Bringing Children to PAX

hazel-

i mean children, not midgets. also, please forgive if this is addressed elsewhere, i am at work, and cannot read all threads.

my husband and i have occasionaly floated the idea of going to pax, as we have not been to a con in a loooong while. however, we have a 3yr old daughter, and leaving her for a prolonged period of time is not feasable. are there any other pax goers with kids? anyone done/interested in doing a shared babysitting type of thing? all answers appriciated.

also: i am nurse, and i was wondering if there is a need for any kind of medical type volunteers. thanks

Relativiox

The two years that I have been at PAX I've seen everything from a Old father to a baby in a stroller. There are many parents that bring their children along.

As for the volunteering, the Enforcers are not taking new applications this year. I will point you to this thread for more information.

Hope to see you there!

KaitouAyashi

Also, while there were a few children and parents at PAX last year, it is not an event specifically geared towards families. I think a moderator should rename this thread Bringing Children to PAX for more visibility and so those thinking of doing so have a place to make plans, etc.

Good Luck!

Minja

As for things for your daughter to do as activities, there's not really much there. But like Relox said, I have seen all types of children come to PAX ever since '04. So I dont think there is any harm in bringing her. =3

The only thing I would worry about (personally) is your child being exposed to swearing amongst the attentees and speakers, but if you're the type of parent who doesnt worry about that then its a good experience even for the little ones. =D

collinc

I can honestly say if I were 3 I would have enjoyed PAX quite a bit. All the colors and sounds and electronics. The concerts would be great for a 3 year old I think too. I could see a 3 year old participating in RE:your brains.

rjcomputergeek

I am looking to come and bring my three year old daughter as well, although she'll be nearly 4 by the time of the event. Will I need to buy a pass for her, as she's obviously not going to participate? Although she does try to play WoW with me *sighs*.

KaitouAyashi

Everyone who attends needs a pass. There are no "Freebies" for attendees over or under a certain age.

xGunCrazyx

yeah only thing i could see being a problem is the various curse words she'll hear
at such a young age though, i really doubt it's that big of a problem

Amber Fechko

rjcomputergeek wrote: »

I am looking to come and bring my three year old daughter as well, although she'll be nearly 4 by the time of the event. Will I need to buy a pass for her, as she's obviously not going to participate? Although she does try to play WoW with me *sighs*.

Attendees 6 years old and under are free.

PAX is not specifically geared toward little ones, but I've seen kids enjoying themselves year after year. There's a lot to see, and the PAX crowd tends to be a very friendly one.

King of Mars

Amber Fechko wrote: »

Attendees 6 years old and under are free.

I wish I had known that before preregistering. My son will be 5 at the time of PAX. Oh well, it's not like it's ridiculously expensive or anything.

As for the language, I try to watch it around him, but sometimes things just sort of slip out. Things I've heard him repeat while he plays SMG or Spongebob Squarepants.

I'm a horrible bastard.

Bambooza

Each year this question seems to be asked. Over the years there indeed have been a handful of pax goers who have and continue to bring their children to this event. Hopefully they will stop lurking to post their own experience. The only thing I can think of is that PAX is more then likely an average rating of PG13 in content.

randomguy

Bambooza wrote: »

Each year this question seems to be asked. Over the years there indeed have been a handful of pax goers who have and continue to bring their children to this event. Hopefully they will stop lurking to post their own experience. The only thing I can think of is that PAX is more then likely an average rating of PG13 in content.

Exactly. The things you need to ask yourself is:

"Are you a bad parent ?"
"Will you leave your child unattended at any time in a crowd of people ?"
"Do you plan on getting a sugar overdose , passing out with pixie sticks up your nose on your back in a diabetic coma with dilated pupils as your child weens over you in fear ?"
"Do you plan on selling your child for autographs, extra tickets, rare items, epic items, or food ? Do you plan on eating the child yourself ?"



If you have answered a confident "No." to all of these questions then you should be ok to bring your child to PAX. If you have answered "Yes." to any of the above questions, please seek psychiatric help immediately.


Your child should have an amazing time as will you. There is plenty to see and do.

BigRed

randomguy wrote: »

Do you plan on eating the child yourself ?

Damn... I fail.

Sulheka

I have brought my small kids (ranging from babyhood to five years old) to PAX since the beginning. My recommendations:

- watch for overstimulation. Be prepared to take frequent off-site breaks. PAX can be crowded and loud. On the subject of loud, the concerts are EXTREMELY loud but we've been offered earplugs for the kids. In general, though the concerts are fairly late and probably should be avoided by the small.

- I suggest booking into one of the PAX hotels nearby, the Hyatt in particular has been great with kids and has actual cribs (not playpens) available upon request.

- Strollers were not permitted in the Exhibition Room last year, but a polite Enforcer permitted us to leave it at the door. Keep in mind if you have a very small gamer... maybe bring Snugli.

- Everyone we've encountered has been polite and friendly towards the kids. People have suggested a concern about language, but really we never had a problem.

- the Console Freeplay area has E rated games, and there are also games in TableTop suitable for young players.

- bring snacks, the on-site food services have huge lines that you don't want to be stuck in with a restless toddler. Kid-friendly restaurants are in the area, the hotel concierge can provide you with a list.

I assume, of course, that fellow parents naturally intend to properly supervise their kids at all times, but I should mention it anyways. There are no daycare facilities, PAX is crowded and filled with electronics and equipment that would not accept a soggy chunk of squished banana shoved into the optical drive. But you guys know that.

BrokenAngel

I have yet to bring a child to pax itself, but I have brought mine to smaller cons. My advice is as follows...

Have a close hotel room. You will be going to it frequently.

Do not plan on any kid under age 5 sitting still for a whole panel. if you have one you simply HAVE to see the whole thing of, have someone handy to trade off with (As in "you watch my kiddo for this panel, I'll watch yours for this other one)

Kids will only find wandering around fun for so long. Plan for this and don't expect to make a full day of it.

Give older kids an entertaining thing to do, for example at one con my oldest daughter dressed as Aerith from Final Fantasy 7 and gave out flowers. It kept her busy and happy for HOURS.

Some kids freak out in bigger crowds, try to stay in areas with some arm room.

Take a big bag with toys and snacks for little ones, for the love of god. Also make sure they have their nap at normal time.

Ummm I'll add more as I think of them.... Stay tuned for another thrilling episode of random obvious information from BA!

EDIT: Thats what I get for taking forever to post.... someone wrote my post only better before me..... >.<

sum10fishy

randomguy wrote: »

"Are you a bad parent ?"
"Will you leave your child unattended at any time in a crowd of people ?"
"Do you plan on getting a sugar overdose , passing out with pixie sticks up your nose on your back in a diabetic coma with dilated pupils as your child weens over you in fear ?"
"Do you plan on selling your child for autographs, extra tickets, rare items, epic items, or food ? Do you plan on eating the child yourself ?"

What if you plan on over dosing your kid with sugar so they pass out with pixie sticks up their nose on their back in a diabetic coma with dilated pupils? That way you don't need to worry about them while you sit in on a panel or two!!

My plan is flawless!! Now I just need some kids.

nemaihne

You could always use that extra pass you just bought to drag along a nephew or someone in that late teens early twenties age group. I'll bet you could get a lot of tag team supervision out of transportation, rollaway bed and a pass to PAX. I don't have kids, but my brother swears by this tactic and uses it every vacation.
Speaking of swearing, if (when) your little one happens to overhear some colorful phrases during the con, at least there's a good chance they'll be more creative than usual. Parties are at hotels, so it's a pretty laid back crowd at the con. Besides, the kids are going to be too distracted by all the colors and displays. Overstimulation melt down is probably the biggest danger you'll face. That probably goes for some adults, too, though...

jonxp

I'm leaving my two-year-old with her grandparents for PAX, but this is my first time going. If it looks OK, I might bring her along next year. She already loves to play the Wii with us.

ctishman

nemaihne wrote: »

Overstimulation melt down is probably the biggest danger you'll face. That probably goes for some adults, too, though...

This is true. I get overstimulated as fuck, and often have to take breaks from PAX, and that's at 25. As a kid, I could probably have taken two, maybe two and a half hours at a time, or ten minutes in the exposition hall before I needed to find a nice quiet closet to hide in for half an hour.

GodOfCheese

I will definitely be bringing my boy again this year for more DDR goodness.

His sister doesn't speak yet. She can wait until 09. :-)

MLORD

My son is almost 3 at this point and I have to say the sheer amount of things going on and the head ache that it would be to watch your child let alone care for them the entire time AND be able to do the stuff you want......I want to meet the super mom or dad lol I am a single dad and for one will be leaving the boy with the grandmother for this event until he can experience it to its fullest closer to the 5-6 age. Just my 2 cents lol

applepiesf

Thanks for asking this because this is what I needed to know too. Our son will be nearly two in August, and we are considering making the trip from San Francisco with him. If we can find a very nearby hotel, I think we could just go back to the room often. I plan on wearing him on my back (in a compact carrier, not a huge framed one) so we wouldn't have to navigate with a stroller, he will be able to see, and he won't be able to run off or grab anything. Even if we can only be at the con for a few hours each day, I still think it will be worth the trip. He can floss his pink import GBA that I have passed on to him.

Incenjucar

On the part of people with good hearing, let me just remind you that the sound of a crying child can ruin just about anything, so be ready to muffle and run if needed. :P

jonxp

Incenjucar wrote: »

On the part of people with good hearing, let me just remind you that the sound of a crying child can ruin just about anything, so be ready to muffle and run if needed. :P

Bah, tuning out children crying is a wonderful skill to acquire.