advice for going to a game with a 1 year old
I'll be your daughter for the day.
Pros: I can walk. You don't have to change me. I can go to the bathroom alone. I can get you concessions. Willing to wear drag.
Cons: I'm a 28 year old dude.
Otherwise they want to leave and after the 9999th time of "how much longer" tensions have escalated and nobody is really enjoying the game.
The other part is it gets really hot in September if the sun shines. I get sunburned every year despite working outside a good portion of the summer's previous months.
Concessions can be a pacifier but then there are constant trips up and down, waiting, missing the game, $50 later, and its still going to be time to go before the final whistle blows.
I think this is a troll post.
As a parent who took kids to Michigan games:
Fake-it #1: Take your one-year old to a game if one spouse doesn't like football but, rather than say so, uses the kid as a periodic excuse to go out every once in a while.
Fake-it #2: Taking a one-year old to a game is clearly for bragging rights, so simply photo-shop your daughter into an image of the Stadium on game day.
Fake-it #3: If spouses agree, lie to your kid as she gets older that she was at the game. If you sell the lie well and use the photoshopped image as proof, she might even decide she remembers the game.
I agree with many who have said, "Don't."
I have 3 kids -- 19, 16, and 12.
When the kids were very young, we only had 2 tickets. We would have family or friends watch the kids and go to the game. As my oldest got to the age where she might want to go (maybe 6 or 7???) we made it very clear to her that it was a special treat to be allowed to go to the games. She sometimes went with me and my wife (when we used our friends' tickets next to ours) and then later went with just me or just my wife. But it was always made clear to her that the purpose of going was to go to the game. Especially if I was taking her. :)
The outcome is that she now LOVES football. She is getting ready for her second year at Northwestern and is in journalism and has covered many sports including one NU football game from the pressbox last year.
Similar story with my second. She's a huge fan, too, but there were a couple games early on where my wife would take the girls for a walk-around in the concourse during the game. She is a BIG fan as well, but for her the experience is perhaps slightly less special. She got to go to some games at a younger age than her older sister, but she seems to truly appreciate it every time she gets to go. Because of sports and activities, it is hard to make it to every game, so when she can go, she loves doing it. She will be a drum major for her HS band this year and is eyeing the Michigan Marching Band, so I'm *THRILLED* about that prospect.
By the time my son was old enough to recall, he was going to basically every game where he didn't have his own activities interfering. We've now had 5 tickets for a number of years. He is a big Michigan fan too, but for him the experience was never quite the same level of "treat" as it was for the first two. He likes football, but he never had to "earn" his right to go to games like the girls did.
I don't have any regrets. We have many great memories of all 5 of us at games. I wouldn't change what we did. And now that my oldest is off to college, the fifth ticket is usually going to one of our friends or one of the kids'. So the time you get to take your kids to the games truly is fleeting.
But, especially at one year old, don't fool yourself into believing the experience is anything other than for you (and your husband). You should do what you want, but you should go in with eyes wide open. Good luck.
you should definitely sit in the Sparty section. Godspeed.
August 6th, 2017 at 10:03 PM ^
Your kid will remember games when he's 6 or 7.
August 6th, 2017 at 10:42 PM ^
OP - would be interested in what you decide. You'll have to circle back and let MGoBloggers know.
August 10th, 2017 at 5:19 PM ^
I'm glad all the naysayers didn't convince you not to try, even with all their hilarious convictions about 1 year olds demanding to leave, asking questions that presuppose a grasp of time, etc. Just don't forget ear protection!
This is as bad as the people that bring their kid to a concert. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING???Get a babysitter or be a responsible parent and stay home. Make the grown up decision and realize it is not a good idea and there is absolutely no reason for it. Part of being a parent is making sacrifices. Which means you can't do whatever you want anymore.
Speaking of reasonable analogies...
August 7th, 2017 at 10:55 AM ^
Thank you for your kind words. Also you are welcome, my expert advice is always available when you need it.
yeah, no
August 11th, 2017 at 12:58 AM ^
I took my niece to the Big House at age 3. I made sure her mommy and daddy were nearby in case I wanted to do a mid-game handoff. We did a handoff just before halftime. Kids are a handful at a game. It's tough to enjoy the game while worrying about what they're up to.