Advice for son's first Tennessee game

[TAMUVOLS12]

My son is 8 months old and I would like to know everyone’s thoughts on what an appropriate age is to take him to his first game?

Also, we live in Charlotte and it's almost 4 hours for us to drive with him.

Thanks and GO VOLS!

 

[BonesVol]

My son will be 6 this year and he will be going to his first game. Im sure they can go.earlier but this is what I decided. I went to my first game at the.age of 5. Its totally your call.

 

[barney]

Well, if you bring him to early, the noise might upset him. I wouldn't start until he was 3 or 4 at the earliest but, as already said, its your call.

The spring game would probably serve as a nice sampler and a good opportunity to see how he reacts to things.

 

[AdamT]

Please don't take your baby to the game. That has to be an absolutely miserable experience for someone who will have no clue what's going on. I'd say 5-6 is a great age for your first game. I remember going with my dad, him sitting me down, getting me a hot dog and a big ole coke. Good memories.

The people in front of us brought their infant to the game. The screams made it cry, the heat made it sweaty, and you could tell the kid was absolutely miserable, yet the parents thought it was sooooooooo cute to tote him there in his orange ut onesie. Don't be that guy.

 

[AstonRoyal]

I wouldn't take him til he's around 4 or 5. Your ears when your young are VERY delicate and Neyland can get unbelievably loud and you don't want to risk long term damage.

 

[vol_in_ar]

My son is 8 months old and I would like to know everyone’s thoughts on what an appropriate age is to take him to his first game?

Also, we live in Charlotte and it's almost 4 hours for us to drive with him.

Thanks and GO VOLS!


View attachment 54832

I'd wait till he's old enough to stay awake for an entire game...so at least until he's stop taking naps

 

[AdamT]

absolutely. Couple that with the fact that his immune system isn't fully up and running yet. Getting him around 100k people could be bad.

 

[TAMUVOLS12]

Thanks, I was thinking the same as you guys. We are planning around 2-4 most likely

 

[volger]

I would wait till he's old enough to remember it. 7 or 8 maybe. I remember next to nothing prior to 5.

 

[hmanvolfan]

Get him some self defense classes first so if the other teams fans get stupid he can whip they ass.

 

[GAVol]

I'd say about 6 or whenever his attention span is such that he can handle it. If he's less than about 4 or 5 he's not going to remember it anyway and you'll just be doing it for you.

 

[GAVol]

I'd wait till he's old enough to stay awake for an entire game...so at least until he's stop taking naps

There's that too. I personally think everybody that takes a kid under 5 to a football game needs a lobotomy, but that's just me.

 

[iluvsmesumdooley]

Kid's too young. Plus, we suck. Wait till he's 25 - we should be getting back to the Outback Bowl by then.

 

[Clemvolsince54]

Between 6-8 so that he would be able to stay interested in the whole experiance for 4-5 hours.This way he would look back on it with great memories.
Good luck with whatever you decide and congrats on becoming a proud father.

 

[OrangeDog]

My daughter is 4 and she has gone at least once, every year since she was 2.... My son is 3 and went to his first game this year.

Every kid is different.

Don't take him to a game that matters that much to you.
Somebody is going to miss some snaps.

My kids have been GREAT and LOVE it. They're good enough that they don't bother people.

Get seats out of the sun or out of the rain.
The Terrace is great, since you can take them in to 'Run Around' if needed.

Mine absolutely LOVE it already.
I wish I could have started being a VFL when I was that age.

Here are pix of the kids at the Bar at The 4 points after the game....

 

[orangepants2012]

Whatever age you decide there are a few things you must do. Take him to Volunteer village(paint the face and all that), do the Vol walk, go see the band,etc. don't take him to a Fla or Bama game ( their fans are dumb a$$es and talk too much crap). My pick would be the homecoming game.

 

[give_him 6]

We took my son (3) and daughter (16 months) to the Mizzou- Tennessee game this year. Everyone advised against it. They did great and that includes all 4 over times. Wish the result was different. We went in with a plan to be flexible, if it didn't work and that helped. My wife did say there are not many changing areas (unlike an MLB or NFL stadium), so just keep that in mind. She had to use a nurses station.

 

[vavolunteer]

I agree with volger. He should be old enough to remember it. Even if you wait until he's 10ish. His first game at Neyland Stadium has to be something he remembers forever. Because I can still remember it, thinking about my first game at the awesome stadium still, to this day, almost brings me to tears.

 

[Volt]

He can go when he is old enough not to repeat the curse words he will hear while a portion of our genius fans complain everytime a run does not yield at least 10 yards.

 

[Hardwood_fanatic]

I would recommend taking him to a Kentucky game, so that he remembers a positive experience.

 

[OrangeDog]

I agree with a lot of these posts....
All kids are different.

My daughter remembers EVERYTHING.
Since her first game at age 2 &1/2 she asks everytime there is a game on, she asks "When are we going back to Knoxville?" That's why we take her every year.(Not to every game)

She LOVES it..... and remembers LOTS about the experience.

We didn't take the boy til he was older because ALL KIDS ARE DIFFERENT.

Its 351 miles from our house to the stadium, so they don't always get to go.

GBO/VFL


edit....
my 2 year old had on #11 Jersey and Hunter had a HUGE game on his first Rocky Top visit.

He still talks about # Eyeven!!

 

[TAMUVOLS12]

Thanks for all the input

 

[TVA]

Not too young.

 

[salutethehill]

Both of my boy's first games were when they were 3. I made sure they had a great time. They've gone to at least 1 game every year since (one is 9 now, the other is 5). I think it's great when parents bring their little kids.

My words of wisdom
1- Try to get seats near the band/cheerleaders/Smokey. They love Smokey and they love drums (but not too close).
2 - You probably don't want to bring them to a big game until they're a little older. Start with cupcakes so you don't have to pay as close attention...as you WILL be entertaining them to some degree (WHOA Look at the fireworks...where's Smokey?...let's go for a walk...lets go pee in that trough again...etc.).
3 - The Spring Game is an excellent idea, and a fun, cheap way for the entire family to get to Neyland, especially if the weather's nice. And tremendous photo ops abound at the O&W Game. See:

 

[OrangeDog]

Do the Bookstore before the game.
Get NEW game gear and change in the bathroom if needed.