Bringing my 22 mo old to Kentucky 3 Day. We are driving. What do people do for xc day? Stroller? Wagon? Carrier? I’ll have another adult with me and we have many friends but toddler will be attached to me. Most likely.
Give me insight, COTH masses!
If it were me, I would say jogging stroller, But I have seen horses freak at strollers and no one wants to be that person. Of course, we’ve all also seen horses freak at nothing so you’re probably in a lose lose situation regardless haha
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Have you been before? Just want you to be aware that the weather can go from 40s and raining to thunderstorm to 75 and sunny within a few hours. Parking is a hike from XC so you’ll need to tote all your stuff. You see babies/toddlers from time to time but honestly it’s a lot for the parents. If your kid is all-terrain it can be a great day for them, but I think it’d be a lot of work too.
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I, personaly, would leave that young toddler at home.
Big day, weird weather, the crowd… It’s not a « day at the farm, petting zoo » type of event. At that age, your kid will have more fun at home playing with a babysitter.
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The toddler will be torturing you within an hour. Much more fun for the kid to stay home with the babysitter. Plus, in my experience, toddlers tend to screech and run, which is not safe for anyone.
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Thanks, Rob!
Ive been to the event, many times. I’m aware it’s not going to be the easiest task to take her… but I’m going to anyway. I have friends that bring kids each year.
I have the preferred parking, so car will be close(ish). I even have friends camping so naptime can still be a thing.
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Please keep your toddler well controlled so that she doesn’t run out onto the course and chase Buck’s horse.
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Is it crate-trained?
The Lexington Humane Society runs a creche service where you can leave them while you go enjoy your day. IIRC, the charge is per hour and you need to provide proof of vaccinations.
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I’m not a parent but I bet it’s hard to get your vet to vaccinate a toddler for rabies.
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The only way I would ever attempt to bring a toddler to XC day is with him strapped to my back. Way too much walking, hoards of people to get around and lots of terrain. Maybe a babysitter at least for XC day. That just sounds sooooo not fun.
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Well, it wasn’t Kentucky, but I took my then ~9 month old to Great Meadow for XC day. Her stroller handles everything but sand pretty well, including deep, rutted turf. I stayed back from the ropes a few rows so there were people between the competitors and the horse-eating stroller.
Honestly, she slept through the entire XC until the last two rides. That said, big difference between 10 and 22 months. Several friends had toddlers, and found open places away from the course for them to run off energy.
The thing she seemed happiest about was the clip-on battery powered fan for her stroller. It kept the air moving while the cover was up for the sun. I’d suggest a rain cover, too. I’m probably going to invest in a baby harness this year; heel, sit, and stay have served my dog well. It should be useful with her, too. Her recall isn’t that good yet.
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I have taken my three kids, all born within 18 months (twins and a little brother shortly thereafter) to the Kentucky 3 Day almost every year since they were born. My recommendation is an all terrain jogging type stroller, with a rain cover/sun cover, with the basket underneath well packed with supplies, snacks, hats, sunscreen, extra clothing/rain gear, picnic blanket, etc. Definitely bring food and drinks–it’s a long walk to go get food and long lines when you get there. Much easier to just have stuff packed. We’ve always had a good time, except that I think it’s pretty impossible to do any shopping at the trade fair with little kids. Mind you though, an all terrain stroller is fantastic for toting trade fair purchases back to your vehicle.
Unrelated, but I the only one who regrets having missed out on going to the Event Formerly Known as Rolex before the rebranding? Unbrandintg? It just doesn’t seem the same and I feel like I missed out on something special.
Definitely recommend a jogging / all terrain stroller over a wagon. It’s way easier to push and navigate a stroller than pull a wagon. Plus I think it is more comfortable for kids to sleep in a stroller. I speak from experience taking my little people to Rolex, on course walks, motorcycle races, etc. I usually packed all their favorite snacks, an outdoor blanket, and at minimum an umbrella. There are plenty of nice spots away from the crowded areas and jumps for your kiddo to run around and blow off some steam where he/she won’t be bothering the horses, but you can still see the action.
Consensus is jogging stroller! Thank you!
And I agree, no trade fair and avoid food lines. That’s fine by me, I’ll spent less money.
Im excited to go! I haven’t been in a few years. I think it’ll be a fun mother/daughter/grandmother trip.
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Agree with RedRyderKy to watch a few jumps then find a place away from the action where you can let your little one run around a bit. My kids loved climbing on unused XC jumps. If the weather is awful–raining all day–I’d skip, though. We’ve had a weird year here this year. Lots of rain…and it was 60 degrees yesterday and it’s snowing right now! So I’ve always bought my XC day tickets the day of at the gate when the kids were small.
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@Mombie There is a play ground over by USHJA/Dressage complex if you need a place for your toddler to blow off steam for a bit. Maybe a carrier would be good to bring too in case you do want to hit the trade fair?
While we wont be there all day, I’m heading to XC day with my baby who will be 7 weeks at the time but we’ve got a tailgate spot so its a bit different since we’ll have a “home base” where baby can nap out side his stroller (plus a preferred parking spot or ease of getting to/from, a small pack and play for under the tent, and cold beers for mom and dad).
I forgot about the playground! Thanks!
I haven’t brought kids to KY, but have done Fair Hill a number of times (from the time my first was about 1), and been to KY enough times - the biggest thing, I think, is packing and preparing appropriately. A good off-road capable jogging stroller doesn’t hold tons of stuff, and I’d say you’d want to pack about twice as much as you would for a regular outing just because the weather is so variable. So keep in mind the best way to carry those things. Be prepared to not see as much as you might have otherwise, kids have a way of getting really into something (at fair hill, it’s the corn sandbox in the kids’ area) so that you may not get to “experience” as much of the action as you would normally.
Plenty of snacks, of course, too. And keep in mind changing stations may be hard to find (but at FH I just change them on a pad on the ground). There’s plenty of room on the XC course for a running, screeching toddler to not cause any problems. 
I’d be more worried about interactions with dogs than those with horses.
Have fun!
My son came along when he was 21 mos. My hubby toted him in a Deuter on XC day. We also had a stroller for dressage and stadium days. It all worked out well. I didn’t feel like having him there made things harder.
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