Last year we went to the UK Games Expo (UKGE) with our 7 month old baby. We’ve been to UKGE many times before, but we were still nervous about how it was going to go with a baby in tow…and of course we didn’t have anything to worry about!

So, I want to share our experience in case it’s helpful for other parents planning to attend UKGE with babies. I also recommend our more general UKGE Q&A, especially if you’re visiting UKGE for the first time.

A little caveat: While I’ve tried to consider things from a general perspective, I want to acknowledge that our baby had an easygoing temperament and our experience is obviously influenced by this. You’ll know what works best for your family.

There are lots of other families there, with babies and kids of all ages

I’ve always known UKGE is family friendly, but I wasn’t sure whether people came with young babies – it just wasn’t something I’d paid attention to before having my own. But last year my eyes were unblinkered, and I saw there are LOADS of Expo babies! 

While there aren’t any baby specific activities, the UKGE did feel family friendly, and there wasn’t any point where I felt uncomfortable having a baby with me. We ended up doing a lot of what we normally like to do, with some slight adjustments.

Our baby was happy people-watching from his pushchair while we mosied around the halls, but we took regular (coffee) breaks in the foyer, in quieter spots of the open gaming, or outside the NEC (the coffee was for us, not the baby!). We played a few demo games, albeit not as many (I’ll touch more on this later). And we even managed to attend an event – a Fighting Fantasy reading with Ian Livingstone and John Robertson. We sat near the back on the end of a row just in case but the baby was on good behaviour and mostly chilled on my lap before taking a nap.

In previous years we would stay late after the trading halls close and enjoy the late open gaming, but last year we decided to give it a miss and instead took a board game from the games library back where we were staying, to enjoy once the baby was asleep.

Navigating the crowds with a pram

One of the main attractions at UKGE are the aforementioned trade halls, full of exhibitors, demo tables, and vendors. The halls can get quite busy, especially on Friday and Saturday, and I was a little worried that we’d struggle to get a pushchair up and down the aisles.

I’m happy to report we had no issues maneuvering around the halls with our standard issue pushchair. And we saw lots of other pushchairs, prams, and carriers around! I think there might have been one occasion where someone bumped into the pram, but otherwise most people are conscientious and considerate. There were lots of other pushchairs, prams, and baby carriers in use!

One thing I’m unsure about is whether there are any pram storage facilities at the NEC. I’ve contacted NEC to check but they’ve yet to respond – let me know if you know anything about this and I’ll update this post!

Last year we avoided Saturday because it has UKGE’s biggest crowds. The break between Expo days was actually useful for us and the baby to decompress and spend a day with family. If you wanted to do something similar there are lots of other family friendly activities around Birmingham, like Sea Life or wildlife/nature parks.

If you are going to UKGE on a busy day and want a break from the trade hall crowds there are other things to do – check out our UKGE Q&A for advice on this!

It’s still possible to demo board games

We went into UKGE last year with no expectations of getting to demo board games – it’s tricky to find a free demo table at the best of times, but it’s even trickier with a baby. We decided to play it by ear and see what the baby would let us get away with.

We ended up waiting until Sunday – the quietest day – before braving it, but we managed to get a few demos in! We timed a couple around naps, but for our first demo (Happy Home from Alley Cat Games) the baby was awake. Fortunately he was quite content to sit in the pushchair and charm (distract) the other players – people we’d only just met.

One thing I did notice was that the demo tables weren’t all pushchair accessible, so we looked for games on outer tables or in more spacious set-ups. Something to bear in mind if you have a specific game you want to play, because it might not be easy to get to.

There are spacious areas in open gaming as well, so there’s always the option of playing a game there (that you own, or from the library).

The baby feeding facilities aren’t great…

Last year I was still breastfeeding, so I was eager to check out the breastfeeding facilities – unfortunately this is one area that the NEC falls short.

They do have a handy baby changing and facilities map. If you are bottle feeding, the facilities seem to be there. I noticed a few bottle warmers around, and the in-hall restaurants supposedly have bottle warmers too. 

But I’m not 100% confident that the facilities listed on the map are actually there or that they are appropriate for use. For example, the map only lists 2 breastfeeding chairs near the UKGE halls (1-3 last year). One of them (the one in Hall 3) didn’t seem to actually be there. And the second – described as being in a separate cubicle – was not a cubicle but more accurately a screened off area within the baby changing space. But the chair provided was a metal chair with hard arms that would obviously get in the way. I wish I’d thought to take a photo at the time to show what it was like. I could not imagine being able to sit in that chair comfortably to feed.

Fortunately I (and the baby) were used to breastfeeding in public, so I opted to breastfeed in a quieter part of the open gaming area – the chairs still weren’t ideal but at least the setting felt less oppressive!

I was really disappointed with the NEC’s offerings, because not all people are comfortable breastfeeding in public, and some need privacy to pump (there’s no way I would have been able to pump comfortably if I’d needed to). And some babies need a quiet environment to feed. It would be nice to see the NEC improve these facilities, or the UKGE organisers to consider providing a dedicated space for baby feeding/pumping as part of their set-up, especially as they advertise as a family event.

You can take your own food

We touch on the food options at the NEC in our UKGE Q&A. But from a baby perspective, if you’re conscious about salt content etc, I don’t think there are a lot of options in-house. There is a Londis on site that may stock some baby food products in a pinch..

Fortunately, you can bring your own food into the NEC. Last year we were one month into weaning, so we brought lunches and snacks everyday – a mix of homemade items and food pouches, and the holy grail that is melty sticks. We’re planning on doing something similar again this year (more likely shop bought than homemade because we’re staying in a hotel this time), but we’ll probably also have the occasional on-site meal now he’s a toddler.

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And that was our experience last year! I think it’ll be more challenging this year now our baby is a full on toddler…I can’t see him sitting happily in his pram while we play/demo games together and he DEFINITELY won’t chill quietly on my lap in an event.

Overall, my biggest takeaway (and advice) is to go into it with no expectation of what is going to work, have plans but prepare to be flexible. You know, like every other day with a baby!