Taking a baby to hoys/Olympia

Those of us with children all started off thinking a baby wouldn't affect our lives, and we would do what we wanted to and baby would fit in.

In reality it doesn't always work like that - it depends on the baby!

Some sleep a lot, but mine didn't which was a real shock to my plans to carry on regardless.
Your own baby screaming non-stop is quite enough to drive you to distraction let alone people sitting around you. However if yours is a placid baby that sleeps a lot then lucky you :)

But I'd still go and enjoy a lovely day out with my OH if I could and let everyone around you enjoy the day too :)
 
I agree with the poster who said babies are easier than toddlers. I was at Greenwich for the olympics and one poor mum in front of me with a toddler had a terrible time being hushed and hissed at by people around her even though as toddlers go he was quite well behaved;)
I felt really sorry for her as it was dressage to music and no way could the horses be disturbed it, was just the tetchy spectators.

I would leave baby at home fwiw -you wont enjoy it as much in the crowds as you will be too concerned about little one being knocked etc. You'll be ready for a break by then anyway !:D
 
I love the way everyone thinks the baby is going to scream -at this age they do it for survival reasons food, dirty nappy, love. If a baby gets distressed and cant be clamed its due to hormones widing it up.

Ladies there is a miricle that makes your baby become mature in it's brain, in gut regulates temperture, heart rate and brings babies back "from the dead"....

its called skin to skin - and dads can do it as well

just take its clothes off and stick it down your top, next to your skin where your hormones interact with the baby producing a calm chilled baby. It will be keep nice and warm next to you and with your coat over the top no one need know. Skin to skin is not just for birth.

And im going to be be noisy and ask you "cant breastfeed" there are only a few women who "cant" breastfeed

those that dont want to
those that have had a double mascetomy
those on drugs that pass to the baby

wome think they "cant" due to many reasons, but other reasons not on my list purely come down to one thing - lack of support and knowledge. End of. period.

Did you know that breastfeeding protects your baby against cancer? 70% protection, any guess as to why canacer rates are on increase?

As a midwife/lactation consultant (nearly) please pm me if you want to discuss this futher!

congratulations and I hope your birth is how you want it x
 
Personally. I wouldn't. The place is crowded and difficult for buggies. The arena seating is tight, and if you get seats in the middle of a block, you will find it very difficult to move if baby starts crying. The crowd gets unbelievably loud and I would imagine that this can be frightening for a baby.
The show is around 4 hours long. That is a long time to hold a baby.

Not recommended.
 

Why so naive?

I have 4 children, 4 horses and our own business. As babies my children did fit in, it takes some juggling and military style organisation but is perfectly do-able.

If any of mine as babies started to cry at Olympia or anywhere else, I just took them out of the stands and settled them. No great drama.
I've seen babies, toddlers and older children at shows like Olympia over the 20 years I've been going, by far more annoying than the children is the non stop commentary, slagging off by the adults!!

OP see how you feel at the time, and do what's right for you and baby, don't be put off by some of the posts here.
 
I have had so many arguements with people lately about my 6 months old,

I dont care, he has as much right to be somewhere as anyone else, what about that group of cackling of women?, the group of hoofing loud men? IF i ever bothered to attend anything like this, I would probably have my son with me!

And by the way, everytime someone pipes up, hes not been making a sound! work that one out, some bitter people out there!

No, it isn't a case of being bitter - goodness me what a reaction. I have had my own baby, I also fostered a fair few newborns and toddlers, so I really do like them! However, there are always parents who ruin it for everyone else, by merrily sitting there letting their poor baby scream for England. Just because someone has a baby, it doesn't mean they have to lose their manners and believe their child should be everywhere and anywhere just because THEY want them there. It is also important to think of others, who have paid money to attend the event too. The problem is with babies, you never know when they will start up, so you can go to an event like this and then spend your time sitting outside as the baby is distressed by the atmosphere, fine if you will actually do that. You are fortunate yours has been quiet, but you can't guarantee it can you.
 
Last edited:
If you want to go with your baby then don't worry about other people's opinions on whether you should or shouldn't, it's up to you and if you're considerate of others then there shouldn't be any problem.

I wouldn't bother with a pram, just take a sling.

I would, however, wait until baby arrives before booking anything. Purely because until your baby is here, you won't know how you're going to feel about going and even how you feel about leaving your baby behind.

You can carry on doing the things you love (with more consideration and organisation), its all just going to be very different :)
 
I was at Greenwich for the olympics and one poor mum in front of me with a toddler had a terrible time being hushed and hissed at by people around her even though as toddlers go he was quite well behaved;
I felt really sorry for her as it was dressage to music and no way could the horses be disturbed it, was just the tetchy spectators.

"Just" the tetchy spectators? Did they not have the right, given how much those tickets cost (plus travel/hotel etc), to listen to the music properly whether the horses could have been disturbed or not?

A toddler cannot possibly be expected to sit for hours and watch dressage. The only reason he was there was to save his mother getting a babysitter for him.

No wonder the people around her were angry, she was being incredibly selfish and also unfair to the child to have him there at all.
 
"Just" the tetchy spectators? Did they not have the right, given how much those tickets cost (plus travel/hotel etc), to listen to the music properly whether the horses could have been disturbed or not?

A toddler cannot possibly be expected to sit for hours and watch dressage. The only reason he was there was to save his mother getting a babysitter for him.

No wonder the people around her were angry, she was being incredibly selfish and also unfair to the child to have him there at all.

I couldn't agree more with this. How is it those who choose not to put their children through something which must be horribly boring for them, have to put up with the children of those who do? Also, why are those who are annoyed by it the ones in the wrong?
 
And im going to be be noisy and ask you "cant breastfeed" there are only a few women who "cant" breastfeed

those that dont want to
those that have had a double mascetomy
those on drugs that pass to the baby

wome think they "cant" due to many reasons, but other reasons not on my list purely come down to one thing - lack of support and knowledge. End of. period.

Sorry to side track here.
But my mum was desperate to breastfeed me. She did so for 10 days until she stopped producing milk. She was really upset. Attitudes like this are disgusting.
 
And im going to be be noisy and ask you "cant breastfeed" there are only a few women who "cant" breastfeed

those that dont want to
those that have had a double mascetomy
those on drugs that pass to the baby

wome think they "cant" due to many reasons, but other reasons not on my list purely come down to one thing - lack of support and knowledge. End of. period.

Did you know that breastfeeding protects your baby against cancer? 70% protection, any guess as to why canacer rates are on increase?

As a midwife/lactation consultant (nearly) please pm me if you want to discuss this futher!

congratulations and I hope your birth is how you want it x

Nearly? Does that mean you are a student? If so, I hope you learn not to sound so preachy and condescending once out there with new mothers. As a new mum I really struggled to breastfeed my baby - contrary to popular belief it is not easy, especially with sore and ulcerated nipples. The sum total of my midwife's advice to me was "you are going to spoil that baby if you don't put him down". Gee thanks, he wasn't getting any milk, which is why I was trying so hard. I was sent out of hospital after 2 days and no one came to see me for another four, by which time I had switched to the bottle.

I really did appreciate the other advice given by a passing midwife when I took one of my foster babies back to the hospital for a check up though. I was in the waiting room and feeding the baby (who was a week old), she said I should be breastfeeding the poor little thing. I pointed out that the poor little thing wasn't mine, so it would be a tad hard. Some midwives, not all, I know some are great, are so busy "passing on their wisdom" they don't actually stop and learn about their clients.

Also, if you are going to state your case for those who are "allowed" to not breast feed, I would learn how to spell Mastectomy.
 
If I have paid for my ticket, I expect to be able to enjoy my day, undisturbed by those who have not paid. I do not expect to have my feet and ankles run over by buggies, or to have them left in the way of the thingsI would like to look at in the trade stands. I do not expect to have to move out of the way, so that some woman who believes that the fact that she has given birth gives her some kind of devine right, can use her buggy, with her poor child on board, as a battering ram, to get to where she wants to go. I am not anti children, but I do think that some parents insist on putting their own interests before those of their child, never mind the interests of those around them.
 
From the baby's pov - why do you think that s/he is going to enjoy having bags banging his face, seeing nothing but legs for most of the day, being in such a noisy airless environment that s/he can't get to sleep properly and can't interact with mum properly either?
 
Top