Off to your first post-baby, take-baby festival!? Check out our must-have list to make sure your first family festival experience is a success!
A Baby Carrier
Moving in between crowds is far easier when you’re not pushing a small person in front of you. Get a decent carrier that’s comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Strap them in and off you go – great for crowded marquee tents and exploring the show ground. Plus you get to look like the guy from “The Hangover” if you have them facing outwards… Sooooo win win.
Wet Wipes Galore
You’re a parent so you’re already a huge fan of the wet-wipe (am I right?!) but at a festival these come in to their own. We’ve been known to clean an entire campervan with them! Don’t scrimp when it comes to packing them in the bag and taking them with you during the day, they’re not just ideal for baby, they’ll be great for you guys too. If you’re like us, you’ll want something that’s kind to your little one’s skin – I can’t recommend WaterWipes enough for this. They’re 99.9% water and super soft for sensitive skin.
Wet Weather Cover
You want a rain cover for your buggy and some form of water protection for your carrier – even if it’s just putting baby in an all in one rainsuit! A buggy rain cover will also help keep your baby warm when the temperature drops at night – perfect for allowing you an extra hour of drinking dancing!
All Terrain Buggy
It’s a long day if you’re solely baby carrying. A decent all terrain buggy will give your shoulders a rest and your little one somewhere of their own to sleep. Added bonus: you can totally load it up with chairs, picnics, coats etc for the way home. Make sure it’s all terrain though, most festivals are in fields and your average stroller won’t cope with the uneven ground. Also, don’t forget a puncture lot if you’re using inflated wheels. Like we did. Suddenly that chair carrying super wagon is pretty heavy.
Pop Up UV Tent
Great for providing shelter from the sun and any wind, these clever pop-ups pack down into a small bag that can be carried easily. They also normally provide shower cover but don’t count on them in a heavy downpour. Choose pop-up for ease of erection or go for a pole based tent if you want something a bit sturdier. Just make sure you know how to put it up first. Trying to erect a tent in a crowd for the first time is not a recipe for happy families.
Sun Protection
Speaking of sun, it’s easy to forget when you’re out enjoying yourself just how sensitive a baby’s skin is. Ever got back after a cloudy day and felt like you’ve been sat on the beach?! Even if it’s overcast make sure you take adequate sunscreen and a floppy hat to protect their eyes and back of neck. No-one wants a sunburnt baby. People will judge (deservedly so!)
Ear Defenders
We all enjoy a bit of music at a festival but those huge speakers are pretty loud for tiny ears and you don’t want to have to hover constantly at the back! Pick up a pair of baby sized ear defenders (we love the Baby Banz range!) and start trying them on in the lead up to going so that your baby is used to the sensation. They’re bound to attract plenty of ‘Awwww’s’ when they rock up with them on (trust us!) and it’ll keep everything nice and quiet for them so you’re almost guaranteed a sleep or two! Just remember that when they’re wearing them, your baby can’t hear you. So don’t spend ages saying their name over and over and wondering why they’re ignoring you (grandparents, eh?!)
Plenty of Layers
Even if it’s warm in the day, the nights will get chilly. Especially if you’re tiny and not moving around as much. Take lots of light layers so you can strip off and add on as required. Usually anything goes at a festival in terms of fashion so if your baby is in a hot grump, there’s no reason why they can’t go nappy only. Just make sure you’ve got more to put on for the evening when those little hands and toes start to get chilly!
A Festival Map
Have a look online in advance and find out where amenities are such as baby-changing (if there is one), info point and any tents that you can shelter in if it’s hot or wet. Most festivals now will have child-friendly activities on during the day and even if your baby is too young, they’re still likely to be in an area where family facilities are available. It also means other parents will be in that area, so the vibe is most likely to be family oriented as opposed to some other areas (such as the bar)
And last but not least…
An Open Mind
No matter how old they are, the first time you take your little one to a festival, it’s going to be a learning experience for you both. Bear in mind that you’ll BOTH need a rest period in the day if you want to stay out late and keep your expectations low on what you’ll be able to achieve. The chances are you’ll more than exceed those once you hit your stride. With a little pre-planning, your festival days are far from over; rock on!!
4 Comments
Are you thinking of going to one? We’re thinking of going to the one in Kendall next year (it’s more my dislike of queuing for a portaloo that’s putting me off this year than the baby thing!
That just reminded me to add our photos! Yes! We went with a three month old which in retrospect was QUITE early but in our defence we were in a camper and it was a family festival! I would definitely recommend going, it’s such good fun and they love watching everything that’s going on. I would be a bit more wary now they’re a little older just because I don’t think he’d sleep as much and he’d want to explore but by next year you’ll be fine!! We bought an off-road buggy off of eBay and used that and I’m not sure how we would have coped without as it gave him somewhere to sleep, a way to carry stuff etc. Loads of people have those little wooden wagons which would do the same job! DO IT!!!!!!!!!
Did baby like the headphones. We have tried to put them on him but he pulls them off. Hoping he keeps them on when we actually need him to wear them
I found them a little like sunhats, the key is to distract them when you’re putting them on and they’re generally fine. He was actually fine with them on a lot of the time, especially when noisy but I tended to mostly put them on when he was drifting off in the buggy. Distractions, treats and practice worked for us!