Safe to bring baby to the track?!

[rsx858]

My friends want to come out to the races this weekend at NHMS and they have a 5 month old... They asked me if the track is too loud for infant ears... is it!?

Probably foolish to think you could keep any kind of hearing protection on a baby...

[Greg Amy]

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/ear-muffs-for-children.html

[JeffYoung]

Just don't put baby in a corner....

[RacerBill]

Make sure you take the baby seat out of the race car before you go to the grid!!!! :D

Seriously, since the baby would have to be in spectator areas, I think that the greatest risk would be to fire up the engine in the paddock with the baby unprotected on the side of the car where the exhaust exits. Make sure you tell your friends before you fire it up. Also be careful of nearby cars. (don't know what the paddock is like at SCCA events, only been there for IRL races.

[RacerBowie]

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/ear-muffs-for-children.html

Those are what I got for Little Bowie. He doesn't seem to mind them too much, which is good, because he cried the one time I started the car with him nearby when he wasn't wearing them... maybe he could hear the holed piston or something? :blink:

[MMiskoe]

Those are what I got for Little Bowie. He doesn't seem to mind them too much, which is good, because he cried the one time I started the car with him nearby when he wasn't wearing them... maybe he could hear the holed piston or something? :blink:


No, he cried because it wasn't a familiar sound. You could have an air-raid klaxon in your house, provided the kid had heard it go off from day 1 they'd just think its standard op.

Watch the rotories & F500's. Those seemed to make my boys upset more than anything else when they were little, can't say I blame them.

At 3 months my first kid slept through the GT-1 start while at the turn 3 fence.

Bring the kid. Families that race together, stay together.

[Dano77]

Enclosed trailers and motor homes seal up the noise well,just a back ground droan. Dont go to the garages at big bore times as they fire up and warm engines.
Aside from just being a normal human with common sense,leaves us out, the track is not bad for little kids. Just ask my 2 girls,they cant wait for this weekend. They just dont like daddys car for some reason.huh wonder why
Dan 77 IT7

[spnkzss]

My kid (who is almost 3) still runs away from the impact gun :( She has been coming up to the track since she was 2 weeks old.

[Ron Earp]

Remember that you are old and deaf. All the children I fire up a car for run away - they say it is too loud. I suppose it has been a long time since I could hear worth a damn. Should eb ok at the track, just stay away from certain cars/groups as mentioned.

[quadzjr]

My father did the exact oppisite. He woudl tortue me by forcing me to stay close to said vehicle. Since he was an engine builder this happened often. Some how it was always my job to hodl the cup full of gas in it :rolleyes:

He could of put the damn thing on the ground!

I will do the same thing if/when I have a kid.. but with ear plugs.

[gran racing]

Matt,
I took my son to the track when he was about that age. I would just suggest that they obviously try to avoid any super loud cars, but from what I understand Gulick won't be there with his RX7. Some type of ear protection is a good idea, although we didn't use it (had it with us though). Worst case, they can go to the outfield grandstands with the baby for a bit where's it's a little more quiet.

[MMiskoe]

One thing I forgot to mention - not a problem w/ babies, but little ones who are mobile don't understand stuff that is too hot to touch - like wheels. My younger one touched the back of his finger to a wheel about 3 minutes after the car came off track. Poor bastard had a bubble the same size as his finger that evening. He was just out of reach as he pointed at something inside the spokes (an even hotter brake rotor?) and no one could quite get to him before it happened. Man that had to hurt but he only cried for about 5 minutes.

[RSTPerformance]

Warn them now... How many of us went to the track as kids... Is that really what they want, another addict!!!

LOL best family ever is at the track :)

Raymond

[shwah]

We used the smallest shooting muffs they had at Wal Mart and simply put them on their head whenever we were at the track with a loud run group from thier first event - June Sprints for both so there were plenty of loud GT1 cars on hand. The oldest went at 8mo, the youngest at 4mo.

No issues, and they know to use the ear muffs on thier own now.

[tom_sprecher]

My kids still scurry away from loud noises, especially my son. In my case it is not safe to bring my kids to the track because my wife would kill me. ;)

[OTLimit]

Andrea went to her first dog show at 6 weeks, and first race at ~3 months. We bought pretty decent muffs for her so she got accustomed to wearing them from an early age. Oh the pictures I have of her at the track as a kid.

[almracing]

We've been bringing our daughter to the track since she was only a few months old. Cotton works ok with babies... ear plugs with older ones.

The other thing that works is to make friends with people in nice RV's. :D

[7racing]

I did the same as Anthony, use cotton in the baby's ears with a small piece of masking tape holding it in. Worked fine. As they get older and the head expands and solidifies, you can get a small pair of shooting ear muffs or ear plugs.

Just pay attention to what is happening around you and try to keep them away from cars warming up. Also, be observant with where you watch the races from. I.E. the entrance to turn 3 is a lot quieter than the exit (where the cars exhaust is pointing at the fans).

[Russ Myers]

Mine ran away from air guns at an early age. now he steals it from me to work on his jeep. he's also my crew chief. first race for him was 7 mos.

Russ