I have had tickets to see Pavement for their reunion tour for a long time. When I bought the tickets, my plan was to get a babysitter, and I was hoping that my son would be more able to be without me during the evening hours. Now, I'm really feeling like it would be better for him to come along. Concerts tend to go long and I don't want him to be away from me for up to five hours between 6 and 11 p.m. It doesn't sound ideal. So I was thinking of taking him with me. The venue is outdoor and the band is not incredibly wild. Children are allowed and I don't have to pay for his ticket since he's under 2. My main concern is his hearing, of course. It's not worth it to me to damage his ears, but I'm afraid he won't let me put anything in them or over them (he rips off hats as soon as I put them on).
Does anyone have any suggestions?
I'm going out on a limb here and guessing this is your first. He will be absolutely fine if you leave him with a trusted sitter. Absolutely fine! And this is advice coming from a crazy mother hen lol.
You will not be able to enjoy the show in the way you would want because you will be tending to an over-tired 7 month old who will not want to sit in one spot for several hours. Do you and him a favor and get the sitter lined up.
Personally, I would get a sitter and enjoy having some "me" time. Having time away from our children makes up better mothers in the end because we are less stressed and feel more fulfilled with our lives, like we still have a life separate from husband and children. Go have fun, and leave the little one at home, he will be fine.
I took my daughter to a venue at about that age too, and used a special ear wax to plug her ears that they make for babies, it muffles the noise. Even though I had a decent time, I discovered quickly why I wouldn't do it again.
I could tell she did not like the affect on her hearing. She couldn't hear me talk to her, and I could tell that upset her a bit.
Babies are cute. Every drunk and high person who has no sense of social boundaries will want to touch your baby as they pass by. I was not okay with that, but I know other moms that are.
SMOKERS. I know there are smokers everywhere, but it is worse at a place where drinking is involved, and I experienced people who had lit cigarettes in their hands wanting to come and see the baby.
If you need to take him with you, I would suggest headphones that fit over the ears. I took my son to a concert when he was 6 months old. I REALLY wanted to go, my husband was out of town, I have no family here, or babysitters, oh and we were both sick! :)
I ended up only staying for about an hour or two, I got my fix, and then got the baby and myself to bed. I tried earplugs, but those didn't work with him. I later got the headphones and he wore those to a football game. They are great.
Hi C.!
Leave the baby home and let him go to bed....6 - 11 pm sounds too long and too late for the little guy. Enjoy your night out!!
Hi C.,
We took our 3 year old son to see Crowded House with us last week. Here's what I noticed--
Yes, the music was loud, but there were places to walk to that were a little quieter than others, back away from the stage. The space was kid-friendly, except the bathrooms, which were porta-potties, so there's no changing tables. Hats might be a consideration, depending on how cool it gets in the evening, because there's no shelter from the elements.
For what it's worth, Edgefield shows only go until 9:45-10 at the latest, due to noise ordinance/neighbor consideration. We left the show at about 9:15 or so, and while we missed the last few songs, we got out before the parking lot/traffic jam erupted and had an easy trip back into Portland.
Last--while I'm really glad I brought my son (who loves their music), I've seen this band a lot of times and so the distractions of parenting/early departure weren't a bit deal to me. But if this is a once-in-a-lifetime/truly special event for you, do consider the sitter, just for your own enjoyment.
Whatever you do choose--have fun!
