Tips for Taking Baby to a Baseball Game

Daddy and Hosea outside the Bank

For me, one of the best spring activities is a day spent at the ballpark. Wether its your small town A Minor League team or a Major League club, its hard to beat that feeling you get cheering for you hometown team.

We recently decided we would take our 10 month old baby to his first Philadelphia Phillies game. Our experience ended up being a lot better than expected and I thought I would share some of the insights that we learned and pass them on. The following are just a few tips/tricks we learned for taking a baby to a baseball game.

Sun Protection

This is especially noteworthy is you are attending a day game. Depending on what time you arrive and when you leave, you are looking at being out in the sun for between 3-4 hours. Protecting your baby's sensitive skin is absolutely vital.

We approached this in two different ways. 1) We obviously put sunscreen on any exposed skin. This is a fairly obvious thing to do (side note for moms and dads: don't forget your sunscreen. We are not getting any younger, we must do all we can to protect our skin so we aren't aging faster than we need to). 2) We dressed him in a UV swimsuit that covered his arms and legs and had a built in hat. The less exposed skin, the less chance at getting burned.

Hearing Protection

Babies don't just have sensitive skin, they have sensitive ears. Like any sporting even, baseball games tend to get loud. To ensure you little one doesn't suffer any hearing damage, make sure to get them ear muffs. We went with the Alpine Muffy Baby ear muffs, but there a no shortage of similar products on the market.

Hosea Rocking His Baby Ear Muffs

Baby Carriers Are Better Than Strollers

Some stadiums do allow strollers but there really is no room to actually store them. You are better off just putting the baby in the baby carrier instead. Also, babies get into the game for free as long as they sit on your lap so the baby carrier can help you hold the baby keeping your hands free to eat food and catch any balls that nay come your way.

Familiarize Yourself with Stadium Policies

Anyone who has gone anywhere with a baby knows they do not travel light. You need your bottles, formula, diapers, wipes, change of clothes, etc. I cannot speak to all stadiums, but at Citizens Bank Park, you are allowed to bring in "medically necessary" bags which includes diaper bags without restrictions.

Day Games Are Best

For a variety of reasons, I prefer day games to night games-- especially for babies. However, the biggest downside to day games is being in the sun all day. Do your research on the stadium to see where the best seats are for shade. At Citizens Bank Park, we sat behind home plate a little ways and enjoyed the shade for the entire game.

View of Citizens Bank Park From Behind Home Plate

Get Your First Game Certificate

When you take your child (14 and under) to their first Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park you can get a first game certificate for them at guest services. This is a really cute way to commemorate their first trip to the ball park, especially since when they are really young, they are less likely to remember.

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All in all, our first trip to a baseball game was a success. I am looking forward to making many more memories with the family at the ball park. If you have any tips or tricks that work for you, let me know down in the comments.

Always have to pay a visit to Kruk's plaque