First-timer

[twistpeach.livejournal.com]

Hello Arisia,

I will be bringing my three-year-old son to Arisia for the first time. I excitedly signed him up for Turtle Track and can't wait to see him engage in all the neat programs. I was wondering if folks had any advice for how to handle the day, pitfalls to watch out for, and what is good practice for little children while at this particular con beyond the FAQs.

I've been to Arisia for a few years and feel a little clueless about how to balance my traditional Arisia activities with my excitement to include my son and facilitate him having an awesome experience. Any tricks of the trade to skating this transition like a champ? I hope my son and I will attend Arisia together for many years because we both have a great time.

p.s. I just opened up a thread about parenting. Please be forgiving and thoughtful in the comments. Non-parents, please be deferential. Parenting is hard.

Comments

[tigira.livejournal.com]

My kid LOVED Turtle Track. It's a great idea. A few lessons I've learned (we've been staying the whole weekend at Arisia with our kid since he was 3).

1. Make sure you have your cell phone on vibrate and somewhere you can feel it. It may seem like a no-brainer, but it's really easy to miss a call from TT. (Not that they usually call, but you just don't want to miss it if they do).

2. As Dale said, have lots of snacks and easy foods that you know your kid will eat no matter what. Make sure to have water and juice on you at all times, as well.

3. If your kid (like mine) LOVES costumes, make sure that the costume allows easy potty access to avoid accidents.

4. Don't freak out if your kid wants to wear the same costume all weekend. The other parents will understand, and nobody will blame you. It will also make Arisia a much more fun for our little.

5. If you want to go to parties at night, remember that your kid won't know you were up until 2AM, and still get up at the same time they usually do. We found that a few DVDs and a laptop computer helped greatly to get an hour or two more of at least half-sleep.

6. Book babysitters for at night. Post to the list to see if there are any teens that want to earn $40 or so for spending. Do it early, since the available teens get busy quickly. Last year we tried something new - we paid for two students' memberships. In return, they just needed to babysit our kiddo while we went to the night parties. We booked them again for this year.

As Dale said, be prepared to do less, but also be prepared to see the wonder of the con through a pre-schooler's eyes. My son's first con, he had just seen Star Wars for the first time. Seeing people in costume/garb was amazing, to him. He even hugged Darth Vader!

Last year he met several incarnations of the Doctor (another character he loves). He's 7, now, but still looks forward to Arisia. I think starting it by being laid back (I made it to maybe two panels and very few parties our first year with him) made it more enjoyable for him in future years. He doesn't equate stress with Arisia, he sees Arisia as a vacation. He now tells his friends about his hall costumes and plans for this event, and some friends are asking about it, too. Alas, their parents are fen, or even "friends of fen," so they don't go.