ICYMI: We spent the last month in Paris and we decided to bring our kids to the Olympics.
When thinking about whether to take the kids to live events like the Olympics, we had big questions to answer around how to make the experience enjoyable, safe, and most importantly, memorable. Here are the most frequently asked questions we’ve received since sharing about our experience:
1. What Age is Appropriate for Taking the Kids to Live Events?
The guidelines on the Official Paris Olympics website states that the games are not typically recommended “for children below the age of 4 years”. Our kids are aged 2.5 and 5 years old. Our oldest enjoyed all the events, had a lot of fun learning about different countries / athletes, and could stay engaged for very long stretches of time (often the entire game). Our toddler understandably had a shorter attention span, and had a harder time following specific sports. However, he loved the energy, participating in the “wave”, dancing to the music, clapping when fans were celebrating, and of course eating tons of stadium snacks. And to help our toddler last through the entire games, we each periodically took turns bringing him out from his seat to take walks to explore the venue.
The beauty of bringing both our kids is that Gemma and I both got to be there in-person — whereas bringing only our oldest kid would mean that one of us would need to stay back with our youngest. As many of you know, we think going on adventures should never stop just because you have kids — and that includes crossing off items on your bucket list that you’ve always dreamed of doing (together).
2. What Should I Bring to the Event?
Note: Always check the size requirements for the venue you're going to. At the Olympics, any backpack that was under 25L was allowed and so we brought the Getaway Bag (24L) + Sidekick to every event!
When deciding what essentials to pack for multiple hours at a live event like the Olympics (for Beach Volleyball, we were there for 4+ hours in the sun!), we broke it down into the following categories:
- Food: We packed both kids’ snack boxes full of their favorite goodies — especially healthier snacks that we knew we probably wouldn’t find at the venue — and we used our insulated lunch bag to safely store them. Although we bought many fun and novelty snacks at the venue, we always pack our own snacks too so that we have some things readily on hand to give the kids before we’re able to purchase anything (e.g. when we’re on the way, or when the concession stand lines are too long). Before every live event though, we definitely recommend reviewing the event’s policies to see specifically what you’re allowed to bring.
- Water bottles: We always pack reusable water bottles for every live event. Even if you have to empty them when you enter, there usually are refill / water stations so that everyone in the family stays hydrated!
- Extra Clothes: In the bottom shelf of the Getaway Bag, we usually pack a full extra outfit (sometimes two for our toddler) for each kid — including tops, bottoms, underwear or diapers, socks, and a layer in case it’s cold.
- Entertainment: Our kids are both really big into drawing these days, and so we put drawing paper and coloring books into the laptop compartment at the back of our Getaway Bag with markers and crayons in the top shelf. We also include toys like magnetic building toys or mess-free water water painting books for our youngest during downtime or periods when he loses interest in the game. For our top entertainment recommendations, be sure to read our Ultimate Packing Guide for International Flights with your Toddler.
3. How Do I Keep My Kids Safe at the Event?
One thing that always makes us nervous how to manage the kids in big crowded places. For peace of mind, we typically put Airtags on the wrists of our kids - as they see us wear watches, they actually look forward to wearing their own “watches”. If anyone gets lost, we know we’ll always be able to track where they are.
In addition to Airtags, we typically let our kids know that they need to hold our hands during extremely crowded moments like entering a venue, walking through the venue to find our seats, etc.
4. What are the best seats for families?
If possible, we always recommend purchasing aisle seats, especially if your child is below 4 years old. We’d prioritize having easy access to take the little one out for a stroll rather than being super close to the action. It feels less disruptive to other audience members, and makes it super convenient for multiple snack runs!
5. How do I prepare my kids for the event?
The best way to prepare your kids for the live event is to get them EXCITED about the same reasons you’re excited! For sporting events, we try to watch highlights of the teams to understand the rules of the game and to learn about the players (and maybe they even start to have a favorite player!).
We’re also guilty of going “all-in” as a family, whether that’s matching Halloween costumes or wearing the same colors to support the team we’re cheering for. For the Olympics, we weren’t able to purchase coordinated outfits but we found an affordable custom t-shirt maker in Paris that the kids were SUPER excited to wear.
Even though kids may not always remember everything about the event itself, they’ll remember how special it felt — they’ll always remember the excitement and joy you all had as a family, cheering on your favorite team(s).