Taking Young Kids to the Big House

You think you're going to end up staying for 3+ hours?

HAHAHAHA

In all seriousness I would not expect to make it until halftime, but I suppose it all depends on your kid.  And AFAIK you cannot bring snacks, even if you have a baby, unless it's formula/breast milk.

You might be prepared to leave at halftime

There's a thread like this every season.

You're kidding yourself if you think this will be fun for you or the infant (or you have a very unique definition of fun).

UNCLE TONY ISNT HAPPY

I can safely say that neither you nor your surrounding fans will enjoy having a one year old at a loud, crowded football game where people are going to be jumping up and down, yelling and generally scaring the living shit out of your child.

I'm sorry but I think you're going to find this to be one of those "it seemed like a good idea at the time" things come about 12:15pm on Saturday if not earlier.

Yeah, probably going to have a hard time getting a 1-year-old to sit through a game.  I had a Spartan friend to took his 1-year-old to the Rose Bowl and his wife basically left with the kid 20 minutes into the game.  

I'd say go for the experience and catch the 2nd half on the car ride home.

1.  Do not expect a one (or 3-4) year old to last an entire game.

2.  You will need to move around and walk around the stadium.  Don't expect to see a lot of that portion of the game that you are around for.

3.  Band, blimps, planes, etc. are far more interesting to them than what's happening on the field.  This will be true until about 4-5 years old.

4.  If you are on the east side of the field, think serious sun protection.

5.  Good for you for starting them early -- have low expectations and if you are lucky, about the time they start to get into it, you'll take them to a Penn State 2005 game and will have a Wolverine for life.  I mistakenly told my then 8-year old that this was the greatest game he would ever see at the Big House.  Which was true, until UTL.

the first time I went to a game.  My parents wished they'd waited till I was 11.

 

 

She might be young enough that it works.. Meaning she will fall asleep or somehting.. But my experience is that 5 is about the youngest, and even then you better bring an iphone for them. 

At age 6 you can start teaching them the game etc.

As a side note, the really frustrating thing for my 6 year old was that when she watches on tv, she knows what to watch since the camera follows the ball, but when she was at the game, she had a hard time figuring out where to look. 

This is just my experience with 2 kids. 

My then-one-year-old niece came to a couple tailgates last year, but there was no way we'd take her into the game. She pretty much had enough just hanging out in the parking lot. So, in my experience, don't plan on much more than that.

Not sure how you possibly think this is a good idea. I mean what's the point? She's 1. I took my 4 year old to the Utah opener in 2008, it was blazing hot as most openers are, she was done before the end of the first quarter.

But I imagine this will not be "enjoyable" for anyone except those out of earshot.

Pre-gaming is good, but  no more than 3.5-4 hours.  The kid should be fine through the game.  Don't worry too much about the weather... kids that age don't fidget too badly when hot or cold or if the sun is in their eyes or if they get sweaty.  You might take it easy after the game through.  Instead of heading back to the tailgate, why not hop on over to your favorite fine dining establishment on Main?  After a nice relaxing meal and you and the missus getting to share a celebratory bottle of wine, the little miss outta be ready for a final stop with your buddies at the 8 Ball!  Have fun and GO BLUE!

If it is hot and if you are in the sun, you will be there for about 30 minutes before it gets intolerable for your kid. I am taking my two boys (4 & 3) to their first game when Minny comes to town. Hopefully it will be a bit cooler. I have also waited until I think my boys will remember their first game. I don't think a 1 year old will be able to do that. And remember, a diaper bag is like a diplomatic pouch, I think you can get all kinds of stuff through the gates in one.

I know it takes a village and all but you are probably in a better position to know what will keep her content or whether she will be squirmy all game than us.  If she will sleep (baby bjourn?) you may get some quality watching time.  If she is going to be awake, I would anticipate anywhere from 15-20 minutes before you are out of there.

All kids are different, but my experience is that the young ones don't want to hang around to long.  As noted above, also keep an eye on the weather as I'm always concerned when I see infants at games with the temps in 80s. 

From my dad:  I watched the entire 1st quarter upside down, with my head on the bleachers. 2nd quarter I sat backwards the whole time. My dad told me we were going to get McDonald's at half time, and I cried for an hour after he broke the news that we couldn't go back into the stadium.

Hopefully this is obvious, but maybe not since you didn't mention.

The most important thing is ear protection.  Football stadiums are extremely loud (even at Michigan).  Even minor league baseball is loud to a 1 year old. You can buy pretty cheap over the ear covers to protect your kid at a wide variety of places.

Otherwise, it depends on your kid. You should know better than anyone else if they can sit around people watching for 4 hours. Most kids can't and will require several walks around the stadium and other distractions. For them, it's not much more interesting than church or a graduation or whatever.

Young ears don't like constant noise. I think 3-4 is probably the earliest to attempt a game like this.

Of my 4 kids I had one that could pleasantly sit through a game around age 2. I also have a son who is 11 and still cant make it through half a game. My best advice is take your 1 year old to a highscool game between. now and then. sit in a very crowded section and see how it goes.

We've taken our 6-month-old to a couple of MLB games and he's done fine. Stayed for the whole game. We wear him in a carrier and just have to walk around every once in awhile and feed him. All kids are different, though. Those weren't as loud and rambunctious as M stadium, though. Although the App State game might be your best chance.

I took my daughter to a game in 2012 when she was 5 1/2.  It turned out to be the driving rainstorm Illinois game, so we stayed at our friends' house until halftime when the weather calmed a bit, then attended the second half.  I told her "we'll go to another game when the weather will be better."  She looked thoughtful for a moment and asked "How will you know?"  I said "Good point."

We went to the Minnesota game last year and it was beautiful.

 

I've seen fans with babies and toddlers in the Stadium and they generally look miserable.  The kids can't follow the game and are bored, and they are less tolerant of adverse weather (heat, cold, or precipitation).  My son just turned four and wants to be included, but I'm going to wait until 2015 when he's five and a little more patient.

 

I think you'll all be happier if you wait a few years before bringing her to the Stadium.

I took my 3 year old and 1 year old to a game way back when.  We didn't get into the game until the start of the 2nd quarter and left at halftime.  A 1 year old is more interested in teething on the seat back than the game.  You can enjoy the experience, but you won't be paying too much attention to the game itself.  Enoy the experience with your family and cherish time in Ann Arbor.  Go Blue!

We took our kids together when they were 3 and 1 to a Sept game at the stadium. They were great but not all kids are.

For the one year old, if they still use one, bring and use a soft carrier like a Baby Bjorn. We kept our son strapped to us at all times and he ended up falling asleep. It was easy to sit there with him and great to get around. S/he can face you if sleepy or to avoid the sun or face the game if interested. It can get sweaty but it's worth it.

Go early and enjoy the band and warm ups. You may only make it through a quarter or two of the game but the pregame stuff is great for a little one.

Bring sun protection- sunglasses, sunscreen, light clothes, a hat. Ear protection is important, too. I don't think it will be really crowded for the game so plan to try and go up where there are fewer fans rather than try to wedge in lower. That's courteous to other fans, better for your kid and you will be more relaxed. Understand not every fan wants a one year old near them during a game but most are great and like seeing younger generations of fans.

Carry your things (diapers, wipes, food, etc. through the gates in a large clear ziploc bag. It will make getting in easier for you and screening easier for security. You can bring a small grocery bag to put them in after. The less to carry the better. Make sure you have a blanket of some sort for diaper changes in hidden grassy areas outside the stadium. Much easier than trying to do it in the bathroom.

Finally, pay for the closest parking you can with in-out rights. The last thing you want is to walk a long way with a hot, tired kid you have been carrying during the game. Good luck and go blue!

I have a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old and would agree with others on this thread that you should not bring a baby to the game. It's too crowded/loud/unsafe for a child of that age. Neither of you will enjoy it.

Howeva, I understand the drive to start them young and get that priceless photo of them at the stadium, so consider what I have found to be a great alternative: take them to the Spring Game & Fall Scrimmage instead.

These events are way less crowded and more family-friendly, allow you to get the kids into the stadium to soak in much of the game-like experience and sprout an early fandom, you can get your pics, and best of all the events are free so you can leave whenever you need to without wasting $ or missing much of consequence. Bonus: I found you can bring food into these events, so I was able to eat Maize & Blue IN the stadium, achieving complete euphoria.

I once heard not to take your kids to an actual game until they can sit through a whole one with you on the couch. This seems like sound advice, and that is the plan I'm sticking to.

Taking a one year old is probably too early. If you really want to watch the game, you're inviting pain and frustration! The earliest I've taken any of my kids is 2.5 and the plan was to leave in or after the third quarter. Also, I just looked at the forecast and they're calling for highs in mid 80s and thunderstorms which will make it that much worse.

since about age 2. We talked to someone on Hoover, right behind the stadium and reserved a spot for the whole season. We would arrive about 15 min before kick off and make it to our seats just in time. We buy them lots of food to keep them happy. We walk and run around a lot. One child even sat on my lap and slept through 1/2 of a game (it was naptime). We generally missed a lot of the action and would leave sometime in the 3rd quarter. Now that they are older, we can come a little earlier and leave at the end of the game. We still need to pump them full of food and drink, but now they enjoy the game! I also second the call for ear protection.

I cant imagine that doing this will turn out well for you, your kid, or the people around you. But who knows, I may end up wrong. My advice is wait a few years until they can actually process what is going on around them.