Daddy is a big NFL (American Football) fan, so having a baby was not going to prevent him going to the games in London. I would not even consider taking a baby to most sporting events, but NFL games are pretty family-friendly. In 2016, three games were held in London, two at Wembley Stadium and one at Twickenham Stadium. The games are usually held in September and October. Here are my tips for taking a baby to the NFL games in London.
5 tips for taking a baby to the NFL games in London
- You will definitely need some headphones for your baby. NFL games are loud. We chose some Babybanz headphones. Daisy repeatedly took them off, but at least they protected her ears while she was napping.
- Definitely take a sling / compact baby carrier (for Twickenham a front carrier). The stadiums do not allow buggies / prams. And the sling gives your baby somewhere comfy to nap. Daisy loves her Tula and slept through somewhere between a quarter and three-quarters of each game. In fact, she missed the end of a very exciting Colts v Jaguars game at Wembley. Oh well. We can tell her all about it one day.
- You can take your baby for free to the games up to 18 months old. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend taking a baby that was too young. My main reason is that young babies have not had any vaccinations so being in a dense crowd does not seem a sensible idea. Also, I would not take a baby that was fully mobile, as they would not be happy sitting still for that long. With Daisy, I would have spent the entire time walking up and down the (terrifyingly steep) stadium steps. So that gives you a window of roughly between 5 and 10 months old where it might just about work.
- Take your normal day trip supplies with you – changing stuff, spare clothes, drinks and snacks. The blurb you get with your tickets says you shouldn’t take bags or drinks. But of course it is ok with a baby. Don’t worry about toys – there is no space and at the NFL games you will get flags to wave. Daisy enjoyed this, as well as randomly clapping.
- Practice changing your baby in awkward spots. Or cross your fingers that you don’t need to change them. I got away with it for 2 of the 3 games. But at one I had to do an awkward change-on-lap-whilst-hoping-she-doesn’t-pee. At Wembley there are baby change facilities in the accessible toilets. But you have to faff around getting a key from a steward.
Getting there (and more importantly away)
One of your biggest challenges of attending a sporting event at Wembley or Twickenham will be getting in and out of the place.
We are lucky enough to be close enough to Wembley to cycle (with Daisy in her bike seat). We took the same approach to Twickenham, parking some distance away and cycling the rest.
Arriving at the event by car or public transport is not too bad. Because of course not everyone arrives at exactly the same time. But at the end 80,000 people are all trying to leave the area at the same time. If you are travelling by car or public transport, be prepared to wait and leave after the main rush. Or skip out of the event early to avoid the main crowd.
Or you could of course book into a local hotel and make a weekend of it. This would definitely be the most stress-free way of doing it if you were travelling from further afield.
OMG you are brave. I took Eliza as a baby to Wembley FA Cup final – It wasn’t the place for a baby and we had to leave at half time #citytripping
Yes, I think football games would be a bit rowdy for a baby. I would not have taken her to Old Trafford for a football game, but was more comfortable taking her to NFL games. We’d seen someone there the year before with a baby, so figured if they could do it, we might as well give it a go!
Hahaha.. I was wondering about the nappy changing part. Your baby looks so cute with the headphones! #CityTripping
Yes, shame she kept taking them off!
Great tips – neither my husband nor I are big sports fans so that’s one experience my daughter has missed. But living between Wembley and Twickenham, I can very easily imagine the traffic! Thanks for linking up with #citytripping
We get Daisy involved in all sorts of sporting events – I really hope she grows up to like sport or we’re going to be a bit stuck!
You are super mom, I took my son to his first NFL game when he was at least in elementary school! Your baby is so cute, when I see babies with headphones on, I think of Michael Phelps’ baby during the Rio Olympics! #citytripping
These are great tips. When my friend’s husband took their new baby to the rugby their little daughter returned with mustard on her head from dad’s half-time hot dog. Not quite what mum had in mind. So far my son has enjoyed attending AFC football matches without any condiment issues. #citytripping
Ha ha – I will have to make sure to avoid any condiment issues myself!
We are attended a nfl game at Wembley this year and have struggled to find any helpful info. This has been a excellent to read and so helpful.
Hope you have a great time!
Hi, i was trying to find out any info regarding leaving buggy facilities in Twickenham. I know buggies are not allowed in the stadium but I wondered if anywhere else I can storage it outside the stadium?
thanks!
Not that I know of. We used a baby carrier, but didn’t see anywhere to leave buggies, sorry!
It’s good to know that it’s possible to take babies to these sorts of things. That age window that you describe’s so apt, for lots of things. Good idea to take them round when they’re portable and you can’t lose them! #MondayEscapes
Good on you! I’ve not ventured to a sporting event with a little one before, but always admire parents when I see them there with babies.
The NFL is back at Wembly soon too so this is a fab post for anyone considering it this time round.
Thanks for linking up to #MondayEscapes
There are some great tips here and you are so brave!! The headphones are so useful aren’t they? We use ours at festivals and at the fireworks too! I am not sure we would be brave enough to take our two year old to a game, he is a climbing wriggle monster 🙂 #MondayEscapes
Hi. This is a great post thank you. We are considering taking our baby who will be 10 months at the time to an England football match at Wembley. Do you think this is appropriate? Thank you.
It’s an entirely personal decision. I was comfortable taking my 11 month old – with ear protectors she slept through a lot of it in her sling!
Does baby need a ticket to attent NFL match?
You’ll need to check the current rules at the venue – when we went we needed a ticket at Twickenham (free, collect from box office on the day) but did not need a ticket at Wembley