what do you think...outdoor concert?

[jamie79]

I got tickets to see Kings of Leon at an outside ampitheater. This is the website for the venue:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron%2...re_at_Lakewood

I have an almost 8 month old. Would you take your baby, if he was in the Ergo? We have seats, so I would not have to stand the whole time.

I dunno. I cannot leave him, since I a) don't have a babysitter and b) I breastfeed too frequently to leave him, anyways.

Opinions?

Jamie

[Youngfrankenstein]

I don't know, I'd be concerned about the noise level. And what if your babe is miserable, would you want to leave? We have an indoor/outdoor venue where KOL just play right down the street and even though it's 2 miles away, we can hear it at our house.

[P.J.]

There's a thread here on the 2nd or 3rd page about taking a 2 m.o. to the movies, and there was quite some discussion about sound. Someone else posted a link to these:
baby earmuffs

A friend of mine took her 2 m.o. to an outdoor concert, wearing those and in a Moby wrap, and she was fine. I would take a baby to a concert, but not without ear protection. And if he seems to get upset then be ready to leave.

[goldenwillow]

I am a supporter of outdoor venues. Our Son digs music. I agree with the others here, just have ear plugs on hand and a nice spot to sit. Not sure about actual seats, we just take a blanket and hang. Heading to FURTHER in Sept! Your gut will tell you yea or neh!

[carmel23]

We've taken our kids (as babies, and well, as kids ) to many shows at many venues.

Just stay towards the back, and sound behaves differently outside, so it isn't as damaging.

But do get ear plugs-- you can use the wax kind (also for swimming) on babies. It just covers the outside of the ear. We've had the best luck keeping these kinds on a baby.

[ellairiesmom]

We did Furthur in Coney Island 2 nights in a row in June (dd2 was almost 5 mos) & the Peltor Ear Muffs were AWESOME!!!!!!

Used them again on 4th of July...FANTASTIC!!!

And the other day when we took DD1 to see a movie...she nursed & fell asleep & slept through the movie.

The 1st night of Furthur, we only brought in our solarveil sling & my 1/2 buckle. I ended up a little miserable, hot & with a backache not being able to put her down at all. The 2nd night, we also brought our stroller in & the combo of every option was perfect. (along with the spray bottle i brought to keep us cool)

Here's a couple picks of our girls enjoying the show:
http://i484.photobucket.com/albums/r...ng/photo-9.jpg
http://i484.photobucket.com/albums/r...da/photo-8.jpg
http://i484.photobucket.com/albums/r...a/IMG_7611.jpg

[rhiOrion]

DD had been to four concerts by the time she was three months old. We use the Peltor ear muffs (make sure to get the JUNIOR size, not the kid size).

Just be forwarned that people think that babies in ear muffs are about the cutest thing there is (and I agree!), so you'll be talked to a lot about it.

Here's a picture DD in hers, fast asleep at a concert.

[ellairiesmom]

Originally Posted by rhiOrion

Just be forwarned that people think that babies in ear muffs are about the cutest thing there is (and I agree!), so you'll be talked to a lot about it.

VERY true. Not to mention if they are being worn at the same time...people were all over us each time.

On saturday we were at a little festival at a winery & i think dd2 with her earmuffs on, in our MT were photographed at least a dozen times.

dh gets a little anxious about so many people coming up to us & some who will touch her head, face or hands...& its weird to think about so many strangers with pics of us...

[TX Mama]

We just got back from a 6,100 mile road trip through 9 states with our 10 week old. We saw 6 concerts at 2 venues and used the muffs talked about here. At first he was not so excited to have them on and I would go up to the top where it was not loud at all and take them off till he settled. After I put them on again, he fell asleep the whole time.

And yes, people love babies in ear muffs and ask to take pictures, stare, smile, etc. I also got a lot of "you have ear protection right?" as we were waiting to go in. I appreciate the concern but it started to get to me. After seeing how many parents did NOT have ear protection on their little ones I understood but it was still a little weird to me. I would go with the muffs over ear plugs because I think they block more sound and are harder for kids to take out/off. Have fun!

[jamie79]

Thanks ladies I haven't decided yet. We have done lots of music "stuff" considering my DH is a musician , but for some reason I cannot get past this one. Maybe this is a case of listening to my gut. Thanks again.

Also, those earmuffs are about the cutest thing ever!!

[St. Margaret]

We took DD to outdoor DMB concerts when she was pretty small, and then once again when she was a walking. Both times we used earplugs with high ratings and both times were fine. I wore her in the wrap the first time, nursed her once or twice, but she mostly slept and stared at the lights. She dug the opening act, DH says The next time she really enjoyed the music (she was familiar with it thanks to DH) and napped as well. She mostly demanded to be in the ring sling on me, but I got her to go to DH a little. I could sit when I needed. Since then I've stayed home-- working, tired, pregnant, etc etc. DD and DH watched the live online DMB concert this week and he's going with his dad to the shows in our area this weekend.

I should add, both times I was prepared to go out to the "lobby" of the ampitheaters if I had needed to, but DD tends to be easygoing about hanging out like that.

[goldenwillow]

Thank you for the ear muff suggestions. We have been investigating our best option. Decided on the ear muffs you all were chattin about here, thank you! Ordered just now!

[is it puppies?]

kind of unrelated kind of related- but do you have to buy a ticket for an infant in a sling/wrap? I was wondering about taking DD to shows and the cost would be prohibitive so I would be unable to go (most tickets here are about $50- $70+).

[seasiren]

http://www.babybanz.com/

[St. Margaret]

Originally Posted by is it puppies?

kind of unrelated kind of related- but do you have to buy a ticket for an infant in a sling/wrap? I was wondering about taking DD to shows and the cost would be prohibitive so I would be unable to go (most tickets here are about $50- $70+).

Most venues will list the rules on their website or the event page, or you can try calling. Might be tricky if you're trying to find out before buying tix RIGHT when they go on sale, but for the events we went to, kids under 3 were free.

And yeah, when we wore DD the first time, we got SO many people just wanting to say hi.

It was actually at a Dave and Tim show in Santa Barbara, when I was pregnant, where I first saw a baby worn in a mei tei-- and I remember thinking THAT was hard core Ahh I probably still thought cloth dipes were, too!

[ShadowMoon]

I took DS to several outdoor concerts and festivals when he was a babe. I followed his lead the whole time. If he got too tired and fussy and wouldn't sleep in the sling, we left. If the crowd around us got rowdy and we couldn't find a chill spot, we left. (Basically, be prepared to leave before the show ends). Try to find headphones made for babes to muffle noise. A friend of mine that is married to a member of a popular band found some cute pink noise-silencing headphones for her baby girl online. She swears by them!

[KikaKika]

Yes - we went to several outdoor and indoor events, with these:

http://www.amazon.com/Peltor-90553-J..._bxgy_hi_img_b

It was great - baby does not even try to take them off