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    Ongoing observations by End Point Dev people

    How to Bring a Baby to a Tech Conference

    Steph Skardal

    By Steph Skardal
    April 27, 2015

    Last week, I brought my 4 month old to RailsConf. In a game-day decision, rather than drag a two year old and husband along on the ~5 hour drive and send the dogs to boarding, we decided it would ultimately be easier on everyone (except maybe me) if I attended the conference with the baby, especially since a good amount of the conference would be live-streamed.

    Daily morning photos at the conference.

    While I was there, I was asked often how it was bringing a baby to a conference, so I decided to write a blog post. As with all parenting advice, the circumstances are a strong factor in how the experience turned out. RailsConf is a casual three-day multi-track tech conference with many breaks and social events—​it’s as much about socialization as it is about technical know-how. This is not my first baby and not my first time at RailsConf, so I had some idea of what I might be getting into. Minus a few minor squeaks, baby Skardal was sleeping or sitting happily throughout the conference.

    Here’s what I [qualitatively] perceived to be the reaction of others attending the conference to baby Skardal:

    In list form:

    • Didn’t Notice: Probably about 50% didn’t notice I had a baby, especially when she was sleeping soundly in the carrier.
    • Stares: Around 50% may have stared. See below for more.
    • Joke: A really small percentage of people made some variation of the joke “Starting her early, eh?”
    • Conversation: An equally small percentage of people started a conversation with me, which often led to more technical talk.

    Here are some reasons I imagined behind the staring:

    • That baby is very cute (I’m not biased at all!)
    • Shock
    • Wonder if day care is provided (No, it wasn’t. But with a 4 month old who hasn’t been in day care yet, I probably wouldn’t have used it.)
    • Too hungover to politely not stare

    Pros & Cons

    And here is how I felt after the conference, regarding pros and cons on bringing the baby:

    Pros
    • A baby is a good conversation starter, which is beneficial in a generally introverted crowd.
    • I realized there are helpful & nice people in the world who offered to help plenty of times.
    • The baby was happiest staying with me.
    Cons
    • Because children were the focus of many conversations, I missed out on talking shop a bit.
    • It’s tiring, but in the same way that all parenting is.
    • I couldn’t participate in all of the social/evening activities of the conference.
    • Staring generally makes me feel uncomfortable.

    Tips

    And finally, some tips:

    • Plan ahead:
      • Review the sessions in advance and pick out ones you want to attend because you may not have time to do that on the fly.
      • Walk (or travel) the route from your hotel to the conference so you know how long it will take and if there will be challenges.
    • Be agile and adapt. Most parents are already probably doing this with a 4 month old.
    • Manage your expectations:
      • Expect the conference with a baby to be tiring & challenging at times.
      • Expect stares.
      • Expect you won’t make it to every session you want, so make a point of talking to others to find out their favorite sessions.
    • If not provided, ask conference organizers for access to a nursing or stashing room.
    • Bring baby gear options: carrier, stroller, bouncy seat, etc.
    • Research food delivery options ahead of time.
    • Order foods that are easy to eat with one hand. Again, another skill parents of a 4 month old may have developed.
    • Sit or stand in the back of talks.

    While in these circumstances I think we made the right decision, I look forward to attending more conferences sans-children.

    conference rails


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