Taking Your Baby to a Football Game

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We are big fans of the University of Arizona Wildcats, which means fall is time for football. Last season I was pregnant (and so tired) but this season we have our little girl in tow. I figured our first attempt to bring her to a game would be a learning experience and I was right. Now I’m here to share with you my tips for taking your baby to a football game without losing your mind!

Pack Light!

More and more stadiums and arenas are requiring that any bags brought in are clear – that’s true for us at Arizona Stadium. This means we were already pretty limited in what we could pack. We got our bag from the UA Bookstore, but if you aren’t a Wildcat fan (boo!) this clear stadium bag is pretty much the same thing. For the first trip, I packed way too much! It made the bag heavy and bulky and a hassle to get anything out of. This was the first mistake. When you take your baby to a football game, keep it simple. Here’s the bare minimum and what works for us:

• 3-4 diapers (we use cloth, so we also packed a wet bag)
• diaper change pad
• ear protection
• baby wipes
• burp cloth (we’re in a really drooly stage)
• nursing cover/swaddle

Not pictured above:

• hand sanitizer (currently using Babyganics)
• baby carrier (either a sling or structured carrier)

That’s all the baby stuff we needed! We also throw in our keys, my wallet and a chapstick. If you’re looking for other baby products I love, see my posts here about my after baby must-haves. The only other item I’m on the hunt for is a small portable fan. The first game started at 7pm and the temperature was 93 so staying cool was vital.

Protect The Ears

Research shows that prolonged noise at 80 decibels or higher can cause hearing loss, so this one is important. We purchased little protective earmuffs to use for the games. She actually tolerates them pretty well and will fall asleep with them on. It’s easy to see that they are definitely dulling the noise for her. I did take them off when we were in the bathroom so she could have a break (and I could wipe her sweat off!). Don’t skip this one!

Be Prepared for Attention

We’ve taken our girl out to quite a few places: stores, restaurants, church. However, I was not prepared for how popular we were at the game. While the attention was nice (yes, I agree, my baby is very cute), it was a surprise to me. We had several people try to take her photo and tons of people talking or cooing at her. They even had a bit where they played The Circle of Life from the Lion King and showed people doing the Simba hold on their babies on the big screen. All in all, this isn’t a bad thing, although the strangers taking her photo gives me the heebie jeebies. The real benefit is that most people understand that you may be getting up out of your seat more than the average person so it benefits you if they think your baby is cute.

Move Around

Now your mileage may vary on this, especially if your game day temps are more moderate. As much as you hope to watch the game in its entirety, you may have to move to keep that baby happy. In our case, I walked up to the concession area to take advantage of the breeze and still be able to see the game. It’s also good to note that we carried her in to the game in a structured carrier (we have this one from Infantino) but didn’t use it for the rest of the night. Next time I’ll probably just use the ring sling, as it’s smaller and easier. You can definitely take your baby to a football game but it won’t be like your pre-baby games.

Get Early Sleep

We had a couple of other outings on this first game day, but the plan for the next game is to let our girl pack in the sleep early on in the day. Odds are if she falls asleep at all during the game, it will only be a cat nap. As long as she’s gotten most of her sleep early, she is fine to be thrown off her schedule for a few hours. This is another one that you should take with a grain of salt for your baby. In general, just be prepared that there is a ton of stimulation at the game so be aware that sleep is unlikely.

Are you sports fans ready to take your baby to a game? Our baby was almost 3 months old for the first game and that felt comfortable for us. Let me know if you have any other tips or tricks for big events with babies in the comments below.