Belegarth

For those of us with young children, how do you cope with them at an event? We have 2 daughters ages 2 and 11 months. Both girls are very active and in need of constant supervision. Any suggestions for activities? For long events do you make all 4 days or just a night or two?

I seriously suggest leaving them with Grandma for the weekend You will enjoy yourself so much more!

But if that's not an option; crayons & coloring books, bubbles, hoola hoops, nature walks, dress up clothes, fairy wings & wands...

Things from home that will make them feel comfy in the tent, familiar stuffed animals and blankies, etc. I remember the hardest part of camping when my son was little was getting him to fall asleep in the tent, (not unzip the door and run off !)

Those nifty backpacks with "leashes" are excellent... especially if you have an escape artist on your hands.

Hope that helps

Also, if you do take your kids with, please make sure that you keep your wits about you and keep your eyes on them. I was hanging out with the guys from Gilead at their camp (back into the trees near Troll) and the folks camped there were drunk and their kids were wandering. I don't know if they were there for the event or there to camp on their own time, but it doesn't matter. Be the good parent that I'm sure you are.

I'm not sure how many other people bring their kids - that being said, I know we have at least one from my realm and another from a nearby realm. It seems to me that people could alternate daycare hours etc. . . . *shrug* just a thought. In my realm we all tend to take turns to watch Bael's kid.

Thanks for the advice. I have taken the oldest girl (2 next week) to the last 2 Oktoberfest. The first one she was only 3 months old and I broke my hand on the 5th fight of our first full day. The second Okfest I had just had ACL replacement so I was not fighting.

No worries about keeping our heads, neither my wife or I drink. I can't imagine being that unresponsible. We haven't been tent camping for a few years (have a VW Bus for that) but we will be taking a run at it this week. We'll see how it works out. I can honestly say that I'm now a little bit worried about the zipper thing.

Solving the issue of keeping them in the tent could be done with carabiner clip if you're keeping them in the tent when you're out, or just securing the zipper at night. Not the best, but an option.

Caleidah wrote:Also, if you do take your kids with, please make sure that you keep your wits about you and keep your eyes on them.

Agreed. Even well-meaning bystanders tend to watch the action instead of the sidelines.