I haven't posted in a while. Life is busy with twins, which I'm sure you can imagine! I hurt my back pretty badly at the end of April and almost took a trip to the ER, but thankfully was able to get it under control enough to survive. Being stuck in bed with twins is no fun! I just wanted to get up and play, and snuggle, and take care of them, but the only thing I could do was nurse them after someone brought them to me. Thankfully my awesome nanny & my rockstar hubby held down the fort until I could walk again!
For hubby's birthday I had bought him tickets to a Red Sox game. We usually go once or twice a year to Fenway, and I envisioned a fun family day for all of us. As the day crept up closer, he was begging me to find a sitter and leave the twins home. I said no way!! So off I went googling "how to bring kids to a ballpark", and "Should you bring your infant to a ballgame?" I didn't find much, but I had some ideas for how to make it easier. And guess what? It was a success! So here are my tips for surviving a trip to Fenway (or any ballpark) with infant twins.
1. Plan to leave early. We knew that Boston gets crazzzzzy busy on game days. Traffic can be a disaster and crowds difficult to manage. We timed our drive from western mass to Boston to match up with morning nap time, and it was a breeze driving into the city. We had plenty of time to relax & even stop at Boston Beer Works before the pre-game crowd arrived (around 11am) to get a beer, eat some nachos and feed the twins their lunch at high chairs at the table. We had an afternoon game, then planned on leaving the game early as well to avoid the crowds & get the kids home before dinner!
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| Lunch at Boston Beer Works! |
2. Pick your parking wisely. Pre-kids we parked at Riverside on the green line of the T and rode in to Kenmore station, then walked to the park. I knew I didn't want to walk that far of a distance, so we starting researching parking garages. While parking can range from $10-$60 depending on location, I found the Landsdowne garage on the red sox website offering parking for $35, and it is literally right next to the ballpark! I bought online in advance, and we got right in.
3. Plan your baby feeding times. The timing of the game worked perfectly for us feeding the twins. I nursed them as soon as we parked in the garage while we were in the car. They had their lunch (I brought quesadillas & strawberries from home) at Boston Beer Works, and then I nursed them later during the game. Fenway actually has an awesome nursing pod! Its a private, locked pod with seating, an outlet, and hand sanitzer & even a TV with the game on. Perfect for nursing or pumping if you don't like to do it in public or in my opinion with twins is very difficult to do just anywhere.
4. Babywearing is a MUST. If you don't own a carrier, you must get one before you take on this adventure. My hubby loves his Ergo, and I have a slight Tula addiction so we are well stashed on baby carriers. Babywearing allows you to walk easily throughout the ballpark with your hands free for things like your diaper bag, your tickets as you try to find your seats, or more importantly a beer. They will also come in handy when nap time arrives, and you can get them to zonk out in the carrier while you enjoy that $9 beer.
5. Adjust you game viewing expectations. We knew we wouldn't get to spend much time actually watching the game. In fact, I think we watched less than 2 innings from our seats. The loud announcements and cheering kept startling the babies, who really wanted to take a short afternoon nap. We found places in Fenway that we had never been before! By the 3rd base grandstand there is an area with concessions & a bar with a few tables. This was the perfect (quieter) spot to get them to fall asleep while we enjoyed an italian sausage and a beer. Behind the bleachers, there is a new kids zone with a lot of picnic tables. Pre-kids we would limit time below our seats to bathroom trips and beer runs, but with twins, expect to spend a lot more time down there.
Traveling to Fenway is certainly no easy task, but it was a great day of making memories for their first trip to see the Red Sox play! I think we may hold off on any more for the season, but will definitely be making the trek out to Boston again next year!
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| The nursing pod at Fenway Park |
4. Babywearing is a MUST. If you don't own a carrier, you must get one before you take on this adventure. My hubby loves his Ergo, and I have a slight Tula addiction so we are well stashed on baby carriers. Babywearing allows you to walk easily throughout the ballpark with your hands free for things like your diaper bag, your tickets as you try to find your seats, or more importantly a beer. They will also come in handy when nap time arrives, and you can get them to zonk out in the carrier while you enjoy that $9 beer.
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| Babywearing on the Green Monster! |
5. Adjust you game viewing expectations. We knew we wouldn't get to spend much time actually watching the game. In fact, I think we watched less than 2 innings from our seats. The loud announcements and cheering kept startling the babies, who really wanted to take a short afternoon nap. We found places in Fenway that we had never been before! By the 3rd base grandstand there is an area with concessions & a bar with a few tables. This was the perfect (quieter) spot to get them to fall asleep while we enjoyed an italian sausage and a beer. Behind the bleachers, there is a new kids zone with a lot of picnic tables. Pre-kids we would limit time below our seats to bathroom trips and beer runs, but with twins, expect to spend a lot more time down there.
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| Enjoying the view from our seats! |
Go Sox!
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