Parents taking babies to weddings/matches/concerts.

Pauliedragon · 13-08-2018 07:42PM #1

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 · 13-08-2018 07:47PM

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 · 13-08-2018 07:47PM

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

freshpopcorn · 13-08-2018 07:50PM

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 · 13-08-2018 09:10PM

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

NIMAN · 13-08-2018 09:13PM

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 · 13-08-2018 09:13PM

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

Summer wind · 13-08-2018 09:15PM

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

castletownman · 13-08-2018 09:20PM

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 · 13-08-2018 09:22PM

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 · 13-08-2018 09:23PM

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 · 13-08-2018 09:25PM

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 · 13-08-2018 09:26PM

Misread thread title as Machetes.

Genuinely disappointed now.

maxsmum · 13-08-2018 09:28PM

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 · 13-08-2018 09:29PM

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

LirW · 13-08-2018 09:30PM

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 · 13-08-2018 09:31PM

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 · 13-08-2018 09:34PM

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 · 13-08-2018 09:38PM

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 · 13-08-2018 09:40PM

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 · 13-08-2018 09:41PM

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 · 13-08-2018 09:43PM

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 · 13-08-2018 09:45PM

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 · 13-08-2018 09:51PM

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

Fr_Dougal · 13-08-2018 10:02PM

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

mvl · 13-08-2018 10:02PM

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 · 13-08-2018 10:08PM

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 · 13-08-2018 10:13PM

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 · 13-08-2018 10:19PM

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 · 13-08-2018 10:30PM

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 · 13-08-2018 10:37PM

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

Parents taking babies to weddings/matches/concerts.

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