Parents taking babies to weddings/matches/concerts.

Pauliedragon

I was reading on RTE that a woman isn't happy that she'll have to buy a ticket for her 16 week old son to get him into the Gaelic football final. He's been to 7 games already this season and it got me thinking. My girl I know used to take her newborn to the cinema, a neighbour of mine who moonlights as a wedding photographer said it's a nightmare these days with the amount of really young babies at weddings and the parents of said kids are almost taking over his time by getting him to take pics of the child. Half the time he says the parents barely know the couple and there was a bit of a kerfuffle in Cork recently where a couple had a very young child at a concert. I find it a bit strange taking babies to these events.

salmocab

I was at a match in the aviva last year, a couple turned up with a few week old baby, husband sat in one row with friends she sat behind and 2/3 seats to the left with the baby. There turned out to be a free seat and baby had to be passed over along with the bag etc before mammy could move. The husband proclaims to everyone around ‘who would have thought it was so much trouble bringing a baby to a match’. I certainly would have.

TheValeyard

To each their own. But getting a baby or toddler organised for a day out is like a military operation and preparation.

freshpopcorn

It's something I have no issue with once the baby is invited/allowed at the event and you leave if they become restless.

washiskin

I reckon it's the done thing since Amy took their tot to BOD's games.

NIMAN

I think these are folk who can't accept that they are parents and that their social lives have to change as a result.

I think it's wrong to be sitting in an evening gig with a child who should be in bed. It's selfishness of the highest order IMHO.

I would have loved to still be out socialising when my kids came along, but I accepted that I decided to start a family, and that they came first. My social life went to near zero, but I was ok with that. I appreciate many will say you still have to have nights out etc when you are a new parent, but there is a happy medium.

Hector Bellend

The person who wants to be there the least is the baby

Summer wind

I think it’s a stupid thing to do. Can’t be too comfortable for the baby and very noisy too.

castletownman

They are getting younger and younger.

I remember as a chap being jealous of the older cousins being "big" enough to go to a match, particularly in Croker. Weddings weren't on the radar until 16. Restaurants were the exclusive of mammy and daddy.

Now you can't move in a restaurant during peak season without buggies/baby chairs taking up room. Not to mention the almost inevitable temper tantrums from said toddlers. Children too young to understand what's going on, running around oblivious at matches, with the inevitable tripping over and crying. Everything now has to be "kid friendly", as if having a kid is the given thing for everyone.

But the worst I have seen recently was during a tense moment in the British Open early this summer when one of the golfers, Xander Schauffele (real name I swear) was chasing the leader and had a difficult shot from the crowd. As he was eyeing up the shot in concentration, a little kid started making noise. Credit to him not being totally put-off.

This all-inclusive culture is getting ridiculous.

Grandeeod

NIMAN wrote: »

I think these are folk who can't accept that they are parents and that their social lives have to change as a result.

I think it's wrong to be sitting in an evening gig with a child who should be in bed. It's selfishness of the highest order IMHO.

I would have loved to still be out socialising when my kids came along, but I accepted that I decided to start a family, and that they came first. My social life went to near zero, but I was ok with that. I appreciate many will say you still have to have nights out etc when you are a new parent, but there is a happy medium.

Exactly. However the "entitled" aspect of life these days goes way beyond a traveller in Tallaght looking for a house. It's in all aspects of society. Just look at the Mayo mum in Newbridge wanting to breast feed her young baby in a stadium on the day of a football game.

stargazer 68

Have to agree. Mate was at Wicked a couple of weeks ago. 75+ a ticket. 2 kids in front of her, 5/6 ish, spent the whole show watching something on the phones! Why bother bringing them?

LirW

I took my daughter to a wedding in Belfast last year when she was 4 months old, she was still breastfed and we had to do 2 nights stay there. We checked with the couple and it was fine and I left at 8.
No problem there really.

Since mine came along I go by the motto to not judge others because what I see is a tiny snippet of their lives, I don't care, maybe it suits them, maybe they just realized they made a mistake or they're just thick but it's not really on me to judge and none of my business.

For Forks Sake

Misread thread title as Machetes.

Genuinely disappointed now.

maxsmum

I love that the GAA said a baby should have its own seat 'for health and safety reasons'... you couldn't make it up... a baby rolling off a plastic seat instead of sleeping on its mum's chest.

If mum is feeding baby, of course it has to go everywhere with her. A seated event shouldn't be an issue and it has exposed the GAA as really family-unfriendly.

awec

A wedding is hardly the same thing as the cinema / a match / concerts.

LirW

awec wrote: »

A wedding is hardly the same thing as the cinema / a match / concerts.

Look, that's all just gonna pan out in a parent- and wedding bashing thread anyway, so I'm here for the craic.

eviltwin

What's the big deal? I was at a few outdoor concerts this summer where there were small babies, they seemed fine. If they weren't happy they'd let you know. Rather have the infants than some of the infantile adults off their heads on drink and drugs and generally being dicks.

TheShow

Grandeeod wrote: »

Exactly. However the "entitled" aspect of life these days goes way beyond a traveller in Tallaght looking for a house. It's in all aspects of society. Just look at the Mayo mum in Newbridge wanting to breast feed her young baby in a stadium on the day of a football game.

Child still has to be fed, so I don’t see that has to do with anything really.
I can understand why you might want to bring the child, but what do you do when the child then has a mentaller. I guess it depends on how old the child is and how they handle boredom.

The Rape of Lucretia

For Forks Sake wrote: »

Misread thread title as Machetes.

Genuinely disappointed now.

I misread it as parents taking machetes to babies at weddings and concerts.
First though was - so its not just me.
Disappointed too now.

Clareman

maxsmum wrote: »

I love that the GAA said a baby should have its own seat 'for health and safety reasons'... you couldn't make it up... a baby rolling off a plastic seat instead of sleeping on its mum's chest.

If mum is feeding baby, of course it has to go everywhere with her. A seated event shouldn't be an issue and it has exposed the GAA as really family-unfriendly.

The GAA has said that everyone going to the game needs a ticket, not that everyone over 2 needs a ticket. Could you imagine if 1 in 10 of the people attending decided they wanted to bring a child, there'd be over 100,000 people at the event, I'd say all safety procedures would need to be changed.

This isn't a new thing by the way, in 2013 a friend of mine (ex-Clare hurler) HAD to have his new child at the match so got the ticket

John_Rambo

Grandeeod wrote: »

Exactly. However the "entitled" aspect of life these days goes way beyond a traveller in Tallaght looking for a house. It's in all aspects of society. Just look at the Mayo mum in Newbridge wanting to breast feed her young baby in a stadium on the day of a football game.

? Mothers are entitled to breast feed their babies wherever they want.

sillysocks

Clareman wrote: »

The GAA has said that everyone going to the game needs a ticket, not that everyone over 2 needs a ticket. Could you imagine if 1 in 10 of the people attending decided they wanted to bring a child, there'd be over 100,000 people at the event, I'd say all safety procedures would need to be changed.

This isn't a new thing by the way, in 2013 a friend of mine (ex-Clare hurler) HAD to have his new child at the match so got the ticket

I’m not a fan of bringing babies or small kids to these things, but if the GAA wanted to keep tabs on numbers for health and safety they could easily issue tickets for under twos for a nominal fee/free with no seat allocation once someone is buying a full price ticket.

bertsmom

If a venue has a capacity for a certain amount then just from a safety point of view surely it makes sense that everyone must have a ticket. Wait a few years and the GAA and other organizations will be sued by darling johnny as hes now stone deaf because mammy and or daddy insisted on bringing him to matches and nobody told them little johnnys ears wouldn't be able for it at such a young age.

Brock Turnpike

Get a babysitter to look after the kid or don't go to the event. No place for a baby

Fr_Dougal

Weddings, okay. But matches and concerts? Shit parenting.

mvl

I don't do sports events.
But I got my daughter from when she was couple of years old to (jazz) concerts, contemporary dance shows and more frequently to opening of various art exhibitions. Kids usually don't attend to these, but we bring her because we want to inspire her towards arty stuff.
- Now she tells occasionally that she doesn't like jazz - but I haven't lost hope on her yet.

Now there is one thing I wouldn't do: I wouldn't get my child to street protests, while I know people who seem to be ok with that.

Grandeeod

John_Rambo wrote: »

? Mothers are entitled to breast feed their babies wherever they want.

At a stadium for a fooking match? Sorry pal. I wouldn't have done it to my child. She's 11 next year and it will be her first time in Croke Park. But she did do some of the Electric Picnic last year.:D

jester77

Grandeeod wrote: »

At a stadium for a fooking match? Sorry pal. I wouldn't have done it to my child. She's 11 next year and it will be her first time in Croke Park. But she did do some of the Electric Picnic last year.:D

Weird attitude you have, she's only feeding a hungry child.

As to having a child that small in a stadium, that is just selfish parenting.

Grandeeod

jester77 wrote: »

Weird attitude you have, she's only feeding a hungry child.

As to having a child that small in a stadium, that is just selfish parenting.

That's the point I'm making.

prinzeugen

sillysocks wrote: »

I’m not a fan of bringing babies or small kids to these things, but if the GAA wanted to keep tabs on numbers for health and safety they could easily issue tickets for under twos for a nominal fee/free with no seat allocation once someone is buying a full price ticket.

The Aviva has the same rules. Everyone regardless of age needs a ticket. Its not about seats. Its about the number of people in the stadium.

The Aviva can hold 51,700 patrons max. Anymore and they would breach licences, planning, fire safety regs etc.

The other issue is €€€€. Why should the GAA, IRFU, FAI etc give away free/low cost tickets for babies when they could sell them to adults at full price.

TheRiverman

Cue a whinge on Liveline and some foolish person buying a ticket for her to take the baby to the final.

Sheepdish1

I think it’s great to bring babies/ kids to things but concerts etc are unsafe imo....I was at a festival and noticed a baby in a car seat on the ground in a tent that had a fairly wild gig which is nuts....Gig was late and quite messy!

A new baby is quite fragile and it’s too busy at stadiums/concerts...crowds of that scale aren’t safe for small babies imo ...alcohol, crowds pushing etc. Considered bringing young baby to big concert lately and decided against it which was the right decision, I would have been a bag of nerves 😊

Apart from all the above I would be concerned about ears getting damaged, I would imagine they are still developing

screamer

Wedding no problem, especially if the wedding is a family one. Tbh the only ones inconvenienced there are the parents themselves. Usually they book a room.in the hotel so baby can go to bed.

Concerts/ matches etc....no. unfair levels of noise and no routine for the baby, no facilities to change or feed them, just selfish and imho showing off their baby like an accessory as if they're the only people to ever have a baby.

yabadabado

maxsmum wrote: »

I love that the GAA said a baby should have its own seat 'for health and safety reasons'... you couldn't make it up... a baby rolling off a plastic seat instead of sleeping on its mum's chest.

If mum is feeding baby, of course it has to go everywhere with her. A seated event shouldn't be an issue and it has exposed the GAA as really family-unfriendly.

How about not going to the match ? It's exposed nothing other than anyone attending must have a ticket,doesn't stop the baby sitting on its parents lap.

Super-Rush

I always enjoy it when families with young kids go somewhere.

I enjoy watching them spend about 25 minutes just getting out of the car, performing heroics getting buggies assembled, hooking 47 bags to said buggies, then twleve mini trips back to the car for blankies and soothers and bottles, wipes, hats, games.

I also enjoy not having to deal with that amount of craziness.

The Crowman

Murray TheDemonic TalkingSkull wrote: »

To each their own. But getting a baby or toddler organised for a day out is like a military operation and preparation.

No it's not. Leave the brat with the grandparents

Super-Rush

Super-Rush wrote: »

I always enjoy it when families with young kids go somewhere.

I enjoy watching them spend about 25 minutes just getting out of the car, performing heroics getting buggies assembled, hooking 47 bags to said buggies, then twleve mini trips back to the car for blankies and soothers and bottles, wipes, hats, games.

I also enjoy not having to deal with that amount of craziness.

Surely a small baby would only need one bag with a few bottles, a few nappies, and a packet of wipes. Or as mammy used to do to me, spit on a hanky I know toddlers and older children are different because they want their toys and juice and snacks and things. Although you'd fit all that in to one handy bag as well.

Pauliedragon

Pauliedragon wrote: »

I was reading on RTE that a woman isn't happy that she'll have to buy a ticket for her 16 week old son to get him into the Gaelic football final. He's been to 7 games already this season and it got me thinking. My girl I know used to take her newborn to the cinema, a neighbour of mine who moonlights as a wedding photographer said it's a nightmare these days with the amount of really young babies at weddings and the parents of said kids are almost taking over his time by getting him to take pics of the child. Half the time he says the parents barely know the couple and there was a bit of a kerfuffle in Cork recently where a couple had a very young child at a concert. I find it a bit strange taking babies to these events.

RTE? RTE actually covered this? Jesus fcuking christ!

bigpink

So they can take pics and have kids look cute with the baby ear muff things

My friend was at All Together Now festival said the amount of kids going round with drunk and drugged adults was crazy but it’s ok there middle class

BuboBubo

The Crowman wrote: »

No it's not. Leave the brat with the grandparents

Not all grandparents want to be stuck with the little demons either, just saying

Must be tough to be a parent though. Looking in from the outside (I'm childfree thank goodness), it seems to be a constant thankless drudgery, hauling their little darlings everywhere. Can't blame parents for trying to maintain some of their past enjoyment/social lives tbh. Even if they get plenty of tut-tuts from everyone else.

They're damned if they do, damned if they don't. Sadly the most judgemental of all are other parents.

mvl

Sheepdish1 wrote: »

I think it’s great to bring babies/ kids to things but concerts etc are unsafe imo....I was at a festival and noticed a baby in a car seat on the ground in a tent that had a fairly wild gig which is nuts....Gig was late and quite messy!

A new baby is quite fragile and it’s too busy at stadiums/concerts...crowds of that scale aren’t safe for small babies imo ...alcohol, crowds pushing etc. Considered bringing young baby to big concert lately and decided against it which was the right decision, I would have been a bag of nerves ��

Apart from all the above I would be concerned about ears getting damaged, I would imagine they are still developing

I thought I've seen parents getting noise blocking headphones for these toddlers. Not sure if they can be used for small babies though.

erica74

bigpink wrote: »

So they can take pics and have kids look cute with the baby ear muff things

My friend was at All Together Now festival said the amount of kids going round with drunk and drugged adults was crazy but it’s ok there middle class

There was more children there than adults! There was babies, toddlers and young children at Underworld at midnight on the Saturday night, Underworld!
The vast majority of children I saw out very late in the evenings looked absolutely wrecked and like they'd rather be in their beds.
Children at festivals always strikes me as parents trying to be seen as cool.

Cabaal

Grandeeod wrote: »

Exactly. However the "entitled" aspect of life these days goes way beyond a traveller in Tallaght looking for a house. It's in all aspects of society. Just look at the Mayo mum in Newbridge wanting to breast feed her young baby in a stadium on the day of a football game.

On no! She wanted to feed her baby. That's just awful.....








Sigh.

uck51js9zml2yt

I came across a photo of my wife and our friend at our wedding with the friends baby.
It wasn't a problem for us.

Springfields

As a mum of 3 I've no clue why any parent would want to bring kids of any age to weddings /concerts / matches. You would spend your time feeding /changing / entertaining the little ones who will have zero Interest in being there in the first place. Either find a baby sitter or stay at home...

mvl

erica74 wrote: »

There was more children there than adults! There was babies, toddlers and young children at Underworld at midnight on the Saturday night, Underworld!
The vast majority of children I saw out very late in the evenings looked absolutely wrecked and like they'd rather be in their beds.
Children at festivals always strikes me as parents trying to be seen as cool.

Are you a parent yourself ? - cause parents should know when the kids need to be put to bed. and I wouldn't jump thinking parents would want to be seen as cool (who cares what everybody else is thinking about here); I would say some parents don't know what they are doing, while others are having a lifestyle they want to share with their kids.
On this ... if there were parents exposing the children to them being under the influence this would be poor parenting (if you as a parent are under the influence, how are you able to protect your child, should something happen in the festival environment you're bringing the child).

But looking at your post - maybe it was not all great about THIS festival.

John_Rambo

Grandeeod wrote: »

At a stadium for a fooking match? Sorry pal. I wouldn't have done it to my child. She's 11 next year and it will be her first time in Croke Park. But she did do some of the Electric Picnic last year.:D

Sorry pal. I'll repeat myself. Mothers can breastfeed their babies whenever, wherever they want.

Spook_ie

John_Rambo wrote: »

? Mothers are entitled to breast feed their babies wherever they want.

But not if they need a ticket!

PlaneSpeeking

John_Rambo wrote: »

Sorry pal. I'll repeat myself. Mothers can breastfeed their babies whenever, wherever they want.

Can they ?

Perhaps they can physically but should they ?

What makes parents so selfish that you think we want to be drawn into your domestic life ?

seamus

There are some people desperate to prove how much they have their life together that they can just continue doing what they've always done while they have a baby in tow. To hell with what's best for the child.

I remember reading an article once about a couple who decided to sell up and go on a round-the-world backpacking trip...with a six month old. And declared that it wasn't that bad.

Sure it wasn't, sunken cost fallacy and all that.

If that's what floats your boat, fine. It's not what floats mine. I go to matches to watch the match, having a child constantly begging for attention would take away from that.
And venues shouldn't be forced to accommodate your bizarre choices to bring your children to unsuitable events. In fact, we often have laws to prevent this kind of stupidity; like children being barred from pubs past 9pm.

If I was Croke Park, I'd be considering banning children under the age of 3. They don't want to be there, and they're using up a seat that someone else could use. Also they don't eat much.

Henry Ford III

Selfish parents with a sense of entitlement.

By all means bring the kids, but pay for their tickets. Otherwise just organise/hire a babysitter.

Niman was right - having kids means sacrifices have to be made, particularly in relation to social events.