they do not dry very much. Mud plays havok with pram wheels and i've had to be pulled out of deep (easily 20cm+)  muddy areas when i've been holding my kids. all of the above will depend on which area and paths you take and at what time - be careful

 

good luck though, it will be an experience no matter the weather

 

 

Edited May 23 by bob323

[4AssedMonkey]

Never taken kids and mine are both mid-late teens now.  However from what I've observed, I'd recommend getting some lights and a flag on the stroller/trailer or whatever they'll be transported in so people don't walk into or trip over it.  I'd also be careful of trying to move to/from big stages just as acts have finished.  The exodus at times can be a bit scary to walk through as an adult.

 

Volume-wise I'd say the open air stages should all be OK further back.  I find the volume is worse in the tents - Woodsies in particular can be deafening at times if it's an act that's a bit shouty/overdriven guitars etc.

[bob323]

3 minutes ago, 4AssedMonkey said:

, I'd recommend getting some lights and a flag on the stroller/trailer or whatever they'll be transported in so people don't walk into or trip over it.

 

 

I've had at one time or another over ten fairly powerful lights on at the same time angled upwards to people faces - and people have just fallen / stubbled foward!! luckly i moved

[Fred Zepplin]

The back of the pyramid is great for playing and dancing and not too loud. My kids don’t like it loud but even they took their ear defenders off during Lizzo 

[Fred Zepplin]

Lighting up the bike trailer/pram is a must. We had some the first time we took them but not enough and then last year we attached some lights that people could see before they came to the bike trailer 

 

[Crazyfool01]

5 minutes ago, Fred Zepplin said:

Lighting up the bike trailer/pram is a must. We had some the first time we took them but not enough and then last year we attached some lights that people could see before they came to the bike trailer 

 

would advise EL wire available from Amazon and elsewhere , cable tie that onto any buggy and it can create an amazing tron like effect 

[bob323]

I got annoyed with ppl nearly falling on the kids, so i made my own 'pram' - this is one of my more advanced contraptions that i made

 

(taken in 2017 in the family field, with my missues and only two kids, pram in dry daylight mode. I had clip-on accessories/ lights for rain and night time)

Edited May 23 by bob323

[km9]

5 hours ago, bob323 said:

 

I've had at one time or another over ten fairly powerful lights on at the same time angled upwards to people faces - and people have just fallen / stubbled foward!! luckly i moved

I know what you're saying, but pointing lights at people doesn't improve their ability to see you 

Edited May 23 by km9

[bob323]

13 minutes ago, km9 said:

I know what you're saying, but pointing lights at people doesn't improve their ability to see you 

it really did improve things for me, they may have not seen me personaly, but they saw bright thing coming towards them.

 

This was only needed in a very few instances eg late at night, when it was dark and it was getting very busy. I typically tried to avoid crowds at night where ever possible - too stressful

Edited May 23 by bob323

[Ayrshire Chris]

One of the great sights at Glastonbury is seeing the decorated illuminated kids carts. Some very inventive and artistic uses of the carts.

[Neil]

8 hours ago, Skip997 said:

Correction

It used to be “loud as f*ck”

i know someone with the  WH sound levels measurements who can make you realise your ears used to work better.

[Ayrshire Chris]

18 hours ago, Charlotte555 said:

I've never been to Glastonbury before, so I was hoping I could get some tips. I'm taking my 2 year old. She loves music and dancing, so really excited to see her reaction to it all, my only concern is the volume of the stages damaging her hearing. I will of course put ear defenders on her, but she is too young to understand not to take them off. I was wondering which stages you could get a distance from, so it wouldn't be too loud if she did take them off & still be able to see (kind of!) & not get loads of interference from other stages? 

Thanks  🙂 xxx

Mrs C always remarks that she very rarely sees a grumpy toddler at the festival. They are either singing, dancing, playing or totally exhausted and in a deep sleep! 

[Bike_Like_A_Mum]

Took my two for the first time last year but they were a bit older, 6 & 8. I'd done glasto on my own a few times before,  they'd done many other festivals before since they were tiny. We had a brilliant time. Loads of stuff for families. They want to come back (I've told them not this year, wanna go on my own again first! 🤣)

 

With it being YOUR first time as well though, I just really want to say that outside of the kidz fields it is still very much an ADULT festival. You can feel very outnumbered. Don't let the lovely quaint BBC coverage fool you. Of course, you can still have a brilliant time at the main stages in the spaces around the back, but you really are far back - it's massive. Be prepared to let go of what you normally do or see at other festivals with kids. The scale of glasto makes that a bit more difficult.

 

Plan your journeys across site so you're not stuck in the middle of mass crowd movements at the end of an act as that can be scary with little ones. And be prepared to protect your littlies from huge drunk people.

 

Sorry, makes it sound scary and negative when I'm actually a huge advocate for taking the kiddies along!! But as it's your first, these are just the most important things I'd bear in mind. Can't stress enough the size and scale of it and the density of the crowds. Already saw another poster say they got annoyed at drunk people falling on their kids (I don't see it that way, the farm is a free space, it's my fault if I put my children in harms way so that would be my cue to move). Be open minded and flexible and you're going to have an epic experience!! 😊

Edited May 23 by Bike_Like_A_Mum

[Neil]

5 minutes ago, Bike_Like_A_Mum said:

Took my two for the first time last year but they were a bit older, 6 & 8. I'd done glasto on my own a few times before,  they'd done many other festivals before since they were tiny. We had a brilliant time. Loads of stuff for families. They want to come back (I've told them not this year, wanna go on my own again first! 🤣)

 

With it being YOUR first time as well though, I just really want to say that outside of the kidz fields it is still very much an ADULT festival. You can feel very outnumbered. Don't let the lovely quaint BBC coverage fool you. Of course, you can still have a brilliant time at the main stages in the spaces around the back, but you really are far back - it's massive. Be prepared to let go of what you normally do or see at other festivals with kids. The scale of glasto makes that a bit more difficult.

 

Plan your journeys across site so you're not stuck in the middle of mass crowd movements at the end of an act as that can be scary with little ones. And be prepared to protect your littlies from huge drunk people.

 

Sorry, makes it sound scary and negative when I'm actually a huge advocate for taking the kiddies along!! But as it's your first, these are just the most important things I'd bear in mind. Can't stress enough the size and scale of it and the density of the crowds. Already saw another poster say they got annoyed at drunk people falling on their kids (I don't see it that way, the farm is a free space, it's my fault if I put my children in harms way so that would be my cue to move). Be open minded and flexible and you're going to have an epic experience!! 😊

might not be the parents fault if people are falling over their kids, some people at Glastonbury just don't give a f**k, if something is in the way they're going thru not around nicely, but right oven the  top of that thing if they have to.

[Bike_Like_A_Mum]

3 minutes ago, Neil said:

might not be the parents fault if people are falling over their kids, some people at Glastonbury just don't give a f**k, if something is in the way they're going thru not around nicely, but right oven the  top of that thing if they have to.

 

of course! But it reaches a certain time of night in particular where you notice the behaviour happening more and more so at some point you have to call it and get out.

 

I guess people think they've reached the summit of mushroom mountain. Hard to differentiate from some of these wonderful trollies I guess... 🤣

Edited May 23 by Bike_Like_A_Mum

[fred quimby]

19 hours ago, Charlotte555 said:

I've never been to Glastonbury before, so I was hoping I could get some tips. I'm taking my 2 year old. She loves music and dancing, so really excited to see her reaction to it all, my only concern is the volume of the stages damaging her hearing. I will of course put ear defenders on her, but she is too young to understand not to take them off. I was wondering which stages you could get a distance from, so it wouldn't be too loud if she did take them off & still be able to see (kind of!) & not get loads of interference from other stages? 

Thanks  🙂 xxx

I do not have any advice that has not been given. 

Just want to say have an amazing time, first time and with your daughter , wow. Let the little one let rip and feel the freedom. Drink it in.

The Kidz field is a thing of wonder.

Make sure you go to circus and theatre for the walk about acts as you and Little one will enjoy. Green fields are great fir both of you

Have a blast and let us know how it goes.

 

Love seeing little uns having a great time.

 

Oh and truth stage 4am for her 😉

[bob323]

forgot to mention the greenpeace kids area is very small realtive to the kidz field, but it was one of my goto spaces on wed/ thurs because its (relatively) quiet, they also have a toddlers area as well.

 

your kid is too young at the moment, but it will still be entertaining to watch the kids WSW competitions (i think its called that) ie world sock wrestling competition - highly entertaining. my kids love it