We are all about making memories and having experiences. That is why as opposed to buying the latest toy or hot trend for my kids for their birthday and Christmas this past year, we opted to give the gifts of experiences.
On Christmas morning Eden was thrilled when she opened her present to discover two concert tickets to her favorite recording artist, Shawn Mendes. The only problem was this gift couldn’t be cashed in until July. That’s a long time for a kid to wait, but she was patient, and just last month she finally got to experience her first real concert.
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I say first real concert because I can’t count Choo Choo Soul or Elmo Rocks from back in the day. I am talking about that first real concert in a packed arena with thousands of people screaming “We love you” and singing along at the top of their lungs.
So being that Eden is only 9, I had a lot of questions that I asked myself prior to purchasing concert tickets. Here are 7 things to consider when taking your child to a concert.
Is my child old enough to attend a concert? Age is just a number right? I really was concerned about if Eden was too young to be going to a real concert. There are lots of variables to consider. Does your child love music, is it something they would enjoy? Or is it for you?
Who is performing at the concert?
Of course, not every concert is kid-friendly, so you have to consider the artist. I had just been to the same arena a week earlier to see the New Kids on the Block Tour and there is absolutely no way I would’ve taken my nine-year-old with me.
Taking her to see Alessia Cara, the artist who sang the theme song to Disney’s Moana, who sings “Scars to Your Beautiful” which is all about body image, I am really good with this. Letting her sing along at the top of her lungs while Shawn Mendes belted out “Youth” which is meant to inspire them to keep their heads up in the wake of all the bad stuff happening around us, sounds okay too.
Although both of these artists do have songs with content intended for a more mature audience, my 9-year-old isn’t picking up on this and all-in-all this was a safe choice for a first real concert.
Will a kid be able to see everything okay?
When attending a concert with children, you must choose your seating wisely. I knew there was no way I would want to be on the floor near the stage as that crowd can get super rowdy. I also wanted to make sure she could see well. I knew that much of the crowd would be up on their feet and that would block my little gal’s view. I ultimately decided on seats that were up away from the stage but the first row on that level where there were no heads to block her view.
Does my child need earplugs or headphones?
Of course, we all want to protect our children’s hearing. Noise-reducing earmuffs are a great option for younger kids. Amazon has a lot of options, you can buy earmuffs like AmazonBasics Kids Ear Protection Saftey Noise Earmuffs for less than ten dollars. Of course if they are opposed to earmuffs, like my daughter is, than earplugs are a great option.
Am I going to have to buy food?
Be sure to feed your child right before the concert. Most places do not allow outside food and drink. You can usually find out the policy of your venue on their website. It is typically a small fortune to eat at the arena so I took snacks with me so Eden could fuel up right before we went in and then again on the drive home.
Is my child going to make it through the entire concert?
When attending concerts with children you have to be sure to consider if your child is ready for this experience. My kids are early to bed and concerts are always an evening thing. Can they stay up way past bedtime without turning into grumpy pants? Another thing to consider is the environment. Can your child handle the loud, chaotic crowd? At the Shawn Mendes concert, everyone had led bracelets that flashed during the performance. Could your child handle this type of visual stimulant?
Should we plan to sneak out before the encore?
One last thing I had to consider is if we should leave when Shawn first left the stage. I could get out before the crowd and be on my way well before the masses. Unless it is worth it to stay for the encore, leave and beat the crowds.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t an option for us as Eden had been waiting for one of her favorite songs and knew that the concert wouldn’t end without it being sung. So in our case, it was so worth it to stay, it was the icing on the cake.
Have you taken your kids to a concert yet? If so, who did you see? Please share in the comments below.