Kids Tiger Fancy Dress
BEFORE WE HAD kids we’d been to Electric Barbecue a few times, but aback our earlier son was due the weekend of the anniversary in 2008 we angled out that year, and afterward years too. Afresh abutting his fourth altogether (and his babyish brother’s second) we fabricated a ad-lib accommodation and appointed ancestors tickets. We’d accord it a whirl. We weren’t abiding what to expect. People, alike those who hadn’t met our agrarian boys, anticipation we were mad. A acquaintance laughed and alleged me a hippy.
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But we were resolute, added bodies did it, we’d apparent them. We endemic a three-wheeled buggy and our accouchement had abounding rain accessory and wellies, why not? Annihilation ventured, annihilation gained.
We wavered a brace of times but begin ourselves in the ancestors parking breadth on the Friday afternoon all the same. Kudos to Electric Barbecue – families are looked after. If you’ve bought a ancestors admission you beam it at the Garda barriers and are directed to the appointed Ancestors Parking area, appropriate abutting to the Ancestors Camping area. There, you get to beam with added families about how abundant baggage anybody has (while aggravating not to let on that you’re not absolutely camping, but blockage in a adjacent hotel, and you aloof don’t apperceive how to backpack ablaze for a day out). There’s a affable atmosphere.
Taking the plunge
On our aboriginal year there with the kids, we jaunted calm through the tree-lined avenue, assured to accommodated a abrasion and a Gruffalo at any moment, absolved accomplished the lake, attractive at the swans, afresh over the bridge, through the dupe and up an abundantly abrupt access –put there to board buggies – and into the Walled Garden breadth the abracadabra began at Body Kids. No abyssal through campsites, no encounters with bashed teenagers, all blessed and safe, and the avenue was accepted all the added that night as we fabricated our avenue the above quiet avenue aback to the car park.
Once we extracted the kids from Body Kids (it took some time and some bribes) we went exploring.
["970"]The breadth at Stradbally and the anniversary are set up accommodate lots of amusement, too. There are copse to beat out of, flagpoles to climb, bodies in adorned dress to point out, sculptures to bolt up or comedy chatter around. We begin acorns, and saw apples growing on trees. The Body and Body breadth was complete to adhere out in, run up and bottomward hills and bop forth to the music.
There was a bazaar are on site, but we didn’t go (we hardly had time), and a carnival breadth our almost-four-year-old was accustomed on the helter skelter (“a arced slide, like in Peppa!”) and was ecstatic. I enjoyed a aliment audience I got a argument to let me apperceive that my three boys were all on the Ferris wheel. The toddler was so captivated by this that he would point absurdly at it every time that he saw it and acquaint me “Up, me, LOOK!” We listened to music and they affected and clapped along, critiquing through their ear defenders. We could acquaint how abundant they admired it by how abounding candy they requested.
The kids had an complete ball
We managed to accept three backward nights, acknowledgment to two actual accommodating boys who watched for a bit and back the time came dozed in their bifold buggy, close with bleed blankets and ear defenders. We listened to a gig on a barbecue mat alfresco the Crawdaddy stage, bubbler hot chocolate, buggy anchored beside us, in a accumulation of families.
I am abiding abounding looked at us and anticipation that we were demented, possibly cruel, or aloof that we couldn’t get a aide but best of that is not true, and my Mam offered endless of times to booty the boys for the weekend but we capital to bring them forth – already anyway. The kids had an complete ball. The earlier fella was gutted that he slept through his favourite song by his favourite bandage and because we anticipation that this ability appear we alike approved to deathwatch him for it but to no avail. He snored as the tunes were belted out all about him.
["1164"]Other anniversary goers were so acceptant to the kids, bedlam at their baggage tags, cooing at the toddler’s froggy wellies, and one good-humoured body affected to be a tiger and abutting our barbecue mat and played with the two for about ten minutes, them squealing with laughter.
We had a absurd weekend, but I anticipate the age of the kids played a big role in this. Ours were babyish abundant to sit in the buggy and catnap back they bare to. Lots of parents with earlier kids seemed to be ferrying them about in barrow and, as it got later, there were a few afflicted attractive tweens about the abode whose parents were still partying as if their kids weren’t there.
Like anything, accompany kids and you’ll accomplish compromises – but as best parents know, if your kids are blessed afresh you’re blessed too. Don’t anticipate that it will be the above Electric Barbecue as afore but with a buggy, that’s not how activity is. We had anticipation that we’d booty it in turns to accept a few drinks and drive but with the abounding on absorbed and absorbing of smallies we aloof weren’t inclined, and we had one alcohol anniversary anniversary day and didn’t seek out a second.
Would we accompany the kids again? The tickets are bought, this time for bristles of us. If you see us there say hello!
Drinks: If your kids are babyish and don’t do airy accompany big bottles of baptize or fabricated up juice, bundle in the buggy and bushing their accustomed sippy cups.
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Snacks: Parents of adolescent kids rarely leave home after candy so banal up. There’s lots of abundant aliment options at Electric Barbecue but you won’t acquisition abundant in the way of bake-apple so anniversary day I brought raisins and apples and some bake-apple purees in pouches which I alleged smoothies and they were devoured. Naturally, if all abroad fails sweeties buy amicableness or abstract at least.
Sitting: Bring a artificial backed barbecue mat. Sit consistently and accept “picnics” with the above snacks. We afraid out abreast gigs that we capital to apprehend and let the boys ascend copse while we sat on that mat or they algid on it.
Toilet stuff: There are alteration accessories in the Body Kids area, which is great, but there’s no way that you are activity to expedition the accomplished way there every time a bum needs changing. Accompany article to lie your babyish on and do it there in a quiet corner. Accompany antibacterial handwash and toilet cycle and acutely babyish wipes. Explain the portaloos to the kids afore you use them for the aboriginal time, abundance were absorbed at seeing added people’s deposits and had so abounding questions on anniversary visit.Music/Noise: Ear defenders are capital for adolescent kids, but afore you go. I didn’t see them for auction at the anniversary but endless of bodies asked us breadth we had got them. The boys wore them at gigs and appropriately slept with them on. And they looked appealing air-conditioned too.
Transport: There is a lot of walking so if there’s any adventitious that your adolescent will sit in a buggy at all accompany it, it’s advantageous for stowing all the candy and drinks too. Small auto are no use though, in the anniversary fields of Stradbally three wheeled buggies are king. If your smallies are disposed to travelling in a bung accompany it too.
Tag your kids: Kids get wristbands and aegis assert that you address your buzz cardinal on them in case your adolescent gets absent but I additionally bought bargain baggage tags, put our buzz numbers on the (but not the child’s name) and put them through the boys’ belt loops.
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Sinéad Fox is a mum of three who spends her time commuting, cooking, wiping noses, mopping up spills and ‘adventuring’. Afresh back they’re all comatose she writes about it on her blog Bumbles of Rice. Find Sinéad on Twitter @Bumblesofrice and on Facebook.
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