Lower Your Expectations
While it may sound bad, don’t necessarily have high expectations for your child. As long as you go to the game knowing your son or daughter won’t sit for the whole game, you won’t be surprised when it happens. We went to the game knowing this and we were right. He was able to sit down and experience the game until about half time. It was then when he began to get antsy. We ended up leaving because the temperature was north of 100 degrees and we couldn’t take the heat any longer. However, it’s almost a certainty he wouldn’t have lasted much longer and the first NFL game could be even full of surprises.
Factor In the Weather
Because the NFL games are played rain or shine, you want to ensure you are willing to do the same. Pay attention to the forecast for the day unless you are one of the lucky ones that have a team that plays inside of a domed stadium. While we were fully aware it would be hot, no one could have prepared us for the heat we experienced that day. The seats got so hot we couldn’t even sit on them without cooling them off. If I were to make adjustments, next time I would be certain to bring towels along with us to sit on top of the seat without burning our butts. Also, if it is expected to rain at all, you want to be prepared. Therefore, plan and bring a raincoat or ponchos to handle the rain. That way, you don’t have to scramble and pay the high prices to buy one at the stadium. In the other game we attended, we experienced light rain and I wished I had taken my advice during that one.
Plan Your Spending Ahead Of Time
Before going to park your car, you should be prepared to pay. You can bet that you will have to spend a lot of money just for parking alone. A lot of places only take cash, as well. On the day we attended the Eagles game, we had to pay $40 just to park at Lincoln Financial Field’s parking lot. Also, plan to pay high prices for food and souvenirs. We specifically went in avoiding them. However, if you will be buying them, you want to have the cash on hand. Place bets online, check for the best odds according to ATS.io.
Crowds Are Very Noisy
While this can vary from stadium to stadium, you can generally expect the crowd to be extremely noisy. This is especially true if you are talking about a 4-year-old. After all, their ears are much more sensitive than adults. Therefore, you want to be prepared for things to get uncomfortable for your children if they aren’t thrilled with loud noises. Our son isn’t a fan of loud noises and we found him covering his ears every time fireworks went off or when the crowd roared on third-down. We explained to him that when things got loud, it was a good thing for the first NFL game. Still, it can be very overwhelming to a young child. Because of this, I would bring earplugs or noise-canceling headphones the next time.
Go During the Pre-Season
Going to a pre-season game can be a great option for those with younger kids. After all, younger kids have much shorter attention spans. Therefore, you won’t feel as if you wasted so much money if you are forced to leave early. Likewise, it’s during the pre-season when you will experience fewer crowds. Also, you can anticipate the weather being much friendlier during August than it is in December.
Plan to Arrive Early
There are so many things to see and experience at the stadium. Because of this, you should plan to arrive earlier. You can take your kids to the play areas, the mascot meeting location, and even the build-a-bear shops in the stadium. You can even plan to walk around the stadium to check out the different views it offers. In particular, Lincoln has some of the best views of Philly.
Check Your Bag
You want to go to the stadium knowing the restrictions. Knowing what you can’t bring is just as important as knowing what you can bring. You don’t want to be one of the hundreds of people who get turned away because they didn’t bring the right things with them. You need to bring a clear bag with you if you are going to be bringing a bag. Likewise, your bags will have to be small. This is a strict NFL policy for all stadiums. Therefore, you want to be certain you are aware of the restrictions and guidelines before heading to the stadium. You don’t want to be forced to leave your belongings in the car as it can be quite a hike to get back to the parking lot.