Help! I need something magical to occupy my 2 yo while we're...

[rubidoux]

at a Blue Man Group concert.  I agonized over whether to get him a ticket and decided to do it because I regretted not having him with us for Stomp.  But now I'm scared that he won't be mesmerized and will get bored.  And I don't want to have to run around in circles in the lobby with him while dh and ds1 get to watch the show.  What should I bring?

eta:  Also, if anyone has seen BMG in concert, is it horribly loud?  Like am I just going to worry about little one's ears the whole time?  Gah!  Was this a bad idea?  

Edited by rubidoux - 9/20/11 at 12:19am

[mkksmom]

Hmmmm.... if you're worried about his ears, there are headphones that you can get for him. My LO has them and loves them. She runs to get them when I vacuum, run the magic bullet (blender), etc.. Only really messy stuff helps her stay busy and happy like playdoh or a container of sand, but that only works outside really. I would come up with a plan to share the job of walking him around if it comes to that. Hopefully he will like it and this won't be a problem. Just make sure to keep him up and walking until the show is about to start. Don't want him sitting there for 30 minutes before hand.

[rubidoux]

I did get him some ear plugs.  I'm hoping it just won't be that kind of loud, but just in case.  And yeah, I think dh and I will take turns playing in the lobby with him if we have to.  The show is an hour and 45 min long, but it's late, starts at 8 pm, so maybe he'll just nurse if he gets bored.  I think I'll bring playdoh (he hasn't played with any in a long time, so it might be kind of exciting to have it) and some treats to eat, maybe even a dreaded lolly pop.  I sure hope it works out okay for him (and the rest of us).  The show's tomorrow!

[mkksmom]

I remember that my older dd made it through the circus at 2.5, so it might work out. We were totally prepared to leave if we had to, but she just loved it.

[mtiger]

I have to be honest - I'd leave him home. <shrug>

[reezley]

I went to BMG many years ago - some of it was gentle, funny "skits", some of it (toward the end especially? I don't quite remember) was a crazy, intense sensory experience -  lights flashing, big repetetive music, etc.  I don't think a 2yo would appreciate a lot of it, might be bored in parts, might be frightened in parts. Something to keep him busy?  Headphones to block out noise, flap books to focus on?  I wouldn't bring a 2yo to it, really, but every kid is different.

[jessemoon]

Blue Man is loud.  It is also funny and engaging, so he will probably be interested in much of it.  I would worry more about him squirming and seat kicking the seat in front of him.

Practice applauding and practice sitting looking forward at the stage. 

A lollipop or some small (not crinkly wrappered) forbidden treats (small like m&ms) to be doled out one at a time might not be a bad idea.

The show that I saw had a moment in the end when the entire audience is covered with thousands of feet of paper towels.  It is a cool effect, but you might prepare him for it so it doesn't freak him out.

[rubidoux]

Originally Posted by mtiger 

I have to be honest - I'd leave him home. <shrug>

We have never left him with anybody before and there's not really anyone/place we'd feel comfortable leaving him.  There are a couple of adults we know who'd love to have him and who he likes, but he's very uptight about being without us.  Like, if we're at someone's house and he's having a good time, he'll explore and not worry about me.  But, if I walk into another room away from him he doesn't like it at all.  

This is a hard thing about the large age difference between our kids.  It makes it harder to do a lot of things as a family.  Dh and I both really wanted to be with Milo to see BMG bc we know it'll be really fun for him, but then what for Augie???   A night of freaking out and being sad, or having to sit through a concert he's not that into?  Sigh...  Hopefully he will like it.  He might.  I would think at least for a while it will be pretty interesting and there'll be lots to look at.  An hour and 45 min is a little long for him, though.  Otoh, if he loves it, we'll be really thrilled to have given him the experience, kwim?  It's too bad it's a hundred dollar experiment, though.

Jessemoon,  We saw a clip of the paper towels (though I thought it was TP?) online somewhere, and another one with some awesome looking huge parachute-type balls (like made out of a really light parachute-y fabric) that roll all over the audience.  I'll try to find those this afternoon so they're fresh in his mind.  I think he'll like that stuff if it doesn't scare him.

We're going to be up in the balcony pretty far from the stage, so I'm thinking that may help in terms of it being, for the most part, not in his face.  

[tbone_kneegrabber]

we have been taking ds to modern dance performances since he was 1yo (we live with a dancer).  We also took him to a couple of punk shows when he was an infant (I'd put him in the ergo, let him nurse and he'd fall asleep while people rocked out all around him!) When he was younger (now he's 4) I always had the ergo, because sometimes just being held/carried while still in the room totally helped.

I would not think that chair kicking/squirming/make noise would be a big issue at BMG all though I guess I could be wrong.

Snacks (I always bring snacks, helps get through the boring bits)

Watch some clips on youtube with him before you go so he knows what to expect

Figure the worse thing that happens is he doesn't like it and you have to take turns watching.

[K1329]

Originally Posted by mkksmom 

Hmmmm.... if you're worried about his ears, there are headphones that you can get for him. My LO has them and loves them. She runs to get them when I vacuum, run the magic bullet (blender), etc.. Only really messy stuff helps her stay busy and happy like playdoh or a container of sand, but that only works outside really. I would come up with a plan to share the job of walking him around if it comes to that. Hopefully he will like it and this won't be a problem. Just make sure to keep him up and walking until the show is about to start. Don't want him sitting there for 30 minutes before hand.

Glad you clarified on the magic bullet... I always thought a magic bullet was something else... lol!

ETA: OP, I really like the suggestion to watch some you tube videos to prep him... hope you have a great time!

[rubidoux]

Well, it wasn't perfect, but I am really happy I took him!    The first half hour or so he was just wide eyed and speechless, and then they had this loooooong really quite part during which he said fairly loudly, several times, I wannnna nnnnnurse!  Gah!  So, we went down to the bottom edge of the balcony (our seats were way up top) where we could escape if he got too talky, but he didn't and we could see much better from there and it was really fun.  He was tired but he really liked it.  I think it was a great experience for him.  And I don't think it was too loud for him, but I'm not quite sure how you know.

I was thinking, too, the alternative would have been to hire a babysitter, which I doubt I would have been able to stand, anyway, and that would have actually cost us quite a bit more money, since our tickets were only like $25.  This was way better all the way around.  

[jessemoon]

I'm glad it went well!