What age was your kid's first baseball game?

[Anonymous]

Probably around 4 or 5.

[Anonymous]

4 months, though that was a AAA game. First MLB game was 6 months. DS is 2 now. Haven't made it to a game this season, but probably going end of April.

[Anonymous]

4mos and 3mos to Camden Yards, and they sat/slept through whole games. As toddlers, they were a bit more fidgety, but they'd attended church services and concerts (indoor symphony and outdoor concerts), and went to restaurants and movie theaters from very young ages. Consequently, they were great at games, which has made going easy for us. We go about 9x a year, and at each age, we had a go-to routine that helped keep things running smoothly. If your kids aren't used to staying still to take in a game, I recommend sitting on the aisle, so you can make quick exits without stepping over your neighbors, and sitting close to the walkway. One great thing about Camden Yards is that they have a generous outside food and beverage policy, which also saved some of our sanity with our own kids and now when they bring friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:4mos and 3mos to Camden Yards, and they sat/slept through whole games. As toddlers, they were a bit more fidgety, but they'd attended church services and concerts (indoor symphony and outdoor concerts), and went to restaurants and movie theaters from very young ages. Consequently, they were great at games, which has made going easy for us. We go about 9x a year, and at each age, we had a go-to routine that helped keep things running smoothly. If your kids aren't used to staying still to take in a game, I recommend sitting on the aisle, so you can make quick exits without stepping over your neighbors, and sitting close to the walkway. One great thing about Camden Yards is that they have a generous outside food and beverage policy, which also saved some of our sanity with our own kids and now when they bring friends.

PS In the infant / toddler years, we went in with the expectation that we might have to leave early. We only needed to leave "early" once to the chargrin of my diehard baseball fan spouse, but at least the expectation was set, so there wasn't too much grumbling.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks! Sounds like we missed the window on taking him when he was an infant and will wait a few years to take him when he's 4 or so.

And for those advising that we go with the expectation that we just watch a little baseball, eat some hotdogs, let him run around in the kids' area and leave early, that sounds perfect to me

[Anonymous]

3 weeks.

We have season tickets. He's 3 now. Sometimes we leave early, sometimes not, but he love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:3 weeks.

We have season tickets. He's 3 now. Sometimes we leave early, sometimes not, but he love it.

This PP again, we take him to weekend games at 4 pm. He still naps so we go after nap.

[Anonymous]

Agree with others. DD likes the experience of a ballgame but finds the entire game long and boring. I’m the same way to be honest, so we usually go to a game or two per season and that’s plenty for us. Grab some cheap tickets, bring snacks but plan on buying some fun ballpark treat (crackerjack!) and leave when it stops being fun.

Don’t go with a small kid if you are intent on tracking stats and watching every pitch.

[Anonymous]

I'm not a baseball fan at all. But I took my twins last year when they were 6. A friend had a group block of seats to a Nats game and there were going to be a lot of no shows that time, so he asked if wanted to join. I took him up on it. The boys enjoyed it a lot (but they had no idea what was going on...they kept asking who our team was) but mostly they enjoyed being out, getting food and ice cream there and the fun stuff. We might try going to a Bowie Baysox game as a lower key version and seeing if they are interested in learning about the game. If not, I think I've done my paternal duty of taking them to one baseball game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with others. DD likes the experience of a ballgame but finds the entire game long and boring. I’m the same way to be honest, so we usually go to a game or two per season and that’s plenty for us. Grab some cheap tickets, bring snacks but plan on buying some fun ballpark treat (crackerjack!) and leave when it stops being fun.

Don’t go with a small kid if you are intent on tracking stats and watching every pitch.

I posted earlier. If you are big baseball fans, there are a hinge you can do to help your kids enjoy the game more too. Our kid bag included baseball themed books and toys (e.g. an Orioles bird). I created a dry-erase board for my kids to track runners, and they loved it. Other kids around us also used it. If you start taking kids later, it may take time to adjust to staying put. Be patient.

I will also say if you hope to have (partial) season tickets, think about the precendents you set. Our kids don't think of games as junk food fests. The game is the focus, and the rest is gravy. They don't demand all the treats, because we didn't do that regularly. We also don't get alcohol usually, so we aren't modeling consuming everything that passes in front our noses. Like I said before we go about 9x a year. Also, on the ride from
noVa to Balmer, we have special playlists, one of which is chock full of baseball connections (songs with strong connections to teams (sweet Caroline, thank god im a country oh), centerfield, walk-up songs sampled at games, etc.)

I'm just sharing what worked for us. Hope that is helpful.