Berkeley Parents Network: Burning Man with Kids

Berkeley Parents Network

Burning Man with Kids

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Places to Go > Burning Man with Kids

August 2006

I'm planning on taking my 15 month old to burning man this year. I was wondering if anyone had done this before and what types of advice/precautions you would think helpful with regards to staying hydrated and protecting from dust. Thanks! burningmom

unless you have or are renting an RV I wouldn't do it. Unless you have a large generator to keep the airconditioning going, forget about it. Unless you have exposed you child to loud noises and know that s/he isn't disturbed by it I would not do it. been there, done that

Gee, I would say the advice already in the archives still holds true.

The daytime playa is still quite kid friendly in most respects, but I would never take my pre-verbal daughter along. When your child is a little older, try visiting or living in the Alternative Energy Zone (no generators, just like Hushville) or a Family Camp. There are lots of little Kidsvilles too, if you look for them. But again, I would suggest waiting until your child can communicate better. It is key.

It sounds horrible, but to be utterly honest, the people I know who have taken a very young child along ended up feeling a bit resentful that they had to focus so much on the kid, since they became very demanding on the playa. I think it is like trying to have the best of both worlds, and you might have to leave the playa midweek. A few years later, though, and families can have a ball. I guess the point is that, later on, they can be willing participants instead of being dragged along. Then it gets really fun with all sorts of games and treasure hunts and things (''find me someone wearing big googly eyes on springs, someone on stilts, and an oversize giant animal!'')

Anyway, if you do go, please be patient and focus most on your kid, and be ready to split mid-week if you need. This year I am heading out with my brother, and my wife is staying with the wee one. But we will be in email contact every day, so I may end up splitting midweek too. My wife says she will really miss the playa, but is more comfortable waiting it out until another year.

The playa will always be there, but the needs of the kid have to come first. (and I'm dealing with my fair share of guilt just heading out there....) Anyway, good luck to you! Burning Dad

There's a yahoogroup called Burningmoms for parents (not just moms!) who either take their kids to BMan or have been and are interested in knowing other similarly-minded parents. Recently there has been talk about taking kids and babies to BMan, but there's also lots of talk about parenting-related things other than going to BMan - it's a pretty active, interesting group of people. You can join by going to the YahooGroups home page, and searching for Burningmoms - your membership will need to be approved, but you don't need an invitation to join.

April 2004

We are planning to bring our four-year-old son to Burning Man this year. We would appreciate any comments or suggestions from other parents who have done this.

The Burning Man website has a very helpful guide, too. http://www.burningman.com/preparation/event_survival/kids_at_bm.html christina

Hi: I've been to burning man twice and planning to go this year, and although my 8-year-old is dying to go, there is no way I would take her until she is over 18. Although there are things there that I would love for her to see and experience, there are also many things there that I would not want her exposed to, specifically sex and drugs. It is an amazing adult experience, and IMHO not kid-friendly at all, nor should it have to be. It is also an extremely harsh environment, and very taxing for adults. Plus, having a child along, especially a very young child, would severely limit your experiences on the playa - half the fun is wandering around all night. Its a great place for YOU to be a child again, but too rough for children. feel free to contact me if you want nkfl

My friends and I have a moms' group, now expanded to a parents' group, for Burners called ''Burning Moms.'' (I wouldn't be surprised if someone else from the group answers this post as well.) When and how to bring our kids to BurningMan is a major source of interest and discussion.

I have an 18 month old girl and am not quite ready to take her to the desert. My feeling is that I'm waiting until she's out of diapers and can very clearly and specifically voice her needs- ''I'm thirsty,'' ''I'm not feeling good,'' I'm too hot,'' etc.

You're more than welcome to email me if you're interested in joining this group. There are some parents on it who've already taken their kids to BM or have some experience with kids and BurningMan. In any case, it's a nice community of Burner parents. snowshoe

I brought my then 2 1/2 year old son to Burning Man a few years ago and we had a great time. it was my first burn, so I felt like it was a great introduction to the event for both of us, (and I didn't know what I was missing by not going out at night). We loved the daytime Burning Man vibe -- great artwork, friendly people, visual stimulation everywhere. We were in bed by midnight each night, so the hedonistic party-scene was not really part of his experience. I've been back twice since without him, but at age 5, he's dying to go back, and he may be with me again this year.

We camped with the Family Camp, which is always located very close to Center Camp and adjascent to Hushville(generator-free, so very quiet). It was a great place to be, since we were close to center camp and the esplanade and much of the good artwork. There were other families there (though there have been MANY more, it seems, in the two years since) and it was nice to see kids and know there was a place where they could hang out. We didn't hang out there much, since we had friends in other places, but it was a welcoming group and a good place to come home too.

Probably the most important thing I had on the playa was my jogging stroller (which STILL has playa-dust in the cracks). Depending on the size of your child, I would bring a jogger or maybe a burley or an alley cat for the back of your bike. The stroller was great, as it had a sunshade for the daytime, and my guy could nap wherever we were whenever he wanted -- he even slept through the Burn in the stroller!

Another invaluable thing was the little potty that I had. Getting up and peeing in the night or in the morning was much easier with a little potty next to the car -- not to mention pooping.

For sleeping, we have a mini-van, and we took the rear seat out (using for a playa-sofa) and slept in the back. This way I didn't have to worry about him making noise in the morning or noise waking him at night.

Food and water was pretty simple -- he had a sippy cup with him always and ate what we brought with us. He was very verbal by that time, so had no trouble expressing his needs.

He carried a squirt bottle, and sprayed people with water as his playa gift. Sometimes he blew bubbles. It was amazing to see the amount of attention a child gets on the playa -- instant interaction everywhere we went. People kept asking if he was real or part of my costume!! I could say more, but I'll leave it at this. If you want more information, feel free to contact me. Tara

I'll be going to BurningMan this year for the 9th time. Although I obviously love it, I'd be the first to say that BurningMan isn't for everybody. Anybody who goes should have some idea what it's all about. There a lot of adults who should not go there.

That said, I've observed kids of various ages there, and I've come to believe that very little kids are probably more bother there than they're worth, and they probably don't get anything out of Burningman. Older kids, maybe from 5-12, think it's great because they can do and see all kinds of fun things, and maybe ride their bikes all around. The kids who seem to have the least amount of fun are teenagers with their parents, because all they see are a bunch of stupid adults acting silly.

There is virtually nothing that a kid could see or do there during the day that is more harmful than what they could do or see in Berkeley during the day. Night time is a slightly different story but a kid would have to try real hard to find something truly threatening, especially if they go to bed at a normal time (for a kid). Jon

The opinions and statements expressed on this website are those of parents who subscribe to the Berkeley Parents Network. Please see Disclaimer & Usage for information about using content on this website.