Oh the challenges us parents face when taking kids to a big event….
This past weekend my husband and I took our girls to a college football game and although taking children can be tricky, it can also be a bunch of fun too. Our children have been to many professional baseball, football and hockey games and this college football game was not our first of that kind either. Although preparing is major, research is vital to enjoying a smooth gameday. Here are some of my favorite hacks to making a sports event family friendly:
- Start With Parking. Planning where to park is very important and knowing what your children are capable of doing will likely play a part on deciding a location. We have taken our girls to events that they were still being carried while other times like our most recent trip, they were able to do most of the walking. The closer to the event, expect the price of parking to increase. We have seen parking as much as $160 for game day and depending on the city, we have even used public transit to get back to our car to save money. Bonus tip! Research parking locations that are the easiest to get back to main roads can help if the little ones get cranky.
- Pregame Activities. Many events that we have attended have provided pregame activities including face painting, meeting the mascot, bounce houses and playing games. Some professional teams will have designated games dedicated to certain cartoons and we have attended two pregame events that had our favorite furry monsters from public television. My kids absolutely loved attending parades prior to college football games and have even gotten stickers from a band director.
- Eating Before The Game. Every arena has different food options and lots of stadiums have a mark up on food. Many colleges do have food courts with popular food chains and their professional counterparts may have restaurants nearby. We typically eat before we go in when possible, but still get a snack like popcorn or a soft pretzel to hold them over for three or so hours that the game takes. Bonus tip! Many stadiums will allow you to bring in unopen water bottles. Those same bottles may cost you up to five times more inside the gate!
- Bathrooms. This helpful hack can be helpful especially on a college campus. Many of the bigger buildings like the university center or the library are open prior to game time. In these buildings, especially like the library, you may find a cleaner bathroom than at the game. This can be a lifesaver if you have kids who like to touch everything in the bathroom.
- Customer Service Booth. Nearly every professional sports arena we have gone to have had a welcoming department at least one of their customer service booths. This can be anything from certificates the kids’ first game to welcoming toys at that particular stadium. We have received many thing like a foam finger from Detroit to a stuffed animal in Pittsburgh all at no charge when visiting these booths. Earlier this year, we sat through an unusually long rain delay at a baseball game and when we had a situation with our kids, the customer service booth helped us by providing information as well as provided our children with free figurines without asking for them. Bonus tip! Some professional teams have a kids’ club which include reduced or free tickets as well as other perks like going on the field.
- Kids Zones. Some arenas will have a designated kid zone inside which can be helpful if someone gets antsy. These can include playgrounds, games and other activities. You never know what you can find like a washer machine that you can shoot pucks into baseball themed jungle gyms. Sometimes they are easy to find and other times the stadiums may have a map on their website to where children can burn up their energy.
Whether your child is a pro at going to sporting events or it’s their first time, most arenas have kid friendly options both inside and outside the gate. Knowing what is available is helpful and never forget to have a good time!
