If you're thinking about taking your kids to a music festival, here's some essential reading for you including my top 10 tips. My partner and I trade at music festivals every summer, and we always bring our small children along. When we first started, we were completely clueless! However, after attending over 50 festivals with our little ones, we've picked up some valuable tips along the way.
So here are my top 10 tips to help make your festival experience with kids enjoyable and stress-free.
1. Label your children with your phone number.
Even if you think they are slightly too old to be getting lost you can be separated in crowds easily so it’s better to be safe than sorry. There are many ways to do this and believe me, we have tried and tested them all! My little boy has rejected each and every one of them including:
A paper wristband with phone number written on it
A lovely handmade beaded bracelet bought from Etsy with the phone number on the beads.
Fake tattoos with phone number on them.
Writing our phone number on his arm in sharpie!
We haven’t tried this but I saw people had high vis vests made with the phone number printed on the back, genius! But I wasn’t prepared to spend the money on this after our boys track record of objecting to each and every option.
Give these a try, but if your little one doesn’t approve of any of these solutions, you can do what we've resorted to: secretly place a sticky label with your phone numbers on their back during a cuddle!
2. Don’t schedule too much.
Each festival has set lists and timetables and if you schedule every last minute of your day you just add stress to yourselves when things inevitably don’t go to plan. There will be things you see walking around that you/more likely your children will get distracted by and your plans will naturally change. My suggestion is each day to choose one thing you would like to do/see and one thing your kids would like to do. Then just wing the rest of the day.
3. Bathtime!
If you’re planning to keep your children relatively clean during the festival and no judgement if you don’t bother, everyone seems to be pretty grubby by the end, then a collapsible laundry basket is what you need. Water tight and folds completely flat. Boil the kettle on a gas stove and mix with cold water for an alfresco bath. We have one of these: https://amzn.to/3RzqLMn
4. A trolley, pushchair or bike trailer?
Absolutely essential especially if you have small children but which one is best for your family? Whichever chariot you choose for your little ones make sure you cover it with fairy lights to make it super visible to festival goers and add to the magical experience. Also remember it can double up as transport for your stuff from the car to your camping pitch so that might affect which you opt for.
Pushchair – I definitely wouldn't advise using your standard pushchair from home, you are going to need something with larger wheels to cope with the terrain, grass and potentially mud. We were very lucky and managed to acquire one from our local Freecycle page but of course Facebook Market place and eBay are also good places to find a bargain as they are pretty pricey new. We have one like this: https://amzn.to/45AkCFp You can get double versions too of course and are ideal if you have a baby/young toddler.
Bike trailers - a great option especially if you have 2 small children. We did manage to find an insert for a new born which we used when our youngest was about 5 months so that’s a possibility. To be honest though I think when they are super little I would prefer a pushchair, they feel more supported and it’s easier for them to take a nap. Overall though bike trailers are generally more spacious than a pushchair and usually have a huge zip up compartment on the back to keep your belongings. Make sure you buy one with a large wheel at the front or you’ll get stuck in the mud. Also remove the long pole attachment at the front as people will trip over it! We managed to get one second hand on Facebook Marketplace but it was very similar to this one: https://amzn.to/45u9Twk
Carts – These are great especially if you have two or more children or are hoping to go to the big stages with them. They have freedom to move around or even lie down and take a nap and you have the piece of mind that they are safe and sound. We always stick to the back when we go to a big stage with the kids but it can sometimes still get rather busy especially at a big festival like Glastonbury. With a cart I feel safer in the knowledge that no matter how busy it gets the kids have a safe and secure space. Whereas with a bike trailer or pushchair it felt a bit more vulnerable and if it was super busy I worried people may fall onto it. A sturdy garden trolley works great as they have lovely big wheels, the collapsable ones with small wheels are next to useless I’m afraid. You will have to make some kind of roof for it to provide shade/rain cover. I’ve seen parents make this using flexible tent rods and fabric but we went for something a bit more sturdier, timber and a sheet of ply. We topped the ply with some reclaimed astroturf for a bit of comfort. It was sturdy enough for our youngest (2 years old) to sit/stand on the top to watch some of her favourite headliners! (with us holding her of course) We didn’t have any luck buying second hand so we bought this one: https://amzn.to/3VLPNdK
5. Discard any routine you have in your normal life.
'But my kid needs to nap at exactly 11am for precisely 90 mins'... Not at a festival I'm afraid. The routine really gets thrown out the window. They’re probably going to go to sleep way past their bedtime, they are going to eat and nap at different times. If that's way too scary a thought then festivals may not be your thing but I really encourage you to try it. Our kids end up napping when they're tired and tend to sleep well at night due to having so much fun and fresh air throughout the day. Of course all kids are different and a change in routine will be more difficult for others. But generally have snacks on hand, a place for them to nap (pushchair/trailer/cart) and try not to stress about their usual routine.
6. Travel potty
Even if your kid is a bit past the potty stage then I would still say carry one just in case. Kids can of course be known to choose the most inopportune moment to request going to the toilet and if you have managed to get to a stage then it might not be so quick or easy to leave and find a toilet. You can just clip it to your pushchair/buggy/cart use discreetly in an emergency. We have this cute ladybird one: https://amzn.to/3VKS8p8
7. Baby/toddler carrier.
If you are used to baby wearing then this is incredibly useful at a festival and the carrier you use at home should be absolutely fine for a festival too. Another thing to consider if your baby is a bit older/a toddler then a bum bag style carrier is very useful. If they want to be carried a lot or if you get to a stage and they want to see then we slide it round to the front, they stand on it whilst we hold them in place. Plus you can keep nappies, wipes etc. in the actual bag part. https://amzn.to/3Xvpcmr
8. Ear Defenders
A good pair of kids ear defenders are an essential for your little ones delicate ears. We had these ones when they were babies https://amzn.to/4cpxUGV as they were on a strap which went right around their head making it more difficult for them to pull them off. We then had these ones from when they were toddlers; https://amzn.to/4ewV3JI. They adjust in size as they grow older.
9. Sleeping arrangements
We found a sleeping pod useful for our little ones when they were babies, they seemed to like it and we were reassured they were contained and cosy in the pod next to our air bed: https://amzn.to/3Rzrqxl
If you plan on going camping a few times then it’s worth investing in a really good air bed. We found this one great, inflates itself and doesn’t leak or deflate on you in the middle of the night. https://amzn.to/3KPFfnz We tried so many of the classic cheaper ones and they all just popped after a couple of uses and we can’t be the only ones that find this. I actually made a sculpture from popped airbeds a few years ago. (a seahorse if you’d like to see it: https://www.sarahturner.co.uk/seahorse) I put a call out on my local Facebook page to ask if anyone had any they could donate and I was absolutely inundated with them! I had to put a stop to the collection as I had so many! This is what finally convinced us to invest in a good one and it’s been to dozens of festivals now and still going strong.
10. My final tip is simply this: just go for it!
It can feel daunting and overwhelming to take your kids to a music festival, but it's truly worth it. Festivals are amazing places for children, packed with incredible experiences that both you and they will cherish forever. Enjoy!