Given the chance to pack their own bag for a festival, most kids would stuff them full of toys and fancy dress. Trying to encourage little ones to pack for themselves is a nice idea to give them ownership, but most parents will have to replace at least half the items with practical alternatives. Unless you are happy with your little festival kids wearing nothing but a superhero outfit for 3 days that is!
Kitting your kids out properly for festivals can mean the difference between a magical family weekend and a stressful parental disaster you’d rather forget. With the weather in the UK being so unpredictable you need to allow for ever eventuality while making sure you can actually carry everything. It’s easy to cut corners and forget simple things you take for granted at home, so we’ve put a list of camping clothing for kids at festivals together to help.
One of our festival essentials is animal onesies (or any onesies to be honest but we think the animals are pretty cute). We’ve got the chance for you to WIN a totally adorable Kigu animal onesie from the brilliant Tickled Pink Festival Fancy Dress online shop below.
Festival clothing tips for kids:
The boring bits:
Waterproofs & wellies – If you don’t pack them, you are bound to need them. Trust us, if you don’t put a bag in the car with waterproof boots, trousers and coats for everyone it is going to rain. It’s one of those things.
Spare set of clothing for all – Again, like the waterproofs, pack a spare set of clothes for everyone and leave them in the car. If you don’t find you need them all weekend then at least you have a clean set to travel home in.
Layers, layers, layers – Pack light layers like leggings, cargo pants, long sleeve tops and fleeces. Much easier than carrying huge coats around all weekend.
Socks and such – Goes without saying you are going to need regular changes of essentials. If you are in the potty training stages or worried about accidents then give yourself a break and pack some pull ups. Nothing worse than trying to dry out sleeping bags or duvets at a festival.
Comfort & blankets – Don’t forget the item your child can’t sleep without if they have one. Lightweight fleece blankets are great as can double up as ponchos for little ones if you cut a small hole and are great for snuggling in the buggy or carting kids round festivals.
Sunshine and sound protection – Sunscreen and sun hats should be in every parent’s bag but it’s also worth taking a set of clothing that provides a thin layer from the sun as it’s sometimes impossible to escape it. Festivals can also be really loud and intense for some kids so consider ear defenders or ear plugs.
The fun stuff:
Fancy dress – It’s easy to leave out the fun when you are trying to cram the kitchen sink in to your luggage but make sure you spare a bit of space for a couple of fancy dress bits. Many festivals have themes these days so check out the website first and get creative. There are some great ideas here.
Wonderful onesies – Don’t leave home without them. The ultimate festival attire and practical is lots of ways. Our kids live in them and we’ve even got adult animal onesies which keep us toasty and warm and are so much fun. If it’s particularly cold at night they are great over your PJ’s too. We love the Kigu onesies as they are nice and baggy so easy to get on or peel off sleeping kids.
Face paint and glitter – Unless you are happy to shell out daily for face painting and all the other fashion ‘must haves’ of the season at festival stalls then you can save yourself some money packing a few little bits. Don’t forget the wet wipes to clean off the daily layers.
Bits and bobs – Not so much clothing items but packing a few things along with snacks to keep the kids busy can buy you half an hour lay in or watching a band when they get bored. Balloons (you can get ones that light up now), cards, small pad and pencil, bubbles.
DON’T TAKE PRECIOUS ITEMS. We’ve come across several families in the past who have lost expensive or sentimental items at festivals. Leave anything you really care about at home and let the kids be free in whatever they wear.
WIN a Kigu Animal Onesie
Here’s your chance to win your choice of animal onesie from the Tickled Pink range.