While I've never been to any SCA events, it sounds like it would be alot of fun! As long as you and your husband know what to expect, I don't think there should be any issues with taking your daughter with you. If anything I think this could be a really cool bonding thing to do with her! Have fun!

Sounds like a lot of fun! my only concern would be the kidling wandering off or not getting enough sleep. I would do some practice camping if you have time to make sure she knows what the new boundaries are and teach her how to adapt her schedule to a very different situation.

This will be Ava's third year (well fourth if you count in utero) at pennsic and we have enjoyed every year. Any event is different with a kid but getting to see it all from her point of view is great. Things i never even notice got talked about on our walks with her in the sling last year. She kept talking aobut the animals on the encampment walls which I don't even notice anymore, about the moon, the music, the pretty banners, people's pretty clothes. You don't get as much communication with them in a wagon so make sure to do the sling thing every once in a while so that you can chat. Get a wagon with the flip seats and cup holders, very decadent! See music shows, they are great from thier point of view.

I've brought my daughter to near every dance event I've been to. At three years old she had her first dance around a bonfire. We taught her all the fire rules in advance, of course. Just make sure that if you bring her by the fire, someone's always got their eye on her to make sure she doesn't get too close. She'll learn the rules quickly. It was one of the most fulfilling experiences as I've had to see my daughter dancing with one of the other women around the bonfire.

I'm not going to lie to you. It's not going to be easy. I don't know what kind of schedule your daughter has, but I found mine loved staying up late at night to dance with me. She used to stay up until after midnight for the drum circle every month. She still stays up late for special occasions for the drum circles. In other words, a child doesn't need to be a limiting factor on your fun, as long as you're willing to do what it takes to let yourself have your fun and still have your child there. You never know, she may really take to everything you do because it means she can have that time with you. And think of all the fun times you'll have together. And don't forget the camera!

We bring our three kids almost EVERYWHERE! But we don't go with the attitude to get our money's worth. If we have to bail, we bail, it's a gamble, but worth it. If we have to take turns, one goes out with the noisy kid and *tries* to regroup, while the other gobbles down their meal. We have skiied taking turns with the kids in the lodge. And we've eaten at many fancy restaurants. Believe it or not, the fancy ones have less of an attitude about kids than you would think!

Anyway, I went to that dance camp in Mendocino, CA in 1996. It was full of kids and I loved it, despite I was single & childless then, and pretty easily irritated by bad parents. The kids were great because they participated as adults in many cases. I always wanted to go back again and bring my kids and my best friend (;0( )

Bring her...she will love it and so will you. Seeing the wonder and amazement in her pretty face will be worth it. I like the idea of taking turns with watching her, that way both you and your husband get some relax time. I had alot of people tell me off when I put my daughter on a "leash", actually it's a safety harness, but it works great to pull them back into safety if they begin to stray too far and it gives them a bit of room, they feel some independence without you having to worry and without your arms and back getting overly tired. She will have a great time, her schedule might get thrown out the window while your there, but it's easy enough to get her back on it afterwards.

I bring my kids to my family friendly events. Both of my kids come to the Ren Faires with me. My son is older (8) and usually wanders around by himself but my daughter is 3 and stays close to me. Since we've had kids we're just not late night people anymore so wondering if we want to stay up late to party isn't really an option :)

I'm pregnant with my first child, so I don't really have direct advice to give you because I haven't been in your situation yet. But I'll put in my two cents as an observer.

I have seen TONS of kids, especially toddlers, at camping workshop weekends, haflas, etc. I love watching children in these situations. They complete the atmosphere, especially when all of them pass out in a pile of blankets while the adults keep drumming and dancing around them. Adorable. Older kids love to dance and drum, and it's all good.

I think success depends on the personality of your child, mostly. Some kids are simply not cut out for this type of situation. They hate the crowd, the noise, the disruption of schedule, being around tons of "strangers", or the general chaos. They melt down or cry a lot, or refuse to eat or nurse, or go to sleep. Similarly, some PARENTS aren't cut out for this type of situation either! They get overwhelmed and can't enjoy themselves at all. You know your child the best, and how they adapt to big social situations. You also know your patience threshold, and your partner's, and how much support you will get, and how well you work as a team. If you feel that you can hack it, then you probably can. And on the other hand, you never know until you try. It's worth a try, it really is. And if it doesn't work, and you really want to try again, learn from what didn't work and figure out how to make it work next time. You will figure out your own personal system that works for your family. Just go for it.

As far as hafla events go, I host them from time to time. And I've noticed that sometimes, kids get REALLY bored. And when kids are bored, they run in circles or climb on the stage. Which invariably means collision or skinned knees, or less dancing space for adults. So at my last event, I brought a box of stuff and created a kids corner. I had coloring books and paper, crayons and pencils, puzzles, games, and toy percussion instruments. It gave them another diversion, and bought some time for the parents to relax a little more. Of course they still ran around, which is fine, that's what kids do. But I hope it kept the kids from tugging on mom's harem pants and saying "I'm BOOORRRED." At least for a fifteen minutes anyway.