Festivals with Toddlers
Surviving the dreaded… festival toilets!
As much as you try not to think about it, your children will need to use the festival toilets.
I sometimes wonder how we coped with three small children. The truth is that I gritted my teeth and thought of all the good times we were having in exchange for a little bit of ‘messy’ work.
Isn’t that what parenting is all about?! We should all be able to cope with this – after all we’ve looked after newborns and nothing will ever be as much work as that! Read more…
Taking Toddlers to Festivals
Can it be done? Should it be done?
If we can enjoy a festival with a five year old and twin toddlers then you can enjoy one with your toddlers too, if you want to!
I read the FestivalKidz website extensively last year to get some tips and it was extremely useful. Now with a few festivals under my belt, I’ve joined the Festival Kidz team myself and I’d like to share some more advice that we have learned ourselves through trial and error. So here are my best tips, starting with…
Read more…
Best Festivals for Toddlers – 2013
TweetThe toddler stage is possibly the most difficult age to do festivals, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be done!
For really young kids we recommend small festivals, particularly if you are not an experienced festival-goer or camper. For a successful festival experience with toddlers you need space to run around or relax, less crowds, smaller distances between campsite, arena and carpark, a good selection of child-friendly food and a willingness to take things at your toddler’s pace (see also Naomi’s Top Tips for doing Festivals with Toddlers).
After much debate, we reckon this year’s best festivals for Under 5’s are:
The Bee Crèche at Shambala
A parent’s review of Moe’s Bee Crèche at Shambala 2012.
This was the first year that Moe had run the Bee Crèche at Shambala Festival, and I hope it’s not the last.
We have three children – a 5 year old and 2 year old twins. Even at a festival where there’s lots to occupy them everyday life is incredibly tiring, so given the chance for three hours off we grabbed it eagerly.
We went to have a look round the crèche on the Friday morning – we were allowed to take the children in and to see how we felt about it. Read more…
Top 15 Music Festivals for Under-5’s – 2012
Top Festivals for Babies and Toddlers 2012 (for 2013 – click HERE!)
For really young kids we tend to recommend smaller festivals, particularly if you are not an experienced festival-goer. Smaller festivals have the dual advantage of not being so vast that a trip back to the tent for a forgotten dummy takes half the morning, and the stage areas are usually less crowded meaning you can get closer to the bands without fearing your little one getting accidentally trampled on or lost. That said, smaller festivals often don’t have as much budget for children’s activities, so your choice will also depend a little on the level of laid-on entertainment that your family need.
It really is very hard to choose from all the festivals that take place in the UK each year. But if we have to narrow it down, our short-list of the best festivals to take your really little ones to goes a little like this:
How to choose the right festival for your family
and is a festival the right place for you?
There’s no denying that taking children to a music festival can be very hard work, and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea – but for those uber cool, let’s have it, this is how we roll type of parent (that’s you) you might take the plunge and hopefully find the rewards are well worth the effort. Accept that you won’t see everything you would see if you didn’t have children with you, get in the festival spirit of what will be will be, and let the adventures begin…
Our pick of the Festivals 2012
Choosing from the hundreds of excellent family-friendly festivals out there is really really tough.
Many families will place a different importance to different aspects. Personally I don’t like my festivals too crowded, I like quality music but I’m not so bothered by big names, and most importantly I like a good range of workshops and street theatre to keep everyone entertained. But people always ask me which are the best festivals for kids so here is my shortlist – the ones which I think have something extra-special about them: Read more…
Surviving the dreaded… festival toilets!
As much as you try not to think about it, your children will need to use the festival toilets.
I sometimes wonder how we coped with three small children. The truth is that I gritted my teeth and thought of all the good times we were having in exchange for a little bit of ‘messy’ work.
Isn’t that what parenting is all about?! We should all be able to cope with this – after all we’ve looked after newborns and nothing will ever be as much work as that! Read more…
Best Festivals for Toddlers – 2013
The toddler stage is possibly the most difficult age to do festivals, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be done!
For really young kids we recommend small festivals, particularly if you are not an experienced festival-goer or camper. For a successful festival experience with toddlers you need space to run around or relax, less crowds, smaller distances between campsite, arena and carpark, a good selection of child-friendly food and a willingness to take things at your toddler’s pace (see also Naomi’s Top Tips for doing Festivals with Toddlers).
After much debate, we reckon this year’s best festivals for Under 5’s are:
Top 15 Music Festivals for Under-5’s – 2012
Top Festivals for Babies and Toddlers 2012 (for 2013 – click HERE!)
For really young kids we tend to recommend smaller festivals, particularly if you are not an experienced festival-goer. Smaller festivals have the dual advantage of not being so vast that a trip back to the tent for a forgotten dummy takes half the morning, and the stage areas are usually less crowded meaning you can get closer to the bands without fearing your little one getting accidentally trampled on or lost. That said, smaller festivals often don’t have as much budget for children’s activities, so your choice will also depend a little on the level of laid-on entertainment that your family need.
It really is very hard to choose from all the festivals that take place in the UK each year. But if we have to narrow it down, our short-list of the best festivals to take your really little ones to goes a little like this:
Our pick of the Festivals 2012
Choosing from the hundreds of excellent family-friendly festivals out there is really really tough.
Many families will place a different importance to different aspects. Personally I don’t like my festivals too crowded, I like quality music but I’m not so bothered by big names, and most importantly I like a good range of workshops and street theatre to keep everyone entertained. But people always ask me which are the best festivals for kids so here is my shortlist – the ones which I think have something extra-special about them: Read more…
Taking Toddlers to Festivals
Can it be done? Should it be done?
If we can enjoy a festival with a five year old and twin toddlers then you can enjoy one with your toddlers too, if you want to!
I read the FestivalKidz website extensively last year to get some tips and it was extremely useful. Now with a few festivals under my belt, I’ve joined the Festival Kidz team myself and I’d like to share some more advice that we have learned ourselves through trial and error. So here are my best tips, starting with…
Read more…
The Bee Crèche at Shambala
A parent’s review of Moe’s Bee Crèche at Shambala 2012.
This was the first year that Moe had run the Bee Crèche at Shambala Festival, and I hope it’s not the last.
We have three children – a 5 year old and 2 year old twins. Even at a festival where there’s lots to occupy them everyday life is incredibly tiring, so given the chance for three hours off we grabbed it eagerly.
We went to have a look round the crèche on the Friday morning – we were allowed to take the children in and to see how we felt about it. Read more…
How to choose the right festival for your family
and is a festival the right place for you?
There’s no denying that taking children to a music festival can be very hard work, and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea – but for those uber cool, let’s have it, this is how we roll type of parent (that’s you) you might take the plunge and hopefully find the rewards are well worth the effort. Accept that you won’t see everything you would see if you didn’t have children with you, get in the festival spirit of what will be will be, and let the adventures begin…