View Full Version : Should I take my 11 month old son to LVMS?
Champcars_or_F1
07-28-04, 01:44 PM
The jamlady and I are planning a camping trip on the Oregon/North California coast with a side trip to LV for the race.
The boy is happy, healthy and resilient and had no problem with loud fireworks a few days ago.
I'd love to hear from other parents- I have one voice telling me that we are crazy to even think of it, and another that says we would be crazy not to!
My wife and I took our (at the time) 6 month old daughter to Long Beach, she did fine. She goes to all of my SCCA races, too.
Make sure that you have your son wear hearing protection. A good trick that we've developed: take foam earplugs and cut off the narrow part for your son. Place them in his ears, and use medical tape to tape over them which will hold them in. Wrap the tape over his earlobes so that it stays on all day.
If you don't have medical tape, any tape can be somewhat "de-stickified" by putting it on your t-shirt and pulling it off a few times (getting the lint on the tape).
Sunblock is the other big one. Slather him in the stuff!
Take him to the race, but don't let him near the casinos or the legal prostitutes until he's at least 12. ;)
Regarding casinos, they'll give you a hard time if you even stop in front of a slot machine while carrying a baby. Believe me, I was trying to win that Viper! :laugh:
Test him with the earplugs first to see what his "annoyance threshold" is. Took 11 month-old to the Chicago airshow. Our location was pretty well north of the main area, which meant that the jets would fly right over our heads. Low. We scared the bejeezus outta him by diving at him to cover his ears every few minutes. :gomer: Forgot the earplugs.
Also consider the headphone-type earmuffs. My oldest loves to wear them, but then it's up to him to make sure that they muffle correctly. Might be a tall order for an 11 mo. old.
Also, skip the pitpass. Must be 18 or older.
Sean O'Gorman
07-28-04, 03:35 PM
I'm going to say that bringing the kid is a bad idea. I've noticed that the younger a child is when going to his/her first race, the more likely they are going to be scared of the noise, and thus they are going to hate it the rest of their lives. Just look at my family. I didn't go until I was 5, and I'm hopelessly obsessed. I think my other brothers started at 3, one of them is somewhat into it (less and less everyday though), and the other has no interest. My sister went to her first race (Trans-Am at Cleveland) at age 2 and she hates racing, although she often asks me how Danica or Sarah Fisher are doing.
The same pattern exists with my uncle's children. The kid who didn't go to a race until he was 4 is so like me its scary, whereas his younger brother went for the first time at a younger age, and doesn't like racing at all.
I would probably hold off a couple of years before taking the kid to the races.
Wingnut
07-28-04, 03:41 PM
The jamlady and I are planning a camping trip on the Oregon/North California coast with a side trip to LV for the race.
The boy is happy, healthy and resilient and had no problem with loud fireworks a few days ago.
I'd love to hear from other parents- I have one voice telling me that we are crazy to even think of it, and another that says we would be crazy not to!
Uh, I'd vote NO. We took our 3.5 YEAR old sprog to the Molson Indy Toronto for the first time this year. It was brutal. His many needs infringed upon our enjoyment of the on-track excitement. What with all the potty breaks etc., Mr. Wingnut missed 92% of the Friday qualifying. Take him when he's 11. ;)
Wingnut
07-28-04, 03:43 PM
Take him to the race, but don't let him near the casinos or the legal prostitutes until he's at least 12. ;)
What about the illegal ones??? They're okay, right?
:laugh:
Warlock!
07-28-04, 04:28 PM
My kids dug Mid-Ohio when they were tiny (14 mo, 3 years, and 5 years old)... they hung on the fence til daddy HAD to hang on to the fence (stoopid beer!). But granted, M-O is nice and open, and the sound dissapates fairly well. Don't know what it'd be like in a concrete soup-bowl like LVMS...
Warlock!
IlliniRacer
07-28-04, 05:08 PM
Take him to the race, but don't let him near the casinos or the legal prostitutes until he's at least 12. ;)
You're one of those "strict" parents that doesn't let their kids get into any trouble ;)
Andrew Longman
07-28-04, 06:10 PM
My son was 2 and already a race fan when we drove by the old Flemington Speedway and he said, "Is that a race track?"
He bugged me for 8 months about going to the races until I finally gave in.
He was very VERY overwhelmed by noise, even with ear protection (he preferred the mickey mouse ear type)
He stuck it out and we went a few times a month for a year and an half until he was totally comfortable. Up to that point he would occasionally say, "I think we should go soon before I get scared" (even after being there for several heat races)
My youngest also started to go when he was about 3 and I found a pretty similar response. Sometimes he'll just gets so overwhelmed by the noise he curls up and goes to sleep.
Based on all this I'd recommend waiting until the child is old enough to really WANT to go. That helps overcome a lot.
I also recommend starting out at a low cost local track so you are not so invested in the outing to feel bad about leaving if that's what the child wants/needs
I also recommend a road course over an oval if noise is the issue. An oval may be easier for the child to follow the action but it is hugely more loud to have 20 cars whipping in a circle in front of you than roaring by every minute of so spread out on a big road course. Road courses also probably allow them to run around in the grass and such, rather than being crammed into a seat.
Bring at least two toy cars for them to play/race when they get bored or distracted. A must. If you don't you'll be going down to the midway to buy them at $12 a pop.
Pack lots of snacks and drinks they like.
Finally, I recommend a scanner/radio. My kids get into it so much more if they listen to the familiar voices they know from TV broadcasts and it helps them follow the action.
All other recommendations about sunscreen and such are good.
I also recommend a road course over an oval if noise is the issue. An oval may be easier for the child to follow the action but it is hugely more loud to have 20 cars whipping in a circle in front of you than roaring by every minute of so spread out on a big road course.
Maybe the Infiniti Pro Series is a good start, only 3 cars going 'round in circles to make noise.... :laugh:
Michaelhatesfans
07-28-04, 07:58 PM
Bring at least two toy cars for them to play/race when they get bored or distracted. A must. If you don't you'll be going down to the midway to buy them at $12 a pop.
:laugh:
(Take no offence - I've earned the right to laugh at that! :gomer: )
Railbird
07-28-04, 09:22 PM
Raising my kid in Indy made it kind of easy, back when the month of May was worth a damn it gave me a chance to expose him to the noise and harshness in incremental bites.
A little bit of a practice day and then back home, more lengthy stays as he got used to it. When he started getting into it and wanted to go to a race I told him he would have to be able to identify all the cars and run a stopwatch accurately.
In '84 at age six he attended Indy, Milwaukee and Elkhart Lake.
IMHO, don't rush it.
Raising my kid in Indy made it kind of easy, back when the month of May was worth a damn it gave me a chance to expose him to the noise and harshness in incremental bites.
A little bit of a practice day and then back home, more lengthy stays as he got used to it. When he started getting into it and wanted to go to a race I told him he would have to be able to identify all the cars and run a stopwatch accurately.
In '84 at age six he attended Indy, Milwaukee and Elkhart Lake.
IMHO, don't rush it.
No wonder he's deef! :gomer: :D
Take him when he's 11. ;)
Is that his cry setting for maximum volume?
Michaelhatesfans
07-29-04, 01:48 AM
Is that his cry setting for maximum volume?
If no one else got it, I did. :laugh:
Anyway, our daughter can go to 12! :eek:
CARTNUT
07-29-04, 02:08 AM
I took my wife and my daughter to Long Beach (2 months before she was born!) they both loved it! :p
'NUT :gomer:
Robstar
07-29-04, 02:27 AM
I took my wife and my daughter to Long Beach (2 months before she was born!) they both loved it! :p
'NUT :gomer:
& does it it count if you go to the track with the intention of picking up & eventually conceiving ? :D
Michaelhatesfans
07-29-04, 02:47 AM
& does it it count if you go to the track with the intention of picking up & eventually conceiving ? :D
The difficulty changes from track to track. Probably easier at Daytona than Monaco, I would imagine. Unless you're Eddie Irvine or something.
Robstar
07-29-04, 07:53 AM
The difficulty changes from track to track. Probably easier at Daytona than Monaco, I would imagine. Unless you're Eddie Irvine or something.
So Surfers could be happy medium ? ;)
Rogue Leader
07-29-04, 08:02 AM
So Surfers could be happy medium ? ;)
If you like meeting girls in a monsoon :laugh:
I wouldn't take my 11 month old to a race. That is your decision though. I don't think they make a ear protection designed for a child that small. Your hearing can be damaged easily and that is something I wouldn't want to chance for a couple of hours of fun.
Since it will be in Las Vegas, some of the Casino's may offer child care at all hours of the day and night. You may want to see about utilizing one of those services if you would like to attend the race. I am sure an 11 month old would rather be playing with blocks instead of putting up with a race.
JMHO.
If no one else got it, I did. :laugh:
Anyway, our daughter can go to 12! :eek:
why not just 10 though? :gomer:
Michaelhatesfans
07-29-04, 09:43 AM
why not just 10 though? :gomer:
Because she goes to 12...?
;)
Someone once asked if it was really that bad. I told them to imagine waking up to the sound of monkeys on fire. :eek:
monkeys on fire. :laugh:
That's one thing to keep in mind, you have to be mentally prepared to bail out of the race and lose your money. Kids come before racing, sorry to say. :cry: They come before anything, really. If you would be crushed to miss out on a race due to the boy not tolerating it, don't bring him.
Wecome to parenting!
I brought my 18 mo old and 3 yr old to Cicero in 2002, but I had the luxury of being able to go into the AC'ed suite. Good thing. It was about 140 degrees in the stand.
11 months old? No.
It will be at night and cold in the desert. Would you take him out in the cold for 2 or 4 hours if there wasn't a race? Of course not. Get a babysitter or wait until he's old enough to be exposed to racing, when it can be a shared experience rather than toting the kid around like a cooler.
4wheeldrifter
07-30-04, 08:02 AM
My daughter had just turned 1 when we took her to M-O for her first race. She did fine as long as she could run around. Now, sitting in the aluminum might be a little different. (of course, I won't sit in the aluminum today, anywhere. Can't stand it).
BTW... she seemed to "survive" it just fine. :rolleyes:
Champcars_or_F1
07-30-04, 02:45 PM
I took my wife and my daughter to Long Beach (2 months before she was born!) they both loved it! :p
'NUT :gomer:
Thanks everyone for your input- we're still thinking it over.
This would actually be his second race- these pics show him (in utero) getting some driver mojo in Vancouver last year.
http://www.gamegoof.com/images/withmichel.JPG
http://www.gamegoof.com/images/withbruno.JPG
http://www.gamegoof.com/images/withrodolfo.JPG
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